"People Line Up Before Stores Open to Buy a 4,000-Won Shopping Bag... Trader Joe's Mini Bag Sells Out Again, With Resale Prices Soaring"

[Financial News] A shopping bag priced at just $3, or about 4,000 won, has once again sparked a nationwide rush at Trader Joe's stores across the United States.
The U.S. grocery chain Trader Joe's recently introduced a striped mini tote bag, and it quickly sold out after launch. Shoppers lined up outside stores before opening in a scene more often seen at a major product drop than at a supermarket.
Some of the bags are already being resold online at prices far above retail, underscoring their popularity. Local media said the mini tote has become more than just a shopping item.
According to Newsweek and other U.S. outlets, Trader Joe's began selling the pastel-striped mini tote bag at stores nationwide on the 17th local time. Although each bag costs only $2.99, stock quickly ran out at popular locations, triggering early sellouts.
The scene outside stores was far from a typical grocery chain product launch. About 500 people gathered at one store in San Antonio, Texas, on launch day, while other locations saw lines stretching about 60 meters before opening. Some stores handed out numbered tickets or limited purchases per customer to prevent overcrowding.
A store in Las Vegas, Nevada, also drew about 500 shoppers before opening, filling the area around the store. One Houston shopper said, "My husband arrived just before opening, and the line had already wrapped around the corner of the building."

Consumer interest has gone beyond simple use as a shopping bag.
Posts on social networking services have shown people buying multiple colors to style them or give them as gifts. Analysts say the combination of a small size, low price, and limited-edition design has made the bag an easy, low-pressure item to buy and show off online.
One internet user wrote, "I had to stand in a long line because of my wife. The line stretched four blocks away from the store."
As shoppers who could not find the product in stores turn to online channels, the resale market is also overheating. Some online marketplaces have seen listings offering the bags at prices well above retail.
The Trader Joe's mini tote craze is not new. When it first launched in 2024, it also drew major attention, and shoppers have flocked to stores every time new versions were released, including pastel colors, Halloween limited editions, and insulated tote bags. At the time, CNN reported that the product, which costs around $3, was resold online for as much as $500, a markup of about 200 times.
As popularity has grown, counterfeit products have also increased. Trader Joe's said its tote bags are sold only in physical stores and warned consumers that some products sold online may be fake.
y27k@fnnews.com Seo Yoon-kyung Reporter