That wasn't irrational - that was a real shortage because there's far less consumer grade tp manufactured than total tp and the entire demand shifted to the consumer market all at once. (Markets *can* solve that problem but USG acts erratically when prices rise)
It's not irrational - it's division of labor. You going to build petrol storage tanks on your property? Generators for electricity? Independent backbone connections to the internet? Water purification plant? Production of this stuff scales.