The reason why Americans are stockpiling toilet paper, canned goods and bottled water again

Almost five years later, the two scenarios are interconnected. In 2020 panicking shoppers rushed supermarkets to buy toilet paper and canned goods not knowing how bad the pandemic was going to be. Stockpiling items then wasn’t justified and it isn’t in 2024 either, but people are afraid again. Fortunately, this time there’s no global pandemic, but there’s a reason why shoppers are stocking up on toilet paper again.

This is why some concerned shoppers are stockpiling in 2024

What has people worried are Donald Trump’s tariffs. The incoming president has promised he is going to impose higher tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China on day one of taking office. Jan. 20, 2025 is just a month away and some people are stocking up to save money just in case prices skyrocket. “When I logically think about it, sometimes it feels like it’s irrational, but I just remember how hard it was during the pandemic when we couldn’t find certain things and when we found them, they were really expensive,” a resident of Chicago told CNN.

Economists and politicians have warned that Trump’s plan will raise prices on goods instead of lowering them: “Donald Trump’s across-the-board tariffs are just like adding a tax on top of many things that your family buys. It’s effectively a national sales tax on imported goods paid for by families,” explained Elizabeth Warren in November.

Many Trump supporters thought his policies were going to improve the economy and bring down inflation, but tariffs don’t work like that. All goods and parts coming from China, Mexico and Canada will now be more expensive and the end consumer will be the one flipping the bill.

The CNN report features Herschel Wilson from Tacoma, Washington, who said that he has been stockpiling “pretty much everything” ever since Trump won the election. Wilson said he had spent over $300 on canned goods, bottled water and toilet paper over the last month. It’s not that supermarkets will run out of these products, it’s just likely that everything will be more expensive.

Although stockpiling can actually increase prices due to the growth of demand by consumers, many shoppers are willing to buy basic goods in bulk just in case prices skyrocket in 2025. Some call it hoarding or stockpiling, but others call it being proactive. Only time will tell if Trump actually imposes higher tariffs, but if he does, Americans may look back on 2024 prices with nostalgia.

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