- Shoppers are flocking to Trader Joe’s in search of reusable mini tote bags.
- The $3 items are just like the store’s classic canvas bags but smaller.
- Videos filmed over the weekend show chaos at Trader Joe’s stores as the bags hit shelves.
Forget the groceries.
If you visit Trader Joe’s this week, you want to keep an eye out for mini tote bags.
Over the weekend, employees and shoppers began posting videos about the store’s new canvas shopping bags. They look just like the classic, reusable totes that have been sold at Trader Joe’s for years but in a much smaller size — almost like a shoulder purse.
The bags are sold in four colors — red, yellow, blue, and green — and cost $2.99.
The bags quickly went viral online, leading shoppers to flock to Trader Joe’s stores across the country in search of them.
And in many cases, the effort is proving to be fruitless.
Some people have shared on X, the platform previously known as Twitter, that they’ve searched multiple locations but have yet to find a single tote.
In other Trader Joe’s stores where the bags are in stock, giant crowds have formed.
One TikTok video shows employees scurrying away from dozens of shoppers who swarm a display of the bags as it’s brought to the sales floor.
Another shopper at the same store described the experience as “so scary” in the caption of her TikTok post.
In another clip from a different Trader Joe’s location, shoppers are seen filling their carts with multiple totes.
It’s unclear if Trader Joe’s has plans to restock the tote bags nationwide and when that might happen if so.
But if you want to get one now, your best bet is resale websites like eBay.
Fair warning, though. The $3 bags cost upwards of $13 online.
Trader Joe’s did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
