Paper Towels Are Beginning to Fly off Shelves in Some Places

As coronavirus cases continue to spike across the country, some shoppers are encountering scenes all too familiar at their local grocery stores. Just as they had been at the very start of the pandemic, paper items seem to be in short supply, with numerous social media users reporting that paper towels, in particular, are flying off the shelves. In fact, a quick glance at Twitter will find dozens of images of empty, or near empty, shelves where the paper towels had once been, sparking concern among some that the dreaded days of scrambling to find necessary household items have returned.

Despite these reports of paper towel shortages, which follow similar reports of toilet paper and cleaning supply shortages, experts have issued numerous assurances that the supply chain is perfectly intact and there is no need to stockpile the excess product. Shoppers may, however, find that their go-to brand of product is out of stock, with Jason Kendricks, nonperishable manager at Boyer's Food Market, noting to tnonline.com that their "paper towel selection right now is kind of limited due to warehouse availability. It's not the fact that they're not making the product; it's the fact that the product is in transit. The product is out there. There are no shortages. There's no hoarding."

Speaking to WRAL, Dr. Robert Handfield, professor of supply chain management at North Carolina State University, seemed to agree, assuring that there is currently no shortage. Rather, Handfield suggested that it was "a perceived shortage," explaining that people may be "starting to worry there isn't going to be enough, that there's going to be a shortage." He said that while people may on occasion encounter empty shelves, stores "are going to continue to replenish, and pretty soon, people will figure out it's not a shortage." He added that brands have "lots of inventory, so there certainly isn't going to be a shortage this time around."

Still, the empty shelves are not a welcome sight for those attempting to cross items off their grocery lists, and many have shared their empty shelves experiences on social media. Scroll down to see what people are saying.