Are Trader Joe's Bags Really a Collectors' Item in Europe?

Don't generalize about all of Europe, but in some circles in some countries in Europe the special edition TJ bags are status-positive items for doing the daily marketing. Just like some wheeled shopping trolleys are considered more chic than others ... ...

I live in southwest Germany and have yet to see this here.

You’re correct: Internet clickbait.

No, shopping carts aren’t more chic than others; they are utilitarian. These things are built to carry home 6-packs of water, a week’s worth of groceries, loads of laundry to a laundromat. Some are built to be pulled up stairs more easily or with a cold food compartment. Hopefully that was a joke and not a snide view of shoppers in France.

Maybe, maybe not?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kianbakhtiari/2026/01/20/how-trader-joes-tote-bag-became-a-global-status-symbol/

https://maurabrannigan.substack.com/p/the-3-grocery-bag-worth-10000

https://www.npr.org/2026/01/27/nx-s1-5686766/the-trader-joes-tote-bag-goes-global

I use a H.E.B. bag, but I guess thats not the same.

Never noticed one in London either.

Trader Joe's is owned by Aldi Nord, so not surprising you have not seen them in Germany.

I've only seen them in London and only a few times.

Personally, Trader Joe's Ajika seasoning was almost like a collector's item for me, I couldn't get enough of the stuff but unfortunately it's discontinued.

Never noticed people flaunting TJ bags over here although that's not to say that it's definitely not a thing.

A bit off topic but I ran across it when looking for the shopping bags and its funny:

https://youtu.be/JtGReeHUfVg?si=y32YKqXg3oRdNbHW

Pam, Trader Joe's really are collector's items, but not just in Europe. They're hunted down in the US as well. Mostly it's because they are in such short supply. Once the store releases a new design and then it sells out, it's gone forever. They don't bring them back. And they have really fun designs.

I still remember when they had the bags that featured each state in the U.S. Those were really cool. I managed to grab one for Ohio, but a lot of people didn't get them and I saw ads for sales of them at marked up prices long after they had been sold out in the stores. There are other bags that I wish I would have gotten and didn't. The bag wall is the first thing I check when I go to a Trader Joe's.

What can I say? You all know how much I love bags! 😂

Have never heard or this nor seen one of these bags in Frankfurt. I think I have one though, but never thought about using it.

A close friend had a book published in France that had 52 reviews. After a while we noticed that the journalists were just copying what the others said. No original thought or research went into about half of the reviews, and it was obvious they hadn’t read the book, but they were paid by the word.
I was reminded of this while scanning the 3 articles Mr E linked, and the one citation in the Forbes article. They all said the same thing. Who researched the original article that cited one listing, no other references? How much is true? How much is set up for publicity? Listing a bag for a high price isn’t the same as it selling at that price. Every article cites this one same listing. Is the bag manufacturer inciting demand?
The ability of people to swoon for stuff and overload on it is remarkable…particularly in the US with the high disposable income. I have yet to see one here in France.

Trader who?

Elizabeth, always a good chance that the possibility of what you describe is real. I also noticed them on sale on the UK Ebay and tgey came up in my Hungarian Google sales links and photos of the bags over shoulders on European streets and a few sitings by RS folks noted above.

The omission in the articles is its not just TJ bags. It seems to be a wide range of bags. L L Bean is apparently another big one.

If it is true it is Cultural Appropriation at its worst. Shame.

It might be more to do with a general fashion trend than TraderJoe bags in particular.

I read this article in the Times at the weekend. Sharing the link here, which is unfortunately behind a paywall (I think)
https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/fashion/article/large-tote-bags-trend-style-77lf8qrdv

Anyway its apparently called a 'permatote'
"Thankfully for you and me, the shopper — think classic canvas bag that you would use for the supermarket shop but slightly elevated and, in the best cases, logo-free — is a fashion favourite this season. Following a short dalliance with impractically sized shoulder bags (the sort of things you would be lucky to get a spare pair of ballet flats in), the big old bag has come in from the cold.
Also this from a couple of weeks ago."

