Charmin Under Fire For New Ad Suggesting It Wouldn’t Be Bad Idea If Everyone Started Hoarding Toilet Paper Again

MEHOOPANY, PA—After the launch of a promotional campaign exhorting consumers to buy up as much of the product as possible, major bath tissue manufacturer Charmin faced a backlash Monday over a new ad that suggests it wouldn’t be a bad idea for everyone to start hoarding toilet paper again. “While there are plenty of rolls on the shelf today, we can’t promise they will be there tomorrow,” said a voiceover in the 30-second TV spot, which has been criticized for its depiction of customers stampeding through supermarket aisles, knocking one another over, and engaging in violent altercations with cashiers who try to limit purchases to one package per family. “Stockpiling toilet paper isn’t the worst thing in the world. Hey, it might even be prudent. After all, you don’t want to be the one who’s caught off guard. So why not take a drive through town and clear out the shelves of every single store that sells the stuff? Remember, if you run out of room for it at home, you can always rent a storage unit to warehouse any surplus.” Reached for comment, representatives from Charmin defended the commercial, observing that in a second wave, the novel coronavirus could conceivably mutate and begin to cause severe, crippling bouts of diarrhea.