Las Vegans are panic buying toilet paper. Here’s why they shouldn’t

Big-box warehouse stores across the Las Vegas Valley saw their shelves cleaned out of toilet paper early Wednesday, with shoppers panic buying because of the massive East Coast dockworkers strike.

But, the Retail Association of Nevada says, there’s no reason to stock up and panic buying will make the situation worse.

“There’s absolutely, very little reason consumers should be changing their shopping behaviors at this time,” said Bryan Wachter, senior vice president for the Retail Association of Nevada. “In fact, those particular actions are going to be what causes more of a disruption to the supply chain than the Longshoremen strike at this point.

“I think for some folks, COVID-19 is still in our short-term memory,” he added.

According to the Alliance for American Manufacturing, the vast majority of toilet paper sold in the United States is made in the U.S.

Around 45,000 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association are on strike from Maine to Texas as of Tuesday, impacting 36 ports along the Gulf Coast and eastern seaboard. Those ports handle roughly half of the nations’ cargo from ships.

The union is striking for a new six-year contract and better wages from the United States Maritime Alliance, which includes a $5-per-hour wage increase. No negotiations are scheduled at this time.

A lengthy shutdown could raise prices on goods around the country and potentially cause shortages and price increases at big and small retailers alike as the holiday shopping season — along with a tight presidential election — approaches.

While any port can handle any type of goods, some ports are specialized to handle goods for a particular industry. The ports affected by the shutdown include Baltimore and Brunswick, Georgia, the top two busiest auto ports; Philadelphia, which gives priority to fruits and vegetables; and New Orleans, which handles coffee, mainly from South America and Southeast Asia, various chemicals from Mexico and North Europe, and wood products such as plywood from Asia and South America.

Wachter said the “vast majority” of products will be available currently, with perishable items like produce being the exception. If negotiations are prolonged, however, then people will start seeing the impact.

Across the valley, from Centennial Hills, to southwest Henderson and near downtown Las Vegas, Costco locations were completely sold out of toilet paper shortly after opening Wednesday. The Summerlin and Marks Street in Henderson warehouses had around 600 packages left as of Wednesday afternoon, but were selling out quickly.

At the southwest Henderson location off Saint Rose Parkway, toilet paper sold out within 30 minutes of opening, but the store is expecting a new shipment Thursday, a Costco associate said.

According to the Sam’s Club website, some brands of toilet paper are still available at all warehouses across the valley, but a note has been added to the website: “due to high demand, please visit your local club for availability.”

Sam’s Club shoppers at the Serene Avenue location are not affected as of late Wednesday morning, with Quilted Northern, Charmin Ultra Strong and Ultra Soft still available.

Contact Emerson Drewes at edrewes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @EmersonDrewes on X. The Associated Press contributed to this report.