Also this article about 'designer' Lands End totes from a couple of weeks ago.
https://fashionunited.uk/news/fashion/lands-end-taps-four-lfw-designers-to-reimagine-its-tote-bag/2026021786341

I'll occasionally find Trader Joes branded goods like "USA ketchup" at Aldi here in Europe (seems they have the same owner). That usually brings a smile to my face remembering shopping at TJs when I lived in California. I've never seen the TJ bag in Europe though.

I've never seen this item in France, nor even heard of it before.

After some research, I discovered that it's apparently just a rather ordinary and unattractive reusable shopping bag. I have similar ones in my garage that are much nicer and have a better design.

In my opinion, in France, nobody cares at all.

Trader Joe's tote bags have been a thing in London for a while. I remember noticing them long before the mainstream press picked up on them earlier this year. I first read about them in The Guardian a few months ago.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/16/trader-joes-tote-bags-america

Tote bags have been an important fashion item here for years though. I wrote about them on here already at some point last year. It's a way people express themselves, how arty, intellectual etc they are, by what's printed on your tote. The oversize tote (like the Trader Joe's one) is a more recent development. Many of the luxury designer brands have had an oversize tote in their collections for a couple of seasons.

Posted by Mr É 🇺🇸 🇺🇦 🇭🇺 Republic of Texas / U.S.A. /
Magyarország / Budapest 03/11/26 03:46 AM

I use a H.E.B. bag, but I guess thats not the same.

I love my H.E.B. bags and get more every time I go home.

I also love my Piggly Wiggly bag with a picture of the Pigg's face on front and the Pigg's behind on the back that says, "wiggle .. wiggle .."
;)

And a packable Pigg bag that stuffs into a drawstring bag with Pigg ears.

I don't have a Trader Joe's near me, so I can't comment on their designs.

Perhaps transplanted Americans use them in Europe? We like to buy cloth market bags as souvenirs when we travel. We have some great ones from Monoprix, La Grande Epicerie, Ottolenghi, Daylesford and other small food stores that have their own bags. They are useful keepsakes.

Perhaps transplanted Americans use them in Europe?

I think it's more a trend which originated on TikTok that Europeans have picked up on.

I think Forbes is sort of in the right ballpark with their analysis.

Some of my most favourite vintage t-shirts that I wore to death have been more obscure American references. A comedy club I've never been to in Milwaukee (the name escapes me right now) and "Great White Pool Cleaners" with a picture of a shark and the former owner's name (Jose). I envied my friend's "Industrial Light and Magic" t-shirt that he was gifted while doing house painting in the Bay Area by a former employee.

edited to add: I just thought of another t-shirt that I wore a lot. "Panavision Rental, Hollywood", with a picture of a Panavision 35mm camera on the back.

I'd totally rock a Bass Pro Shops t-shirt. Yee haw!

Wishful thinking, nothing more.

Btw: Aldi Nord and Süd have different owner families, originally one group.

Mark, Do you know which Aldi bought Trader Joes? Nord or Sud?

This thread is a marvelous example of common errors of reasoning that intro Statistics courses cover early in the semester -- I have/have not seen this myself so it must/must not be true.

It sticks in my mind because it is illustrated by a famous anecdote about Pauline Kael, the long-time film columnist for The New Yorker.

After the 1972 presidential election in the USA, Kael reacted by saying "Nixon won? How could that be? I don't know anyone who voted for him."

Regarding Trader Joe's bags, the RSE France guide Vero (who has appeared on the RS radio show many times) is so well known for collecting them that her tour members send them to her as thank-you gifts.

From google assistant:

"France with Véro" Connection: The "France with Véro" blog/social media has highlighted these bags, including a post featuring them being brought to Paris as gifts, reinforcing their status as a desirable American import.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTVMDFaiM8h/

Regarding shopping trolleys, people in France who keep up with these things know that Rolser (Spanish) and Perigot are the chic ones.

https://www.thetrolleyrevolution.com/press-3-w.asp

Rolser is the choice of WIRED editors (meaning the trend-setters for tech bros and gals)

https://www.wired.com/review/rolser-wallaby-tweed-2-wheel-foldable-shopping-trolley/

Go ahead and try a little searching in the engine of your choice and see if never having heard about this yourself is a good indicator of whether some trend exists or does not exist.

