Limits on Toilet Paper and Cleaning Supplies Are Back at Costco(npr.org)
npr.org
Limits on Toilet Paper and Cleaning Supplies Are Back at Costco
https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/09/24/1040471872/limits-toilet-paper-cleaning-supplies-costco-delta-covid
88 comments
Most household supplies at Costco are already sold in month-size (or larger) bundles.
Depends on the size of your household. Add in kids, and you burn through stuff really quick.
The key thing is to (a) only buy stuff you actually use; and (b) rotate it.
The key thing is to (a) only buy stuff you actually use; and (b) rotate it.
I wonder if this could be an attempt at induced demand (inverted induced demand?). Over the summer I watched off-brand cleaning supplies get marched over to the clearance rack with prices slashed every week. Perhaps at this point they’d like to see every customer walk through carrying their limit of two packages (just in case) rather than the comparatively fewer that were being purchased before.
I don’t think costco needs to resort to this type of thing. Should have at least some reason for suspicion before sowing doubt.
i think it is more likely a foreshadowing of the further breakdown of supply chains.
Bidets are cheap and easy to install -- highly recommended.
Edit: I was referring to bidet adapters (no power or hot water, attaches to existing toilet). $35 delivered, I was able to install easily in my last house, and just recently, installed for free by the management of my apartment.
It's not perfect but works good enough.
Edit: I was referring to bidet adapters (no power or hot water, attaches to existing toilet). $35 delivered, I was able to install easily in my last house, and just recently, installed for free by the management of my apartment.
It's not perfect but works good enough.
The TOTO Washlet is Japan's greatest gift to civilization. They start from around $400. Power is likely a problem in the US, I suspect. Japanese bathrooms have GFCI plugs right behind the toilet, and I don't recall that being common in the US.
A $30 accessory like this[1] is enough.
[1] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076G9M9JG?psc=1
[1] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076G9M9JG?psc=1
I would not be able to justify anything more than a stream of tap temperature water for my butt.
Once you’ve tried the blow-drying, hot-water, steerable jets and pre-heated seat you never go back. Contemporary western toilets feel barbaric in comparison. No joke.
I had them at my last job and sure they're very nice. But honestly the water only ones are totally fine.
I have tried them in Japan, but the cost: benefit ratio is off for me.
FYI anyone who wants to try one and is flying through Honolulu: The Honolulu airport has fancy public bidets on the second floor in the less-traveled areas near the private clubs.
Consider you're riding it daily. You've likely spent more on less useful things.
I do “ride” it daily. I just have never thought I need even more convenience or comfort than I already have from my $40 bidet. I need it for a few seconds then provide water, I wipe dry, and leave the bathroom.
It’s not common but not crazy expensive to add.
A GFCI outlet behind a toilet would be at least $1k if not a few thousand unless there is an existing outlet between the studs above where you want it.
There would be electrical, drywall, and maybe even plumbing work since most toilets are in cramped areas and I would expect possibly needing to move them.
There would be electrical, drywall, and maybe even plumbing work since most toilets are in cramped areas and I would expect possibly needing to move them.
It's likely that most houses, especially ones built in the last 30 years in the US, will have a nearby option.
My house was built about 15 years ago, and there's a light switch by my toilet, so I could run off of that. There is also an outlet in another room that shares a wall by the toilet, so that would be an option too.
I don't have experience with GFCI (which I imagine is probably code-required around wet areas), but running a regular outlet off of another one is super easy if one is technically (and safety) competent.
My house was built about 15 years ago, and there's a light switch by my toilet, so I could run off of that. There is also an outlet in another room that shares a wall by the toilet, so that would be an option too.
I don't have experience with GFCI (which I imagine is probably code-required around wet areas), but running a regular outlet off of another one is super easy if one is technically (and safety) competent.
That's what I did. Added a GFCI outlet below the light switch with an old work box. Hardest part was cramming all the wiring back in. Have a short extension cord to snake to the bidet.
I don't think my landlord would even notice, since it blends so well, and now it powers a toothbrush charger as well.
Plumbing is a non-issue, since you just split the toilet feed with a T-joint included in the kit.
I don't think my landlord would even notice, since it blends so well, and now it powers a toothbrush charger as well.
Plumbing is a non-issue, since you just split the toilet feed with a T-joint included in the kit.
I’m in Chicago, not the land of cheap contractors normally and was quoted $250 for a full install.
Wow, I had an electrician run a wire from the circuit breaker in my garage along on the garage floor to create an on the wall (not even in the wall) outlet 15 feet away for a chest freezer and it was $250. No wall work at all. And that was summer 2020 prices. I doubt I could even get one to come out for a small job like that right now. I am on the west coast.
