The scarcity mindset, exploited by advertisers to trigger impulse buys, can cause panic buying. But telling consumers not to panic, may make them panic more
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“Of all the shortages we have – there’s a gasoline shortage – you know what else is disappearing from the supermarket shelves?” a television presenter jokes. “Toilet paper.”
Shops emptied of loo roll are now linked to the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, but that line was delivered by the US late-night host Johnny Carson more than 50 years ago.