Panic Buying Begins! Toilet Paper & Water GONE From Costco! National Guard Deployed Over Dock Strike

As the port strike continues into its third day, some consumers are growing concerned about whether it could lead to a toilet paper shortage, prompting some to whisk supplies of the product off store shelves. But experts say there’s no need to worry about a shortage of toilet paper because the bulk of it is manufactured in the U.S.

Some consumers on Thursday posted images of empty shelves at major retailers, with some noting that shoppers are stuffing their carts full of toilet paper rolls. For some, the images suggest a replay of the pandemic’s impact in 2020, when supply chain problems caused by the health emergency led to actual shortages of toilet paper and other products.

“You guys … toilet paper hoarding of 2020 just made a comeback!” one shopper wrote on X, the former Twitter. “Two Costcos were sold out of the Kirkland brand. Everyone in line had 2 packages and one guy had 8!! Seriously people, please don’t do this again…”

But experts say the situation is different with the dockworker strike, which has shut down 14 ports along the East and Gulf coasts since Tuesday. The labor dispute isn’t likely to impact toilet paper or many other supermarket products, such as meat and breakfast cereal, because they’re largely produced domestically, Michigan State University professor Jason Miller told CBS News.

“This is where it’s just very important for folks to understand this is a completely different situation than a worldwide pandemic that we didn’t know what we were facing, you know, four and a half years ago,” Miller, a supply chain expert, said. “There’s no reason to panic because of this port strike. You know, things will be okay.”

About 85% of U.S. tissue paper demand, including toilet paper, paper towels, napkins and facial tissue, is supplied by U.S. tissue producers, according to a statement from the American Forest & Paper Association, a trade group for the paper and wood product industry. 

“The American Forest & Paper Association is aware of reports of toilet paper shortages, which some have attributed to the current port strike,” Heidi Brock, the group’s CEO, said in a statement emailed to CBS MoneyWatch. 

She added, “While we continue to urge the [International Longshoremen’s Association] and USMX to quickly bring an end to this strike to restore our members’ access to export their products, we would like to stress we are not aware of any expected impact to tissue product delivery in the U.S.”