March 14, 2025 at 8:21 pm

College Administrators Slashed Budgets, So One Facilities Manager Let The Building Run Out Of Toilet Paper To Teach Leadership A Harsh Lesson

by Benjamin Cottrell

empty toilet paper roll

Reddit/Getty

Budget cuts can squeeze an organization in places leadership rarely expects — including the bathroom.

When faced with a tight budget, one facilities manager knew exactly where to apply pressure, and soon enough, the administration found themselves in a very uncomfortable situation.

Read on for the full story!

Your budget was cut, save money

50 years ago, my father was the facilities manager at a large community college.

His budget was always tight, and he was given an order to cut the budget even more.

He liked the students and did not want to affect them.

So he knew exactly what needed to be done to send a message.

His budget was restored one week after the administration building ran out of toilet paper.

When asked about the shortage, he said he had no money to spend on TP.

Way to hit ’em where it hurts!

What did Reddit think?

Turns out, certain things are in the budget for a reason!

reddit comment

Of course, budget cuts don’t affect everyone equally.

reddit comment

Sometimes it just takes a little malicious compliance to help management see the error of their ways.

reddit comment

This empowering story would fit beautifully on multiple subreddits!

reddit comment

Looks like one week without toilet paper was all it took to loosen their grip on the budget!

Some lessons are learned in the classroom, but this one was taught in the stalls.

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