From toilet paper to roller skates, thesewere the great shortages of 2020
The coronavirus pandemic drastically changed how we live and work. As businesses closed and needs shifted, the consumer- goods supply chain was disrupted in curious, often unanticipated ways. Shortages of essentials like toilet paper and food happened in the early days, led by sold- out products related to the latest popular quarantine activity.
Here are the items that became hot commodities in 2020.
1. TOILET PAPER
Even before the first lockdowns, toilet paper started flying off shelves as panic over a new virus rippled through the country. Demand shot up 845 percent during the pandemic. It became impossible to find at grocery and drug stores, and when it came back in stock, the retailers imposed purchase limits.
It was the butt of the joke at the beginning of the pandemic. But why stock up on toilet paper? Perhaps due to its nonperishable and uber- essential nature — lacking TP is indeed incredibly inconvenient.
The reason for the shortage, on the other hand, is twofold. The panic-buying and hoarding of toilet paper meant people were purchasing more than they needed, which depleted supplies, spurring even more panic-buying and hoarding. This vicious cycle exacerbated the initial issue, which is that there are two toilet paper markets: consumer and commercial. As demand for the latter (from offices, restaurants and other public places) plummeted, demand for the former (for your home) soared, disrupting the supply chain for weeks.
2. SANITIZER AND PPE
While hand sanitizer and other disinfectants were com
monplace items before the pandemic, the demand for them shot up in March. For weeks, shoppers had no luck finding hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes and other cleaning supplies people thought would help ward off the virus. Products such as rubbing alcohol, used to make DIY hand sanitizer, also disappeared from shelves. Clorox said its shortage of wipes will last until 2021.
The problem became so acute that the Alcohol Tax and Trade Bureau eased regulations for distilleries to produce and sell sanitizer using byproducts from the distilling process: acetone and methanol.
Face masks, on the other hand, were not exactly a staple in our lives until this year. They were incredibly difficult to find at the start of the pandemic, but eventually the blue disposable surgical masks we now know so well populated shelves. Meanwhile, many businesses began making their own reusable fabric masks, from neutral and practical to cute and stylish.
3. FLOUR AND YEAST
Baking bread was one of the very first viral trends to be born from the pandemic. Stuck in their homes, people took interest in creative, time- consuming pursuits, especially ones they could eat later.
The bread era of the pandemic had two acts. As people began baking more, a yeast shortage ensued. “No problem, let’s make sourdough,” said a bunch of ambitious bakers with a lot of time and patience on their hands. Sourdough is made by fermenting instead of relying on yeast.
And then, of course, there was a flour shortage.
4. MEAT
Due to virus outbreak-related shutdowns of meat-processing plants, a brief meat shortage happened earlier this year, making beef and other animal protein scarcer and more expensive. A late April executive order from the Trump administration mandated the plants stay open, calling them essential infrastructure. Meat has remained on shelves, with some purchase limits, throughout the pandemic, but at great cost: More than 50,000 meatpacking workers have tested positive for COVID-19 so far, according to the Food and Environment Reporting Network.
Small, local ranchers experienced an increase in sales amid the national meat shortage, providing a modest silver lining.
5. BEANS AND OTHER CANNED FOOD
Much like an incoming hurricane, the coronavirus’ arrival spurred people to head to the grocery store and beeline for certain items. Nonperishable foods are always in high de
mand in these times, such as beans and other canned products that can be stockpiled for months.
Beans became a trendy food in 2020; this year alone the Houston Chronicle published more than a dozen recipes utilizing the legume, and an heirloom bean club received renewed attention.
6. ACTUAL CANS
Another consequence of consumer versus commercial market shifts was a shortage of aluminum cans. Breweries send kegs to restaurants and other on-premise accounts, which were closed for dine-in for some time and operating at reduced capacity for much of the year. In tandem, more people were buying individual cans and six-packs from grocery and liquor stores, as well as directly from breweries when the state allowed to- go. It was the perfect cocktail for a shortage.
In response, Houston’s Saint Arnold Brewing stocked extra pallets of empty cans in its warehouse this year, as insurance.
7. HOME WORKOUT: DUMBBELLS, ROLLER SKATES AND BICYCLES
When gyms closed, everyone rushed to set up their home workout situations. It took a few weeks for dumbbells to become incredibly difficult to find, but the shortage lasted several months. Dumbbells only started returning to Dick’s and other sporting stores in the past month.
Because of the lockdown and the influence of TikTok this year, roller skating has made a comeback, including in Houston. Skate manufacturers reported huge spikes in orders this year, clearing out inventory and resulting in long waits.
With everyone wanting to spend more time outside, bicycles also saw an uptick in sales, leading to a shortage that’s still ongoing. It was a big year for home exercise equipment — Peloton stock went up more than 400 percent over the past 10 months.
8. GROOMING: WAX, HAIR CLIPPERS AND HAIR DYE
Any hair removal or hair alteration typically done by a
professional had to be attempted at home — often with mixed results. Hair clippers, for people with short hair needing a frequent cut, were in high demand and experienced delayed orders. At the beginning of the pandemic, people started panic-buying hair dye like it was the new toilet paper, but the frenzy was short-lived. The really good kind of wax — microwavable, without strips — disappeared from drug store shelves and was sold out everywhere online for months.
9. JIGSAW PUZZLES
With lockdown came boredom, and with boredom, athome pastimes flourished. Puzzles became a huge hit in 2020 and retailers had a hard time keeping up. People who already puzzled were puzzling on a more frequent basis, and many others joined the party, buying up puzzles for both adults and children. Puzzle manufacturers are still months behind on production.
10. CHRISTMAS TREES
This year was relentless, and even the holiday season was disrupted by virus-related shortages. If you found it difficult to get a good Christmas tree this year, there may be a few reasons at play. Of course, the pandemic’s effect on supply chains is one of them. Perhaps smaller gatherings and fewer people spending the holidays with family resulted in more individual households looking for trees.
But the Christmas tree shortage may also be explained by other factors, such as the wildfires on the West Coast that destroyed forests and farmers who decided to switch out their crops during the Great Recession (the trees take between eight to 12 years to grow).