There was a Wall Street Journal article about it in January.

https://www.wsj.com/style/fashion/trader-joes-tote-bags-international-market-ebay-071a0f55?st=iK2Ppz&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

Is it the canvas ones? Or is it the plasticized 99 cent ones?

My tour guide in one city in Japan, I forget which, in Oct. 2024, told me they were a popular gift from US clients. Iwassorry I had not brought any since they are packable.

Mark, Do you know which Aldi bought Trader Joes? Nord or Sud?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trader_Joe%27s

In 1979, owner and CEO of Aldi Nord Theo Albrecht bought the company.[19]

Refreshing to read -

This thread is a marvelous example of common errors of reasoning that intro Statistics courses cover early in the semester -- I have/have not seen this myself so it must/must not be true.

Trader Joe's is owned by Aldi Nord, which is separate from Aldi Sud, which owns Aldi.

This thread is a marvelous example of common errors of reasoning that intro Statistics courses cover early in the semester -- I have/have not seen this myself so it must/must not be true.

Ha ha, Avi, that made me laugh! It's so true.

ETA: VAP, looks like I pretty much reiterated what you said on both counts, lol!

Something about great minds and all that... 🙂

If a TJ bag falls in the forest (of Paris) and no one hears it fall, did it make a sound? Or, can something exist without being perceived by the consciousness of a forum memeber? This is a question for George Berkeley but I dont know his email address.

if you would ask a random 100 people near me, 99 of them will have never heard of Trader Joes. They use Tesco bags. The one who has heard is me, and I use a Waitrose bag or a Sainsbury's bag. and I could care less. The bag's purpose is to carry groceries, including 2kg of milk and another 2kg of juice and a bunch of other things without bursting. Mine never do.

I call Wolt. Easier.

But I do have some frineds coming from the states in a few weeks. I have asked them to bring 10 TJ bags. I will sell them in France and use the money to retire.

As for shopping carts, those of us who use them several times a week don’t spend our time staring at shopping carts nor do we waste time with silly articles. I have a Monoprix cart I use for small amounts and a Rolser for heavy or large loads. I got my first shopping cart 48 years ago when in order to keep us fed I had to put a baby in a baby carrier and pull the week’s worth of groceries home in a shopping cart.

Well, Nigel, you'll have to admit you are not the target audience, nor am I, nor are most of the people on this forum.

I will say that now I plan to contact the day reception guy at my regular hotel and ask if his daughter (who is a teen) would get a kick out of a TJ bag. Easy for me to tuck in my suitcase.

It's just a bit of fun. Each to their own etc.

I like keeping an eye on trends and style, though not as much as I did when I was younger. That, along with consciously looking for new music (again, not so much as I used to) keeps me thinking young as I'm rapidly ageing.

Gerry, I agree. It's all in fun and nothing to be taken seriously. I like them because, like I said, I like bags. That's my thing. I don't spend a whole lot of money on clothing or shoes or other items that others spend $$ on, but stuff like that is fun for me.

Pam, I just read that they're bringing back their mini pastel canvas tote bags in mid-March, so if you're looking for one as a gift, you might want to check those out. They went like hotcakes the last time they were released. It actually would be a fun gift, especially if you put in a few other items from your hometown. I'll have to remember that myself.

Hahaha...thanks for that Mardee! I am headed to TJs today or tomorrow as we are out of the essential Vegan Kale Pesto!! I'll look.

So is there going to be an upscale bag - Trader Joseph’s?

I went by there today because I was going anyway....and the cashier said she thought they would be in on Monday. Fortunately I forgot to get some of their vegan ravioli so I can easily justify a stop Monday or Tuesday.

Go to ebay and you will see what people are will to pay for them.