Trader Joe's Fans Are Searching High And Low For The Return Of This Under-$3 Mystery Find

Instead of cracking packs of Pokémon cards hoping for a rare find, Trader Joe's fans are hoping to rip open a Mystery Pack for a similar result. The Mystery Packs are brown bags with some on-brand TJ's artwork letting you know that three reusable grocery bags are sealed inside for $2.99. Rather than being specific to region or year, the bags could be state bags from a place you've never visited or even a discontinued bag that's now considered rare. If the fun of three bags inside another bag is lost on you, just know that these items fit into the same realm as card collecting and blind boxes — not knowing what you'll get is where most of the excitement lies. Unfortunately, that excitement has led to the Mystery Packs being somewhat elusive.

An Instagram video unveiling the contents of a Mystery Pack shows a variety of state bags, some of which are considered rare. Commenters were quick to point out that not every store appears to have these Mystery Packs in stock. "I've gone to TJ's twice now and we still don't have them," read one comment. "Fingers crossed they will have them tomorrow." Since some shoppers haven't found them yet, people suggested calling stores ahead to ask if they're in stock. Other people have already picked up one (or several) packs of their own with zero issue, myself included. Of all the grocery stores, it makes sense that the store that originated reusable bags is receiving so much hype for these. But aside from preventing mass environmental damage from regular plastic grocery store bags, what makes these Trader Joe's bags so popular?

This isn't the first time Trader Joe's has offered Mystery Packs, but like many TJ's products they aren't available all the time. That isn't the only reason behind the popularity, though. Many Trader Joe's fans have made collecting reusable grocery bags a hobby or a life mission. Owning a bag from every state has become a goal which many people are willing to pay big bucks to achieve. The bags are sold online for far more than the Trader Joe's prices. Mystery Packs for sale online are advertised as either opened or unopened, and unopened packs are selling for $25.00 on eBay instead of the $2.99 they originally cost.

Thanks to Trader Joe's cult-like following, there's an abundance of buy, sell, or trade Facebook groups dedicated just to Trader Joe's shopping bags. These groups allow individuals to offer up what they don't need in their collections and find what they do need. The groups are also a fun way for people to learn what the art on the bags actually represents from a specific location. While some of the art is easy to understand, like the rain and umbrella featured on the Portland, Oregon bag, not everyone outside of Idaho knows what an ice cream potato is. Whether you purchase a Mystery Pack as a gift, for casual fun, or to complete a collection, just be sure to keep your bags clean to avoid the major faux pas that will make your Trader Joe's cashier cringe.