For the second year in a row, Trader Joe’s has brought a Black Friday-like frenzy to its stores. But instead of lining up for a new video game console or Taylor Swift vinyl, customers are waiting their turn to buy miniature tote bags bearing the grocery chain’s logo for $2.99. Some people camped out in front of stores hours before they opened, while others sent friends to grab the exclusive item for them. On a few occasions, people appeared to wrestle or get into physical altercations over the 11-by-13-inch canvas bags, videos on social media showed.
Kevin Burgoon, an employee at a Trader Joe’s in Sacramento, said the first customer lined up at 5 a.m. on Tuesday. By the time the store opened three hours later, he estimated that more than 150 people were waiting. The bags, offered in four pastel color schemes, sold out within 15 minutes.
The scramble began a year ago when, without much notice, Trader Joe’s released its first series of limited-edition totes, essentially smaller versions of the reusable canvas bags that the chain has sold for years. The totes became a trendy accessory, and a rush to get them ensued. This year, there was a bit more warning and stores were prepared for the chaos.
At Trader Joe’s stores in Brooklyn and Manhattan, extra security was present, and a few stores placed the bags behind the registers. Almost every store restricted shoppers to a certain number of bags, though the limit varied by location.
These smaller bags aren’t big enough to carry groceries, but some use them as purses or lunch bags. A few fans said they added personal touches — applying patches to the totes, for example, or Bedazzling them. One user used the bag to transport a bowling ball.
Last year, the demand for the bags led people to resell them at steep prices. On Wednesday, a few of the new bags were already listed for up to $70 on eBay.
Natasha Fischer, who runs the Instagram account @traderjoeslist, said she has used her mini tote to carry wine and snacks to a friend’s place or to the beach. But, because Ms. Fischer bought several tote bags last year, she said she might skip out on the new series.
Multiple people at various stores reported being unimpressed by the tote bag frenzy this year, citing economic uncertainty and world events as reasons for their lack of enthusiasm.
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