Trader Joe’s readying a summer drop of cult-classic totes – this time, in stripes
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Trader Joe’s first released a mini tote meant to be used as a reusable grocery bag in 2024.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Trader Joe’s – the cult-favourite US grocery store chain – is giving its famously tiny canvas totes a summer makeover.
Coming soon: a striped version that promises to set off a familiar mix of delight, mild chaos and resale opportunism that has followed every precious Trader Joe’s bag drop.
Details, though, remain sparse.
There has been no official photos or a firm launch date – just a spokesperson announcing: “We have plans for a Striped Mini Canvas Tote this summer. We do not yet have any details or timelines to share.”
If past releases are any indication, these petite carriers will not sit quietly on shelves.
Trader Joe’s released the 33cm by 28cm by 15cm totes as reusable grocery bags in February 2024 for US$2.99 (S$3.80) each.
For reasons only the gods of viral trends can explain, these bags became the must-have accessory of the moment, and were soon sparking a mad, meme-worthy rush to Trader Joe’s stores.
Trader Joe’s began selling the bags again in September 2024. That limited run sold out in many stores in just a day.
In April 2025, the supermarket chain released a version with a few new spring-themed hues: in pastel shades of pink, blue, green and purple.
Some of those US$3 totes wound up in the resale market, where they commanded prices starting at US$999.99 and up to US$1,600 on online marketplace eBay.
Seasonal spins followed.
Halloween editions in black, purple and orange made an appearance later in 2025, alongside a particularly whimsical micro tote – just 11cm by 9cm – that leaned more collectible than practical.
The trend caught on in Japan in 2024, and then spread to South Korea, London and Singapore in 2025.
For 2026, stripes, it seems, are about to have their moment.
