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Trader Joe’s viral insulated mini totes are back in stock today
Trader Joe’s mini insulated tote bags are back in stock Wednesday, after they sold out almost immediately when they first hit the grocery store chain’s shelves in June.
The insulated cooler bags proved so popular upon their initial release that customers who’d managed to get their hands on the $3.99 mini totes listed extras on resale sites like Ebay at inflated prices. There are currently 150 listings for the cooler bags on Ebay, where resellers are hawking sets of them for as much as $200.
Trader Joe’s told CBS MoneyWatch Wednesday the bags are now back in stock. The grocer in June had promised they would become available again later in the summer.
“A limited number of magenta and teal mini insulated totes will be available for $3.99 in most Trader Joe’s stores today,” Trader Joe’s said in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch.
As of Wednesday afternoon, they were in stock in at least one Manhattan Trader Joe’s store, where customers were limited to two bags per person. The bags come in two colors, “hot magenta” and “cool teal.” A Trader Joe’s spokesperson noted it is up to individual stores to set purchase limits.
Megan Cerullo/CBS MoneyWatch
Trader Joe’s touts the mini bags as “great for lunches, travel & outdoor activities.” They hold up to 1.5 gallons of food and drink. It’s unclear why the items, which resemble traditional kids’ lunch bags with soft exteriors, are so popular.
They are also not the first Trader Joe’s-branded piece of merchandise to become a sensation among consumers. Its mini canvas tote bags, originally priced at $2.99, were also wildly popular. After they quickly sold out in stores, one seller listed a set of four tote bags on Ebay for $499.99, breaking down to $125 per bag.
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A Washington, D.C., police officer died Wednesday after being shot when a gun he was trying to recover from a storm drain accidently fired, officials said.
The officer, Wayne David, was a member of the Metropolitan Police Department for more than 25 years, said Executive Assistant Chief Jeffery Carroll.
“Wayne is a true hero to the District of Columbia, and today he gave his life to serve the visitors and the residents here,” Carroll said. “We will never forget that.”
Carroll said earlier Wednesday that officers saw someone get out of suspicious vehicle in the Northeast part of the city, take off on foot and jump onto Interstate 295. Officers saw the person throw a gun in a storm drain before fleeing on the back of a motorcycle, he said.
Police were trying to get the gun out of the drain when it went off, striking the officer at least once, Carroll said. Police are searching for the suspect who placed the gun in the drain, he said.
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