The U.S. Might Have a Toilet Paper Issue Not Seen Since the Pandemic (2025)

The White House tariffs might have an impact on Americans' bathrooms when it comes to toilet paper. The U.S. already saw a run on the grocery store product in 2020 when people fought over the last rolls on the shelves at the start of the pandemic. This time around, the situation is a bit different.

The tariffs placed on Canadian softwood lumber could force toilet paper and other paper product prices to skyrocket, according to International Supermarket News. It will likely disrupt the supply chain and cause issues for Americans, who heavily rely upon Canada as a supplier.

“Americans might soon find bare supermarket shelves where toilet paper used to be,” a logistics analyst told the site. “This is not just about lumber for construction—softwood pulp is a key ingredient in manufacturing tissue products like toilet paper and serviettes.”

The news might inspire some citizens to panic-buy and hoard paper goods and entrepreneur Mark Cuban agreed with that sentiment — but with a more rational approach.

"It's not a bad idea to go to the local Walmart or big box retailer and buy lots of consumables now. From toothpaste to soap, anything you can find storage space for, buy before they have to replenish inventory," he said in an April 2 Bluesky post. "Even if it's made in the USA, they will jack up the price and blame it on tariffs."

Anyone who decides to go that route should take note of the product's expiration dates, especially for products like toothpaste and soap as recommended by Cuban.

“Stocking up on essentials might seem like the responsible thing to do, especially with prices rising and uncertainties looming, but it’s not without its challenges," George Carrillo, co-founder and CEO at Hispanic Construction Council, told Yahoo! Finance. "When everyone tries to prepare at once, shelves empty faster, supply chains buckle, and prices inevitably go up."