Ite same at Christmas you see some people buying enough to last two months when the shops are only closed two days.
In the 1970s there was a toilet paper shortage .. caused by a warehouse for the biggest supplier in the UK spreading rumours in the media about it being in short supply...
.... people then, like now, panicked and stockpiled it.
The shops run out because the warehouse staff were not releasing supplies.
The shopkeepers put the prices up of the supply they had and the warehouse staff put the price up to supply the shops ... until it reached a level they were happy with then started supplying more to the shops..
.... the reason was the warehouse staff at the time got paid a bonus according to profits