Trader Joe's $2.99 striped mini totes draw Long Island lines

The latest version of Trader Joe's viral mini tote bags drew an early-morning line outside the retailer's Commack store Wednesday, as shoppers rushed to snag the $3 bags before they sold out, employees said.

The striped summer totes are the newest variation of the grocer's wildly popular canvas mini bags, for which limited releases have become a recurring social media phenomenon, driving lines, resale listings and enthusiastic collectors.

Priced at $2.99, the mini totes sell out daily at some locations, Trader Joe's public relations manager Nakia Rohde said in an email.

"Each store determines how many to offer based on the limited amount available," Rohde said. "They could be available in stores for the next couple of days."

Last April, Newsday reported the bags had "cultivated an aggressive resale market." By Wednesday afternoon, a search for the mini totes on auction site eBay turned up a slew of bags, including the new striped style. Listing prices started at $5 for an individual tote and climbed to hundreds of dollars for both singles and sets of four.

The mini totes inspired an 8 a.m. line that extended several storefronts down from the Commack location, employees said. By 9 a.m., there was no line, but the tote bag table remained busy.

Mother and daughter Eunice Lee, 47, and Yeriel Lee, 15, left the Commack store with 24 bags — despite a stated four-per-customer maximum — to bring to loved ones in South Korea. The low price, aesthetics and practical size are part of the appeal, they said.

"The price is so cheap," Eunice Lee, who is from South Korea and lives in Melville. "And they're so cute, pretty."

The bags come in four colorways on a pastel palette: pale pink, sky blue, seafoam green and desert sand. The totes, made of a "heavy-duty, 65% cotton/35% polyester blend fabric," have a pocket on each side, Rohde said.

Amber Jo, 43, of Greenlawn, and her son Kenny Hwang, 16, had the same idea.

"I'm just coming with my mom," said Kenny, who held several tote bags. "She was telling me, a lot of the people from Korea, they really love these bags."

The plan is to gift the bags to relatives in South Korea this summer, his mother said.

"I think it's good quality compared to the price," Amber Jo said. "If you're going to get this quality of tote bag in the city or somewhere, it costs over $20."

In addition to the Commack location, Trader Joe's has Long Island stores in Garden City, Hewlett, Merrick, Oceanside, Plainview, Lake Grove and Miller Place. Employees at the Plainview and Miller Place locations confirmed there were still some mini totes left early Wednesday afternoon.

Trader Joe's has been selling reusable bags in its stores since 1977, and added the canvas mini tote and insulated mini tote in 2024, according to Rohde. The new mini tote, which follows the March drop of a similar item, is the first striped variety, Rohde said.

The bags are sold only in Trader Joe's stores, Rohde said. The company has accused others of selling fake versions of the mini tote bags, Rohde noted.

"We are aware that some knockoff totes are being sold online and have recently filed a lawsuit to protect our customers from being misled," Rohde wrote. "At Trader Joe's, it's very important to us that our customers are getting what they've paid for."

By Arielle Dollinger

arielle.dollinger@newsday.com@aridollinger

Arielle Dollinger joined Newsday as a staff reporter in 2022. Previously, she covered local and national news as a freelancer for The New York Times, Newsday and other outlets.