Ample liquor supplies but no toilet paper? What gives?

This coupon is the closest thing I've seen to toilet paper in weeks.

Why are liquor supplies so strong yet it's very difficult to find normal toilet paper? The question came up again after another fruitless trip to buy the paper product.

The point was made by husband Steve, and it begs the query: Just what are priorities for America?

According to a March 20 report in Forbes magazine (Forbes.com) the current shortage of paper products (toilet paper, Kleenex, napkins, and the like) is temporary. Manufacturers of such products are luckily located in the United States, and they are being produced in record numbers.

"Rest assured, tissue products continue to be produced and shipped, just as they are 52 weeks each year," Heidi Brock said. Brock is president and CEO for American Forest & Paper Association, and she spoke to CBS News in March.

Recent shopping trips to Target and to HyVee in Davenport, Iowa, show empty shelves where the paper products are concerned. That's also the case at Menards, Davenport. On the other hand, toilet paper is available by the roll at North Scott Foods in Eldridge, Iowa. There were big boxes of the product in that store.

So are drinkers just lucky?

Alcohol consumption was up by 40 percent in value and 33 percent in volume in the week ending March 22, compared to the same period in 2019, according to The Spirits Business (thespiritsbusiness.com).

Sales were also up in the week ending March 15, and that was across values and types of liquor, the website reported.

"As consumer panic leads to stockpile buying, and as consumers indulge in crisis comfort buying, we expect beverage alcohol sales to continue to increase in the short term," said Brandy Rand, chief operating officer of the Americas at the IWSR, a drinks market analysis firm for beverage alcohol trends in the world.

So why is toilet paper the item that folks are hoarding? One understandable reason: It's a habit hard-wired in humans. Folks feel better if they can take action during a confusing scary time such as during this pandemic. Could a quarantine be in the future? At the very least, some think, there would be toilet paper on hand!

Humans can be such animals at times ... Think about squirrels who hoard nuts for the winter.

Same principle, right?

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