Justin Wolfers, a professor of public policy and economics at the University of Michigan, said in a series of tweets that “even if you’re not freaked out about a pandemic, you worry that everyone else is & they’ll stockpile … & you don’t want to be the left paperless.”

“Fear of a run on toilet paper — like a run on banks — is enough to create an actual run. And when the runs start we need help. (pun intended),” he said.

“All of this says that what we need right now is a government-backed Strategic Toilet Paper Reserve,” Wolfers added.

“The Strategic Toilet Paper Reserve removes the incentive to stockpile. It ensures that even if you see others running to the store to stockpile toilet paper, you no longer need to try to run to beat them,” he said.