At the low end (of job size), I think a lot of things cost about the same, since you're really paying for them to just get there and talk through what you want.
Maybe that seems high. I paid $200.
I imagine that was just making a hole and running wire straight down. If the outlet is on the other side of the sink and walls need to be cut and studs drilled through, the costs should rise quickly. I figure even the electrical permit might cost $100 alone.
My experience is limited to high cost of living areas though.
My experience is limited to high cost of living areas though.
[deleted]
Your comment in other post is so true... very important point!
"I've found that for this to be effective you have to cut out distractions like FB, Twitter, youtube, reddit, HN, video games, etc..."
"I've found that for this to be effective you have to cut out distractions like FB, Twitter, youtube, reddit, HN, video games, etc..."
It really is time for the US to adopt the "bum gun" culture from SE Asia and elsewhere. I haven't bought or used TP in years. $20 off Amazon, 10-15 minutes to install and problem solved.
Pro-tip: Ikea sells a more flexible hose that works great LILLREVET.
Pro-tip: Ikea sells a more flexible hose that works great LILLREVET.
I finally bought one about two months ago. I was going to go all out and get the $400 one with heated water, heated seat, ass dryer and all that jazz, but just went with a $40 one from Amazon and it’s been perfectly fine.
It’s cold water but i think there just aren’t many cold nerves there or something. Definitely not the breathtaking experience of wading out into cold water.
I was kind of disappointed because I was hoping it would extinguish the morning ring of fire after a spicy dinner. It helps but not as much as i was hoping.
There’s also an adjustment period where you figure out the right pressure and get your target practice in. Now I do what I can best be described as the shaq_wiggle.gif and it’s all good.
Huge fan. Going to equip the rest of the house and save the bougie one for the hallway bathroom lol.
It’s cold water but i think there just aren’t many cold nerves there or something. Definitely not the breathtaking experience of wading out into cold water.
I was kind of disappointed because I was hoping it would extinguish the morning ring of fire after a spicy dinner. It helps but not as much as i was hoping.
There’s also an adjustment period where you figure out the right pressure and get your target practice in. Now I do what I can best be described as the shaq_wiggle.gif and it’s all good.
Huge fan. Going to equip the rest of the house and save the bougie one for the hallway bathroom lol.
Free tip that took me a long time to realize: if it's dirty at all after you're done washing you're doing it wrong. You should need one or two wipes to clean the water off and nothing more. Sometimes it can take 10 seconds and a bit of dancing around to get it to really clean everything.
Oh yeah i raster blast ‘er till she sparkles.
which one were you considering ? I was looking at the fluidmaster bidet which is around that price
https://www.fluidmaster.com/soft-spa-electronic-bidet-toilet...
https://www.fluidmaster.com/soft-spa-electronic-bidet-toilet...
Toto/Brondell/Bio Bidet - I hadn't picked one exactly, the Toto C5 was where I was gravitating.
> Pro-tip: Ikea sells a more flexible hose that works great LILLREVET.
It'd make more sense to get something actually designed for the task:
Nice for giving the concept a try: https://www.totousa.com/travel-washlet
For the more committed (requires a power hookup): https://www.totousa.com/products/washlet
It'd make more sense to get something actually designed for the task:
Nice for giving the concept a try: https://www.totousa.com/travel-washlet
For the more committed (requires a power hookup): https://www.totousa.com/products/washlet
Or you can come in Italy. Here we use the toilet paper and the bidet ;)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bidet
And since we invented it (cocorico! ) it is very popular in France as well.
It is probably bring pushed away by the small shower, though.
It is probably bring pushed away by the small shower, though.
No thank you.
If you got poop on any other part of your body, would wiping it with some dry paper convince you that you were clean?
That is... an unexpectedly good argument.
Not a great argument for people who wash other parts of their body with soap, hot water, and scrubbing with a cloth.
Yeah, water alone does not a clean surface make. Mythbusters showed this in their "air dryer vs. paper towls" myth.
Water plus soap = clean hands no matter the drying method. Water alone, and the paper towels did better than an air dry.
Water plus soap = clean hands no matter the drying method. Water alone, and the paper towels did better than an air dry.
This was my realization as well.
This is my question as well.
You'd also use soap elsewhere.
Absent soap, I'd rather use paper than just water. I'd bet it's strictly more hygienic too. Moving water spreads stuff everywhere.
Absent soap, I'd rather use paper than just water. I'd bet it's strictly more hygienic too. Moving water spreads stuff everywhere.
