Bulk stores run dry on toilet paper, bottled water in strike reaction

Finding toilet paper and bottled water in stores could become more difficult around Delaware in the coming days as consumers react in panic to the port workers' strike along the East and Gulf coasts. This, even though such products are largely produced domestically. Scenes comparable to the March 2020 start of the COVID-19 pandemic are playing out at some retail establishments.

Stores around New Castle County, especially bulk warehouse stores, were slammed with shoppers buying large numbers of toilet paper and 40-packs of bottled water on Wednesday morning.

BJ's in Newark was bled dry of its store-brand bath tissue by 11 a.m. on Wednesday. It had also gone through 21 pallets of 40-packs of bottled water.

Leslie Glassford, front end manager of the BJ's, said the store had been slammed with customers for three days. She urged patience as stores try to keep up with demand for these products.

"Have patience, we are doing the best we can," she said.

The Costco in Christiana was full of disappointed shoppers who found depleted shelves that usually held toilet paper and bottled water.

The store opened at 10 a.m. with full shelves of these products, and by 11:30 a.m., most of them had been drained. A whiteboard sign at the front door warned customers that all toilet paper and Kirkland Signature water were out of stock around noon Wednesday.

Costco employees said eggs and bananas were among other products selling briskly. Luckily, this store got a shipment of bananas in the morning.

Grocery stores were not as hammered with customers, at least not yet. The Prices Corner Acme has seen an increase in customers, and some were coming in to grab large quantities of toilet paper, but the shelves remained mostly stocked with brand-name toilet paper. The increase in customers was not a surprise to this store because of the closing of the Kirkwood Acme in Milltown.

More on the strike:Port of Wilmington cargo is shut down by the first East Coast strike in 47 years

People are panic-buying products that aren't affected by any slowdown caused by the ILA strike, which began on Oct. 1. The supplies of toilet paper and bottled water are not heavily affected by the work stoppage at the East and Gulf Coast ports. Imported fresh fruit, automobiles, seafood, electronics and more will be affected by the work stoppage.

The majority of toilet paper bought in the U.S. is made here. The Center for Land Use Interpretation in 2021 reported the shortage of toilet paper in 2020 was a result of demand vastly outpacing the consistent and balanced flow of the product through the supply chain. Speeding up the supply chain is a challenge because of the large size and quantity of toilet paper packages.

There is a Kimberly-Clark paper mill in nearby Chester, Pennsylvania, which produced 60% of the entire Scott 1000 type of Scott toilet paper in 2022. Kirkland Signature bottled water is also reportedly bottled domestically. Deer Park bottled water uses springs up and down the East Coast, including Pennsylvania and Maryland.

Shane Brennan covers New Castle County with a focus on Newark and surrounding communities. Reach out with ideas, tips or feedback at [email protected]. Follow @shanebrennan36 on X, formerly Twitter.

(This story was updated to add a photo gallery)