Summary
Alternate Name: Toilet Paper
Strip of five black and white stickers used to repackage larger packets of Sorbent toilet paper at LaManna Supermarket Essendon Fields in mid March 2020.
The advent of COVID-19 lock downs in mid March brought with it a series of panic buying across Melbourne, Victoria and the world. Grocery staples, such as toilet paper, were among the most highly sought after products. LaManna management attempted to make it more fair to all customers by applying purchase limits for many products. For toilet paper they divided larger packets of product and made smaller packets of just four rolls. Each customer was only allowed to purchase one unit (four rolls) per day.
The sticker illustrates their care for their customers and their humour in a crazy time for retail: it states "Share the Love" with the word "love" crossed out and the words "toilet paper" written underneath.
"We would not have done that unless it was absolutely necessary. ... that was a crazy time. You know we had people lining up. You know people trying to grab more than one. It was hard to manage." - LaManna Senior Manager, 11 June 2020.
In the weeks after this initial panic buying period, stocks of products, including toilet paper, became more certain and LaManna no longer had to repackage their products.
Physical Description
Strip of five rectangular white stickers with black inscription and barcode at bottom on adhesive sheet.
More Information
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Collection Names
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Collecting Areas
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Inscriptions
TOILET / TISSUE / 180 SHEETS PER ROLL / 10CM X 10CM / 4 / Pack / share the love ['love' crossed out] / toilet paper / We have repacked this toilet tissue in store to / ensure as many LaManna customers have / access to what they need. / LaManna Team. / [Barcode] 9 344209 022250
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Classification
Commerce & retailing, Grocers & supermarkets, Product packaging
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Category
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Discipline
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Type of item
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Object Measurements
60 mm (Width), 1 mm (Depth), 140 mm (Height)
Dimensions of individual sticker only. Dimensions of strip: Length - 715mm; Width - 63mm
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References
Interview by Nick Crotty with Senior Manager, LaManna Supermarket, 11 June 2020.
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Keywords
Supermarkets, Toilet Paper, Stickers, COVID-19 Pandemic, Panic Buying, Pandemics