Being the butt of mockery and ridicule is something that the German military (Bundeswehr) has become used to. It has long been struggling to deal with shortages in advanced weapons, difficulty equipping and training its personnel, and poor procurement. But one may expect jokes to be "on a roll" after a report that the Bundeswehr is now offering pallets of superfluous toilet paper for sale online.
Twelve pallets, 360 boxes, around 3.3 tons in transportation weight. These are the goods that the Bundeswehr has offered for sale via the Federal Sales and Marketing agency Vebeg.
For those perplexed as to how there could be so much surplus toilet paper in a decently staffed place, there is an explanation. In the case of this specific batch of toilet paper, the unwinding device is different from the one on the standard roll that we all have at home. Therefore, it does not fit on universal toilet roll dispensers. Which brings us back to the procurement problem – obviously somewhere had botched the job.
"At the end of 2020, it was decided to replace the toilet paper dispensers of one company with the universal dispensers from another supplier. However, it transpired that the toilet paper from the first company cannot be used in a universal hygiene dispenser," a spokesman for the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Infrastructure, Environmental Protection and Services told local media.
Interested parties can pick up the toilet paper at the Schill barracks in Wesel (NRW). The auction runs until May 31. But before a visit, buyers must register, the ad states.
Furthermore, the Bundeswehr strongly recommends that buyers inspect the goods before purchasing them, to ensure they haven’t been damaged. Or maybe used?
Mind you, the online sale by the Bundeswehr is not limited to just toilet tissues.
Toner Cartridges, desks and laptops are also up for grabs. So before shopping elsewhere, German reports suggest potential customers check out the Bundeswehr array of goods offered online at the Federal Surplus Sales company. Especially if you are looking for large volumes.