Maybe, but it seems in practice that either option is fine hygiene-wise - there surely would be definitive proof one way or the other by now, given widespread use, of there were issues?
If you ask a typical parent with an infant, dry paper isn't quite enough, but wet-wipes are; they're just more expensive and not flushable.
Eh, pros and cons. Not to be gross, but I can get much cleaner with TP than a bum gun. Actually, wet TP is the happy medium. Dry TP or bum gun only both have drawbacks.
As a south east asian, you don't just let only the bum gun to wash it. You also either wipe it off with a TP afterwards, or scrub it with your hands if you like it cleaner.
Correct. My partner keeps a small (easily washed) cotton towel on the TP hanger.
Ah, this makes more sense. My wife's country doesn't use TP generally, so I'd assumed it was just spray and go(no offense meant, I never asked probing questions).
*spray-and-pray
Not everyone has poop with a composition amendable to be hygienically removed with paper.
Many solutions are possible but not all of them are set to music
https://youtu.be/Vzb98tQp53I
https://youtu.be/Vzb98tQp53I
I appreciate the link, but I really don't understand the mechanics of using a bowl (tabo) without toilet paper or such. Get your hand wet in the tabo, make a first pass at cleaning. Then what? Your hand is dirty, and if you rinse it in the tabo, that water is tainted for all future passes. Considering the first pass is probably the worst, I don't think this is negligible.
I had a friend who would bring a cup of water to the bathroom, barely dip the toilet paper in water, and use the wet paper to get cleaner. But without having (and disposing of the) paper after each pass, I don't see how it would work.
I had a friend who would bring a cup of water to the bathroom, barely dip the toilet paper in water, and use the wet paper to get cleaner. But without having (and disposing of the) paper after each pass, I don't see how it would work.
Thank you for this.
Wet TP? Sounds like a recipe for dingleberries.
Never thought I'd have this conversation but here we are lol. Folded a few times, and lightly wet. If you get it soaking you're gonna get a finger where you don't want it, as well as those.
I can't see how this is cleaner, less effort or even as fun (for some of us) as an endless spray of water on your pucker, sorry.
Should we also shower with a lightly wet piece of TP?
Should we also shower with a lightly wet piece of TP?
Well, usually you'd shower with a rag or scrubbing utensil of some type, or at minimum hand scrubbing with soap.
Think of using a bum gun like taking a shower over the toilet.
There is no reason why you can't use all the same fun toys over a toilet as you do in the shower, while holding what amounts to a smaller shower head. Hands, soap, towels and even sponges!
The lack of mental creativity here is very entertaining!
There is no reason why you can't use all the same fun toys over a toilet as you do in the shower, while holding what amounts to a smaller shower head. Hands, soap, towels and even sponges!
The lack of mental creativity here is very entertaining!
> It really is time for the US to adopt the "bum gun" culture from SE Asia
https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?SearchText=bidet
https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?SearchText=bidet
agreed! I got used to them when I was in Thailand. Now TP alone even wet feels like living as a savage.
Use both! Water then TP
Or TP for the initial cleanup. Water to finish it off.
And if you're not in public restrooms: use your hand with the water for a deeper clean, and then walk to the sink to wash the hand with soap.
Much more hygienic than just TP.
I think it should be the other way round (ie. more optimal with water first).
Water and TP? You don't know how to use the three seashells?
Clearly you don't either otherwise you'd know that's what the first two are and you're just grandstanding.
Hahahaha this was the first thing I thought of too!
One of the greatest mysteries of the universe right there.
One of the greatest mysteries of the universe right there.
That looks like it would be a very wide spray of water, good for showers but this is a different use case.
Home Depot and Lowe's sell these on their websites - much better suited to the task https://www.homedepot.com/p/Brondell-CleanSpa-Easy-Hand-Held...
Home Depot and Lowe's sell these on their websites - much better suited to the task https://www.homedepot.com/p/Brondell-CleanSpa-Easy-Hand-Held...
You took my comment wrong, I was just talking about the hose.
The head part that I'm talking about is like what you posted, but you can get it much cheaper elsewhere.
The head part that I'm talking about is like what you posted, but you can get it much cheaper elsewhere.
I am a frequent customer of Costco and at my Costco the limits on toilet paper and cleaning supplies have been 'back' for at least the entire summer months, but maybe even longer. I really think its to deter unnecessary panic buying as I have never seen them be low in stock or any problems like that.
I think these limits tend to induce rather than deter demand. TP (essentially) never goes bad, is cheap, and if it’s being rationed, I’m more likely to pick up the limit unless I’m out of room in the cart or the basement. The cost of holding a half-dozen extra packages of TP is about as expensive as typing this comment was.
