Some people find a way around the toilet paper shortage, and they are not going back.
Like many Americans, Kathy Salmanson was frustrated last year when she couldn’t find toilet paper at her local supermarket or elsewhere. “I couldn’t even get anything on Amazon,” recalled the 75-year-old Georgia resident.
Now, more than a year later, these companies say sales have declined from that peak but are still much higher than before the pandemic. And demand is getting yet another boost with a new wave of toilet-paper shortages, some companies say. Last month, Costco COST, +1.20% announced it would have to resume rationing the household staple.
The U.S. market remains a prime one for bidet manufacturers to target because there’s plenty more room for sales growth, even after the boom of the past 18 months. Steven Scheer, president of Brondell, a company that makes bidets and other products, says at least 85% of U.S. homes lack a bidet, based on proprietary research. Others in the industry put the percentage higher.
Those with bigger budgets can buy a whole tricked-out toilet with a built-in bidet. These models, which are especially popular in Japan, can cost up to $10,000, according to James Lin, an executive with BidetKing.com, a retailer that sells many makes of bidets, including its own Alpha brand.