The demand for Trader Joe’s new mini tote bag, which was introduced in early February for $2.99, has skyrocketed. It has gone viral and is now being sold on eBay for as much as $1,000! Trader Joe’s mini canvas tote bags come in four different colors – blue, red, yellow, and green.
Matt Sloan, Insider Trader Joe’s podcast host, said more inventory will be on the way by late summer. “We had actually hundreds of thousands of bags come in and go out within a week. We had no inkling that they would be this exciting, this quickly, for so many customers.” Nakia Rohde, Public Relations Manager for Trader Joe’s, acknowledged that the mini canvas tote bags sold more quickly than they anticipated. “Before we had the opportunity to promote them in any way, customers across the country found them at their neighborhood Trader Joe’s.”
Experts attributed the demand for the bag to exclusivity and limited supply, as well as prices and customer behavior. Moreover, social media also played a role in making the bags viral. Jay Zagorsky, a clinical associate professor at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business, told the Associated Press, that humans seem to hoard things that social media makes them think is desirable or important. He said whether it’s Trader Joe’s mini totes or COVID-era toilet paper, bulk buying helps consumers feel more secure as future availability may be uncertain.
Charlotte Delumpa-Alexander, a trend analyst at Fashion Snoops, highlighted that Trader Joe’s has firmly established itself as the ultimate grocery destination. “The brand has garnered nationwide adoration with its devoted following expanding even further, largely credited to its presence on TikTok.” She explained that when the store introduced the limited-edition, affordable, and extremely functional Trader Joe’s keepsake, it captured the public’s interest. “This captivated the younger demographic who has shown interest before in exclusive accessories. Take the Sandy Liang x Baggu collaboration for example.
“We’ve been tracking things like Tomato Girl Summer, which highlights the simple living of European life where one often visits local grocers or farmers markets for fresh produce, alongside consumer insights like ‘little luxuries’, which invites us to find the joy in the mundane – reusable grocery bags.”
Delumpa-Alexander believes the buzz will eventually fizzle out until the next dopamine-inducing product is released.
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