I just noticed today things were a bit off. Some people had only TP in their carts. The customer in front of me was denied purchasing multiple cases of water because he was over limit. Costco had a 3/20 vibe to it again.... SW USA.
It's not just toilet paper and cleaning supplies. Our Costco here in DFW constantly runs out of all kinds of items. There have been times where they ran out of lettuce for weeks and about a month ago their entire produce section was down to like a skid or two of odds and ends. No lamb for weeks, other staples disappearing for a time and then reappearing only to disappear again. I've found that they carry less variety and more of the same product on the shelves. It's really weird what's happening, Aldi is even worse and Walmart is hit and miss. Nothing is normal anymore and it seems to be getting worse. Gas today was $2.69 at Costco...unbelievable... I had to ask if someone started another War in the ME or something.
“A year ago there was a shortage of merchandise,” he said. “Now, [suppliers] have got plenty of merchandise but there’s two- or three-week delays on getting it delivered because there’s a limit on short-term changes to trucking and delivery needs of the suppliers, so it really is all over the board.”
This sounds like some made up public relations excuse, and they themselves don't even know what's really going on.
This sounds like some made up public relations excuse, and they themselves don't even know what's really going on.
If you want to know what is going on in USA supply chains, look at their news sources:
https://www.supplychainbrain.com/
https://www.freightwaves.com/
I'd be interested in learning of others.
Ships are backed up offshore waiting to unload delaying shipments, train terminals have run out of temporary storage space causing delays in getting stuff out of ports because there are fewer trains to load it onto, trucks and drivers are less available and unevenly available across the country, shipping containers are in short supply, ship transport costs have tripled and quadrupled, and various countries in South Asia which have very few vaccinations are having to close factories due to Delta because it spreads so fast it escapes their zero covid policies.
The root causes of it all are Delta, globally interdependent supply chains, worker and equipment shortages limiting the ability to scale up, and a much heightened consumer demand, especially in the USA. If we all bought less the problems would mostly solve themselves in a relatively short time (months). As it is, problems are expected late into next year and are likely to drive some price inflation in specific areas (trucking costs are expected to rise at least 5% and probably more, container shipments that cost $3000 now cost $15,000, delays result in shortages causing customers to pay more as they compete with each other). Manufacturing shortages are being driven by the same problems resulting in parts not arriving on time causing temporary shutdowns of assembly lines. None of this is evenly distributed, some products and areas are doing fine, some like cars and electronics will be messed up into next year. There is a shortage of paper pulp because so much has been going into making cardboard boxes to ship goods to consumers.
It's all likely temporary, just going to take a while to sort through (unless a new variant shows up). Getting the entire world vaccinated would help a lot; USA supply chains are very dependent on parts from countries all over the world.
https://www.supplychainbrain.com/
https://www.freightwaves.com/
I'd be interested in learning of others.
Ships are backed up offshore waiting to unload delaying shipments, train terminals have run out of temporary storage space causing delays in getting stuff out of ports because there are fewer trains to load it onto, trucks and drivers are less available and unevenly available across the country, shipping containers are in short supply, ship transport costs have tripled and quadrupled, and various countries in South Asia which have very few vaccinations are having to close factories due to Delta because it spreads so fast it escapes their zero covid policies.
The root causes of it all are Delta, globally interdependent supply chains, worker and equipment shortages limiting the ability to scale up, and a much heightened consumer demand, especially in the USA. If we all bought less the problems would mostly solve themselves in a relatively short time (months). As it is, problems are expected late into next year and are likely to drive some price inflation in specific areas (trucking costs are expected to rise at least 5% and probably more, container shipments that cost $3000 now cost $15,000, delays result in shortages causing customers to pay more as they compete with each other). Manufacturing shortages are being driven by the same problems resulting in parts not arriving on time causing temporary shutdowns of assembly lines. None of this is evenly distributed, some products and areas are doing fine, some like cars and electronics will be messed up into next year. There is a shortage of paper pulp because so much has been going into making cardboard boxes to ship goods to consumers.
It's all likely temporary, just going to take a while to sort through (unless a new variant shows up). Getting the entire world vaccinated would help a lot; USA supply chains are very dependent on parts from countries all over the world.
Supply chains are going to be a mess for years.
You don't need to be a hoarder, and playing the buy-and-resell game is a dick move (and a moral plane fail), but I'd suggest keeping stocked as best you can for at least a one-month timeframe. That means two months' worth of essentials, which you rotate through.