As an anonymous bard once quipped, “Life is like toilet paper: the closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.” Whether or not there is any truth to observation is exactly the sort of question that fascinates some scientists who want to know more about consumer behavior and personal routines. In Mexico for example, toilet paper has to fill different specifications anyway. For one thing, it must be scented, no matter what, because unscented toilet paper is absolutely uninteresting to Mexicans.
The reason for this is that toilet paper in Mexico is very soft and of high quality, which means that it is often used for many other purposes as well. Women in particular use it as tissues, napkins, makeup removers, even as disposable washcloths. Mexican women usually have some toilet paper with them wherever they go – they can use it for removing stains, for example. Toilet paper is seen as an article of personal hygiene which means that scented paper is de rigeur. The nose knows!
The run on fragrant toilet paper in Mexico began six to eight years ago. At first, scented paper was only available on a seasonal basis or as a holiday item: spring or summer toilet paper, or special scented products at Christmas time. Nowadays, however, you would have to look for quite a while to find something unscented. And the industry is constantly discovering new occasions for special paper; currently there are plans to launch customized rolls for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.
Apropos, the most popular scent is chamomile.
A run on toilet paper in Japan
Keeping everything rolling
What comes to mind when Europeans or Americans hear about a fuel shortage? They probably think of higher prices, long lines at the gas station or maybe even less traffic on the road. When the Japanese think about an oil shortage, however, they think of toilet paper. In 1973, a crisis in the fuel supply caused a run on toilet paper, and the event made history. Thousands of panicky housewives stormed supermarkets and hoarded everything they could, and as a result, toilet paper prices skyrocketed. After an elderly lady was nearly crushed when mobs fought over the precious paper, the ministry in charge of international commerce responded by assuring the Japanese people that they would make sure there was enough for everyone.
A similar incident in Hawaii in the mid-1970s was also caused by an oil shortage and led to long lines of consumers stockpiling toilet paper. For a while, there was even TP rationing: only one roll per person.