Trader Joe’s Mini Tote Bag Drop Drives Passionate Fandom

Trader Joes, a chain of grocery stores offering unique and interesting products often under its own brand, has legions of passionate fans. Many waited in line last week to secure a prized Trader Joe's branded miniature canvas tote bag offered in four pastel colors.

My wife Yukari is a “TJ” fan. We both love the products and Yukari, who does our shopping, is always raving about how friendly the staff is. They seem to love their work, Yukari tells me, and that makes shopping more enjoyable.

When the mini tote bags dropped last Tuesday, Yukari happened to be in our local Trader Joe’s. She was a bit confused as to why so many people were grabbing the mini totes, so she joined the fun and got one in each of the four colors: delicate pink, baby blue, mint green, and lovely lavender. When she returned home, she eagerly told me about the score and gave me one of the bags which we both agreed was a bargain at just $2.99 each.

The Trader Joe's website says: "When it comes to our reusable bags, our customers have made themselves abundantly clear: the smaller the tote, the bigger the sensation. Last year, when we introduced our Mini Canvas Totes, we were so pleasantly surprised by their rapturous reception that we’re bringing in even more Mini Totes, this time in a series of Pastel shades to herald the beginning of spring."

Scarcity as a way to build fans

The next day, the New York Times reported on the tote bag drop in an article titled A Frenzy at Trader Joe’s: ‘Everyone’s Here for the Tote Bags’. “For a second year, a limited run of mini canvas tote bags had people waiting in line outside Trader Joe’s stores. At some stores, they sold out in less than an hour.”

Entrepreneurs purchased many bags and resold them on eBay at a profit.

I just love this example of fandom.

Trader Joes builds fans in many ways. They sell good food at reasonable prices. They have friendly staff who enjoy working at the store. And they understand that scarcity is a powerful driver of an emotional connection to a brand.

If you want to secure a tote bag at next year's drop, you will need to subscribe to Trader Joe's email list to learn when the big day will come. How clever! Because, of course, the store is marketing to you as you wait. 

Thank you, Yukari, for my tote. I think I will use it to carry my swing dancing shoes!