The holidays are upon us, and that means it’s time to start having holiday parties. If you’re anything like the average person in Britain, that means you rush out to the store and buy quilted toilet paper and ground coffee? Apparently so!
In these leaner economic times, the first thing to go is the extra-soft deluxe toilet tissue, but the increase in company leads to an increase in people stretching their dollars a bit less. It’s called “The Hyacinth Bucket Effect,” after the character from the classic British sitcom Keeping Up Appearances. For those who haven’t seen the show, Hyacinth is a middle-class woman who insists on putting on airs, which is kind of what people do around the holidays anyway!
Still, the idea of skimping on toilet paper is a little amusing, even if it is a good way to shave a few dollars off the monthly grocery bill. You’d think that TP and filter coffee would be recession-proof necessary items, but I guess not if you’re English. The toilet paper I can give or take, but coffee is a necessity.
Tags: Christmas rush on toilet paper, the Hyacinth Bucket effect, holidays spike toilet paper sales, pretenses, premium toilet paper, impressing guests, quilted toilet paper, saving money