Trader Joe’s viral mini totes are back
The Trader Joe’s viral mini canvas tote bags that caused a frenzy last year are back and so is the craze.
Trader Joe’s recently opened a store in California that has social media in a tizzy.
According to Trader Joe’s website, it opened a store in Sherman Oaks, California, on June 6. Social media users were quick to point out a particular quirk about the store; it is directly across the street from an existing Trader Joe’s location.
“We’ve had a great relationship with our customers in Sherman Oaks for 52 years, and we plan to keep both stores open,” Trader Joe’s spokesperson Nakia Rohde said in an emailed statement to USA TODAY on June 17.
Rohde elaborated that the company’s goal is always to bring “delicious products at great values to as many people as we can,” and that the best way to do that is to open more stores. Rohde pointed out the new store “is bigger and has an attached underground parking lot.”
Trader Joe’s website shows both stores sell many of the same items, including alcohol, fresh produce, bakery items and meat, among other items. The new store is located at 14140 Riverside Drive in Sherman Oaks, while the older store is located at 14119 Riverside Drive.
Social media puzzled by location of new Trader Joe’s store
In a recent TikTok video filmed in front of the new Trader Joe’s location, content creator Evan Lovett points out just how close the two stores are to each other.
Lovett notes that Trader Joe’s is a beloved California institution before slowly panning the camera around to reveal the “original Trader Joe’s in Sherman Oaks is directly across the street, less than 100 yards away.”
Lovett films himself walking through the new Trader Joe’s location, calling it “beautiful” and “modern” before pointing down to the location’s surprising “ample parking.”
In a TikTok posted on June 7, user @ShavsPaper also jokes about the proximity of the two Trader Joe’s stores. The post has gotten over 68,000 views and over 3,000 likes.
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.
