Supermarket product shortage signs

Page containing two Waitrose signs used on the shop floor in during the first lockdown in 2020 when there were product shortages, both reading ‘Toilet roll, no more than 2 packs per person please’, from Waitrose & Partners, Finchley and of the type used in Waitrose shops during the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020

Prior and during the UK’s first lockdown beginning in March 2020, panic buying and stockpiling of toilet paper caused shortages. Some psychologists commented that the stockpiling was a result of people attempting to feel like they have control over something practical, particularly at anxious moments.

At the beginning of the national lockdown, supplies of a range of products were limited. All supermarkets in the United Kingdom rely in a just-in-time model to stock their shelves. Every day deliveries are made depending on each store's individual needs. However with the impact of COVID-19, those that could afford to were buying more, sometimes stockpiling goods in case supplies ran short. The unexpected higher demand meant goods could not be transported quick enough or shelves stacked quick enough. Coupled with staff absences due to illness across the whole supply chain, stores took action on limiting purchases on essential items.