OMAHA — Forty-thousand rolls of toilet paper sold in less than 24 hours.
These days, that doesn’t seem so phenomenal, unless you consider that it all was made in a small Omaha shop that’s run by a nonprofit group, with the proceeds going to a good cause.
Outlook Nebraska’s blind and vision-impaired workers have quietly made toilet paper in its building at 72nd and F streets for 20 years. It’s the largest employer of the blind and vision-impaired in a seven-state region, though many Omahans probably know little about its operations.
The agency’s first-ever direct sale to Omaha consumers may have changed that. The agency usually concentrates on its contracts with businesses and federal entities such as prisons, but decided to briefly branch out earlier this month.
“We saw a need in the community,†said Rachel Carver, Outlook Nebraska’s senior public relations specialist.
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The response to the sale proved that to be an understatement.
One thousand cases of toilet paper — each containing 40 rolls — went on sale online and sold out way before the pickup dates. Each case cost $30 (75 cents a roll), and each consumer was limited to five cases (200 rolls of toilet paper for $150).
Pickup was on a Thursday, Carver said, and at one point, cars snaked out of the Outlook Nebraska parking lot more than a block down 72nd Street.
She said the sale was appealing not only because people had been searching for toilet tissue, but because ordering online and picking up at the door was convenient. They probably also felt good supporting Outlook Nebraska, she said.
Workers worked extra hours to prepare for the community sale at the same time they handled their regular orders.
“We ramped up production,†Carver said. “Employees are working overtime. We’re doing all we can to meet demand.â€
Even so, it may be a while before they offer another public sale. Carver said they may have to further limit purchases next time.
She hopes to have the next sale as soon as they have the inventory.
“Of course we want to do what we can for the community,†she said.