This is a reminder to check carefully before you click on an order. It’s the story of Fuchstal, a Bavarian town of about 4,000, that needed a supply of toilet paper for its public schools, public lavatories and public offices.
What it didn’t need was two truckloads of toilet paper, which amounts to about 24 years worth for the town when it was ordered in 2006. Fortunately, when the trucks arrived, a city employee realized the error before the second truck was unloaded, and sent it away.
Stuck with what seemed like all the toilet paper in the world, town workers stored it in every closet, nook and corner in every public building. This week, twelve years later, Mayor Erwin Karg told German radio that the “last roll has now been used up.” The town actually ended up saving money as prices rose.
But why did it take so long to use it up? No one really liked the single-ply scratchy economy paper that had been delivered, and many city workers and teachers brought their own two-ply from home. The town has now ordered more paper, and it will be the two-ply.
