The Trader Joe’s brand reputation precedes them globally — thanks to their viral totes.
The grocery store’s infamous tote bags are something of a status symbol here in the United States, but across the pond, even without a single location in Britain, Trader Joe’s bags have become a must-have accessory.
“I think I’ve seen more of the Trader Joe’s tote bags in London than I have where I live in San Francisco,” Hannah Tyldsley, a 27-year-old who works in consulting and was in the city visiting friends, told the New York Times.
Christos Paphiti, a London-based lawyer, told the outlet that visiting Trader Joe’s was a months-long wish for him after seeing more and more people in his East London neighborhood wearing the totes.
“Seeing people in their cute fits wearing them, I was like: ‘What is Trader Joe’s? Where can I get one?’” he said.
Paphiti, 29, made Trader Joe’s a vital part of his itinerary during a trip to New York and he returned home with seven tote bags for him and his friends.
“Everyone was super touched by it,” he said. “I was like, ‘Sweetie, it was $4.’”
One girl on TikTok said that since she moved to London, she’s noticed that so many people carry Trader Joe’s bags — and she echoed the sentiment that she’s seen more there than she did in America.
And while many people on social media seem confused why an American thing is so popular in London, it seems as though the American aspect of it is part of the draw.
“It’s a subtle flex that you’ve been to America,” one person commented on a TikTok.
“You’re a little bit well traveled,” Jarrod Stevenson, 30, told The Times. “Obviously, at some point, you’ve been to the States. You’ve picked up the bag. You know what’s up.”
In order to get one of these bags in London, Brits have to either travel to the United States or know someone who is going and will bring one back.
One person even commented on TikTok that she moved from London to LA, but “brings back 100 [tote bags] every few months as souvenirs cuz allll my friends want one.”
If you’re not able to make it to the states or don’t know someone who can gift you one, the other option for Londoners to get their hands on one of the viral tote bags is to purchase on a resale site, such as Vinted, which is popular in the UK.
There are hundreds on hundreds of Trader Joe’s bags listed on Vinted for about £10, or $11.50, though some people get more of a profit from them.
Aysun Yeter, 28, told the Times that she sold an extra TJ’s tote she had for £20 ($27) last year, and she wanted to buy one for herself because “the American girlies have it.”
Many London-based users on TikTok also noted that the tote bags aren’t just cute and popular — they’re also practical.
“It’s such a perfect size tote bag, literally holds everything and so comfy and convenient,” one said.
“It’s such a sturdy and multi-functional bag. I take it with me everywhere I go,” another wrote.
“It’s the only bag that holds EVERYTHING I need,” someone declared.