Many irate people think people are buying certain commodities during this pandemic and judge them to be hoarders. Some of that is true, but I think some of it is a supply-chain issue. We are not consuming these commodities in their traditional places due to sheltering-in-place orders. Grocery stores can’t keep their shelves stocked, and wholesalers are jammed up with inventory.
Toilet paper, for instance, is manufactured and marketed for many different dispensers. These dispensers and the paper that goes into them are all specialized. It is not easy to change them over to the manufacturing and dispensing of normal residential rolls of toilet paper. Both products are marketed and distributed in different ways.
Let’s take a look at eggs. Any egg shortages can’t be hoarding because they only last for so long. Are there suddenly fewer chickens? Are we eating more eggs? Maybe. I suggest the shortages in the stores are because we are consuming all our eggs at home.
Concerning testing and protective equipment for our first responders, I suspect it is a leadership issue mixed in with some illegal profiteering. Hopefully we can remedy this travesty in the next election and make masks, hand sanitizer and virus testing available for everyone.
