Retailer Resumes Limits on Toilet Paper and Cleaning Products

Costco has returned to its policy of limiting customers’ purchase of popular brands of toilet paper and cleaning products as the ongoing pandemic continues to affect the amount of products available from suppliers, the Pittsburg Post-Gazette reports.

The retailer, known for selling food and household items in bulk, is putting temporary purchase limits on toilet paper, paper towels, its own brand of bottled water, and high-demand cleaning products such as wipes. The company is limiting customer purchases of these items both in its stores and online.

When Costco and other retails first initiated purchase limits at the beginning of the pandemic in the spring of 2020, it was due to a national shortage of these items. Currently, there is enough merchandise. However, retailers are facing multi-week delays in receiving product deliveries because of a limit on short-term changes to trucking and delivery needs.

In the meantime, Costco has been adding suppliers and stockpiling some goods, when possible. It also has chartered three container ships to transport goods from Asia to the United States and Canada next year.

Costco and other retails have contended with port delays, container shortages, and product and supply shortages, as well as rising labor costs and trucking and driver shortages.

Companies and trade associations, including ISSA, are supporting bipartisan legislation introduced last month to update the Shipping Act. The reforms in the updated act would help address longstanding supply chain and port disruption issues which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.