Trader Joe's Canvas Micro Tote with Grocery Bag

A new tote bag just dropped at Trader Joe's, except this one may be a little smaller than the ones you're used to seeing.

The California-based grocery chain has unveiled a new canvas Micro Tote, available at stores nationwide for a limited time, company spokesperson Nakia Rohde confirmed to USA TODAY on Nov. 12.

The bags are about 4.5 inches by 3.5 inches, which Trader Joe's says on its website is just about big enough to carry your keys, some spare change, or a lip balm. The bags do come with a bigger reusable bag inside of them, thus acting as a decorative bag for your more practically-sized reusable grocery bags.

The bags are $2.99 each and are available in three colors – red, green, and blue.

"We’re grocers, not mathematicians, but even we can notice a clear geometrical corollary when one presents itself, and it’d be hard not to notice an inverse relationship between the size of a Canvas Tote and the commotion it causes among our customers," Trader Joe's official description of the Micro Tote reads.

Trader Joe's touts the totes as a "great gift for any TJ's fans in your life," and while they are intended to be a carrier for your larger reusable grocery bag, the company says it's "tote-ally" up to you how to use them. People on social media have described using the Micro Totes as a fashion accessory and even as a Christmas ornament.

Social media reacts to the Trader Joe's Micro Tote

Numerous social media users have commented on the new Micro Tote bags, calling them cute, and some even saying they were unaware the bag came with a larger bag inside.

Trader Joe's mini canvas tote bags have gone viral

Trader Joe's beloved canvas totes caused quite a stir in March 2024, when they became so popular that customers waited in lengthy lines to get their hands on them. Viral videos on TikTok showed frenzies and long lines at the stores, where employees were often forced to limit how many bags customers could purchase.

The "mini canvas tote bags certainly sold more quickly than we anticipated," Trader Joe's representative Nakia Rohde told USA TODAY in March 2024. "Before we had the opportunity to promote them in any way, customers across the country found them at their neighborhood Trader Joe’s."

The overwhelming hype led people to list the bags for as much as $500 on online marketplaces like Facebook and eBay. At the time, Trader Joe's made it clear that it was aware of the resellers, adding that it was "done without our approval or authorization and outside the controls of our quality-minded supply chain."

The company continued, "To be clear, we neither condone nor support the reselling of our products and do all we can to stop the practice."

Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trader Joe's unveils new micro tote bags. What to know, how to get them.

Reporting by Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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