They’re 13 inches long, 11 inches tall, and 6 inches wide, just big enough for a wine bottle and a sandwich. They retail for $2.99. They’re just, yes, a bag.
But these Trader Joe’s mini tote bags sure did take the world by storm this week. With lines forming in the early morning hours at Trader Joe’s stores and resellers posting them on eBay for $500 -- it’s safe to say this bag is most wanted.
The mini tote bag craze began in February. After an initial batch quickly sold out, the bags began appearing on resale sites for exorbitant prices.
This time around, the store released a new batch of tote bags on Sept. 18. Once more, they came in four colors: blue, red, yellow, and green. And by the next day at the Trader Joe’s at USC Village on Thursday, they were long gone.
Shopper Aylin Cota would have liked one: “I think it’s convenient, cute and cheap,” Cota said. “It’s a good tote bag.”
But alas, she didn’t make it to Trader Joe’s in time to get a mini tote bag of her own.
Neither did most people. Which means most mini tote bag aficionados have to wait until the next time they’re in stock.