“Are you wearing the c—?”
“Canvas mini-tote bag from Trader Joe’s? Yeah, I am.”
A miniature version of the grocer’s signature reusable shopping bag that first took the internet by storm in March is officially back in stock nationwide as of Sept. 18.
“The totes are a limited product rather than an everyday product at this time,” a spokesperson for the grocer said in a statement.
Trader Joe’s describes the bag, sold in navy, green, red and yellow for $2.99, as “ideal for smaller shopping trips.” It can contain a dozen apples or a “small paperback” paired with a cheese and a baguette, according to the chain’s website. Adriana Sosa can fit her iPad, a set of Apple AirPods Max, a cosmetics pouch, water bottle, wallet and more.
The bags first went on sale earlier this year, starting around Feb. 27, when the Instagram account @traderjoeslist, dedicated to highlighting notable products from the grocer, posted about the mini-tote.
By early March, shoppers were lining up for restocks, swarming the product with a fervor reminiscent of speciality Stanley Cup sales.
Buyers went on to resell the product for black market-like prices. On eBay, a set of the bags in all four colors — a less than $20 value altogether — was listed for $999.99. Another listing offered only the red mini-tote for $280. (As of Sept. 18, the mini-totes are listed on eBay for around $20 per tote, or $75 for a set of four.)
A spokesperson for Trader Joe’s said in a statement at the time that the mini-totes sold out faster than anticipated — before the store had a chance to “promote them in any way.” The spokesperson added that the Trader Joe’s team “do not endorse the re-sale of any of our products, anywhere.”
Y.J. Wang was able to snag a bag in all four colors on March 1 with little trouble at her local store in New York. She learned of the new item, fittingly, through an Instagram video about it.
“Pretty much as soon as I saw the video, I was like, ‘I have to go to Trader Joe’s to see if it’s in stock,’” Wang told TODAY.com. “When when I got there, they they were actually out of the blue and the green already, which I felt really bad about because I really wanted those colors … But then I waited maybe 10 more minutes, and they actually restocked, thankfully.”
But videos of the scene inside Trader Joe’s stores shared to social media in March documented a different experience. On March 4, TikTok users @angela.cisneros and @elinorxkim shared videos from inside stores demonstrating the mayhem the viral bag created at store locations as people scrambled to get their hands on one.
In the videos, customers stood by waiting for employees to restock the bags. Once the product was set out, the swarm began, as people grab any of the bags in sight. Elinor Kim told the New York Times she purchased seven of the bags, adding, “I wasn’t really sure what I was going to use it for, but I felt like with everyone grabbing, it made me want to get it, too.”
In @angela.cisneros’ post, a small carton with the mini-totes stood at the front of the store, filled the brim, when customers started walking in en masse, surrounding the stand as most people grab several bags.
Caroline Hernandez posted a video from a store in Chino Hills, California, arriving before the store’s 8 a.m. opening on March 2. After waiting in the line that had formed in front of the doors, Hernandez entered the store with a mass of people, collectively beelining for the totes.
“This was my first time ever experiencing people running and circling an item,” Hernandez said.
In Nashville, Sosa was able to purchase two bags — in green and blue — on March 2.
“No one was going crazy about it,” she said.
Wang said after she posted her video about buying four of the totes, several strangers sent her DMs asking if she could ship a bag to them.
Sosa and Wang credited the virality to two factors: a preexisting popularity of tote bags and the price.
From the evergreen New Yorker tote bag to Baggu, tote bags have become staple wardrobe pieces in recent years, and high fashion brands like Marc Jacobs and Dior are joining in.
“Tote bags have been very trendy and popular for the younger generation for like the past couple of years, so it’s just always so fun when you see brands coming out with their own tote bag or like your favorite influencer,” Sosa said. “But … they’re very expensive.”
Influencer Emily Mariko faced backlash for selling an oversized “farmers market” tote $120, though it sold out almost immediately.
The mad dash to snag another a viral product took over social media in January.
“Are trader Joe bags supposed to be the new Stanley cup craze? I’m confused,” one X user posted March 1.
The pink Stanley Quencher, sold exclusively at Target, caused long lines outside and some fights inside of stores, leaving many onlookers asking, “Why?”
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