In the age of social media, it can often be difficult to predict what will become the next fashion craze. While there are obvious timeless trends that will always come back into the style cycle, like ’90s fashion, sometimes they can come completely out of left field. This time, a grocery tote bag that has been used for decades is now the hottest thing on the block, reportedly being purchased for $3000 or more than tens times that overseas. In case you do not know, we are talking about the Trader Joe’s tote.
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For many Black women in America, the love for Trader Joe’s is nothing new. They’ve been navigating those aisles for years, and the sturdy canvas tote has long been a reliable, understated essential in their daily rotations—well before it was “aesthetic.” But lately, as a Black writer born, raised and living in England, I’ve noticed something fascinating: these bags are suddenly everywhere, transcending their humble grocery roots to become a global status symbol.
Take one scroll through TikTok, and you will see folks styling their Trader Joe’s totes and showing off their pastel mini-tote collections. But the hype doesn’t stop with Americans. Across the pond, British folks have been scrambling to get their hands on them, and even folks in the Philippines are stocking up. Because the retail chain doesn’t exist outside the United States, demand has skyrocketed, with bags listed on eBay for as much as $60,000.
Take one scroll through TikTok, and you will see folks styling their Trader Joe’s tote bags and showing off their pastel mini tote collections, but it does not stop with Americans. Across the pond, British folks have been joining in on the Trader Joe’s hype, and even folks in the Philippines are stocking up on the bags. This has driven demand so high that they are listed on eBay for up to $60,000, as the retail chain does not exist outside the United States.
On TikTok, one influencer, @tremaineontv, told his followers that he stopped a woman in Copenhagen who had the bag and asked how much she paid for it. Her response? $3,000!
“I am like, I am really a Trader Joe’s fanatic. I love Trader Joe’s, but would I spend $3,000 on a bag? Heck no! That does not make sense to me,” he said.
Of course, this had folks in the TikTok comments questioning why anyone would pay $3,000 for the canvas tote, but it also made folks consider starting a new side hustle.
“For $3,000 you could have flown to New York and bought the bag herself,” wrote one user.
“Friend, you are lying, right? I need to head to Trader Joe’s ASAP,” added another.
But why are the Trader Joe’s bags becoming such a coveted item now? Well, one opinion from Bloomberg columnist Andrea Felsted is that the bags are a very subtle but powerful status symbol both in and outside the United States.
“It signals a certain urban sophistication. It means you are discerning with your time and money, and you have taste. Even we Brits, who do not have the grocery chain, have jumped on the bandwagon. Carrying the bag here, or even in Japan and South Korea, is a subtle flex. You have the means to travel stateside and get one,” she said.
TikToker @Melsarchive echoed similar sentiments, stating that the Trader Joe’s bag acts as proof for tourists that they have been to America.
“This bag says I have been to America. I have been inside a Trader Joe’s. I understand the culture. It means you are chic, worldly and possibly mysterious. In the same way, a New Yorker wears an ‘I Heart New York’ shirt ironically, but a tourist wears it sincerely. Context turns cringe into couture,” she stated.
Historically, Black women have always loved Trader Joe’s, or “Traderius Joseph,” as some have coined the store on TikTok. So much so that in 2020, there was a social media movement called “Black Girls in Trader Joe’s” that sought to share recipes and great products for Black women to buy at the store, according to Essence. Therefore, it only makes sense that Black women have jumped onto the trend and are proudly rocking their tote bags, going so far as to compare them to a Chanel purse.
So if you are looking to be more fashion-forward or want a subtle flex that will let folks know you are in the know, go out with your Trader Joe’s bag because you will be carrying around the Birkin of canvas tote bags.
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