Although we’ve already seen some unexpected side effects from the COVID-19 outbreak that has taken center stage in our minds this year, perhaps the strangest of them concerned the wave of panic buying that we’ve seen in local grocery stores over the past month.
Although many of us found it difficult to track down various household items as a result, it seemed hard to predict that the first item to go would be toilet paper.
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Nonetheless, that’s exactly what those inclined to hoard items seemed to prioritize for whatever reason.
We now live in the wake of this bizarrely popular decision.
But any of those shoppers who may be experiencing buyer’s remorse now that they realize just how much toilet paper they have could very well be out of luck. At least, as far as Costco is concerned.
Grocery stores throughout the nation have been the site of panic buying frenzies, and it seems that Costco is no exception.
Although the business model of the chain has a heavy emphasis on buying in bulk, it seems the hoarding trend has shown us exactly what the limits of this idea are.
And so, we’re left with a situation where people either have too much or not enough toilet paper.
In the wake of this TP tragedy , some people are finding themselves forced to make other… arrangements, so to speak.
This includes cutting paper towel rolls into smaller, makeshift rolls for the bathroom, using wet wipes in place of toilet paper, and, as musician Jason Aldean recently joked on Twitter , simply making use of those super long CVS receipts.
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But what happens if the tide suddenly changes, and all that panic buying was for nothing?
Or, if people realize buying an entire pallet of toilet paper was a little ridiculous and they try to hit the “undo” button on that purchase?
Well, for anyone who’s hoping they can bring their surplus back to Costco, there are a couple of Instagram fan accounts who have given us reason to believe that this idea won’t work out for them.
One that goes by @costcoinsider took a photo of a sign they discovered at their local branch.
And we can get a pretty clear picture of what specific items people have been panic buying by what this location is refusing to accept returns on.
And as another account named @costcobuys confirms, this policy isn’t limited to just one location.
So anyone who went overboard on toilet paper or rice purchases is now going to have to learn to live with that decision.
At least none of this stuff will go bad, right?
