The hype for Trader Joe's tote bags has now gone global.
From "Trick-or-Treat Mini Canvas Totes" to "Micro Totes," the adorable bags have amassed a cult-like following among the store's customers and fashion-forward individuals. Social media has even made the bags so popular that procuring the covered item has become next to impossible.
Despite the Black Friday-esque lines, limited quantities, and third-party resellers listing the bags for exorbitant prices, the totes are considered must-have items as fans continue to show up each time a new batch is released in-store.
Dubbed "quintessentially American," Trader Joe's totes, both inexpensive and "cute," are a display of cultural capital, said Holly Davies, an audiomaker and environmental campaigner, in an October 2025 interview with the podcast "Articles of Interest."
"The TJ’s tote is, as far as I can tell, the 'It bag' of 2025. And not just in London — the trend has recently been reported as far away as South Korea," Davies, who has an "unabashed and undying love" for the grocery store chain, said. "These bags clearly mean something."
