Designer purses are out, and Trader Joe’s mini tote bags are in. At least, that’s what TikTok would have you believe.
To be clear, we’re not talking about the standard canvas shopping bags that Trader Joe’s sells as an alternative to disposable bags. The mini tote bags are a … well, they’re just a miniature version. That’s it. They’re the exact same bags, but they’re small enough so that they don’t actually fit any groceries. They cost $2.99 a pop, and people are wearing them as purses.
I mean, I get it. When I was young and piecing together an income from three different adjunct teaching jobs, a sturdy tote bag could double as a purse until the corners wore away and the stitches came apart. And Trader Joe’s is exactly the kind of middlebrow, recognizable brand that could become trendy among 20-somethings who don’t have the cash for a high-quality bag.
Except that’s not quite what’s going on. The Trader Joe’s mini tote bags have sold out so fast, in some areas, that they’re now being resold online for hundreds of dollars.
As with everything sinister and incomprehensible in this world, TikTok influencers are to blame.
But you don’t have to wear your Trader Joe’s mini tote bag plain! Heavens, no. Even though it has a questionable effect on the bag’s value as a collector’s item, you can spend an afternoon adorning it with embroidery.
Look, I’ll let you in on a little secret: if you’re feeling crafty, you can actually buy a plain tote bag, or even make one yourself, for a fraction of the cost of an official Trader Joe’s one. It’s literally just a few strips of canvas sewn together! You can even choose two different colors to make it look vaguely like a TJ’s bag, but then put a fun, raunchy alternative logo in the middle. Fun!
This is probably also a good place to mention that Trader Joe’s is currently embroiled in a labor dispute. The grocery chain recently tried to sue its employees for selling union merch, in a union-busting move that a judge essentially laughed out of court. I’ll admit TJ’s makes great TV dinners, but why would you want to go around doing free advertising for them?
Oh, right—so you’ll fit in on TikTok. Of course. Carry on, I guess.
(featured image: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
