2 h. ago Are Trader Joe’s tote bags the last vestige of American soft power? | Dave Schilling

No one wants to visit us any more – but they might pay $50,000 for a bag you could get here for $3There aren’t many escapes from the grim onslaught of terrible news these days. You can stare at a blank wall, obsessively count the hairs on your arm, or, in a true moment of desperation, ponder the state of global fashion. I prefer the last one. I love being on the cutting edge of style, peacocking out in the decaying slopfest that is our planet. A crisp, well-made suit is a cure for all manner of emotionally trying times. I relish being hyper-aware of the goings-on of fashion, so I was one of the first sorry souls to learn of the current global obsession with flimsy canvas Trader Joe’s shopping bags.For those unaware, Trader Joe’s is an American grocery store chain known primarily for its affordable prices, whimsical tropical branding, and heart-attack-inducing parking lots – apparently designed to be small because the stores themselves are so tiny that they can’t justify more spaces....

Politics

3 d. ago This year, I’m sticking with achievable New Year’s resolutions. Here are a few | Dave Schilling

This could be your year to worry less about your waistline and spend more time at the moviesWe are now more than a week into 2026, and it might shock you to know I’m feeling quite cheery. All the professional emails I’ve waited a month to send are out. The grout in my shower is scum-free. The music at the pharmacy is normal again. If you’re like me, and you find the holiday season a grim and lonely time that involves too much booze, too much food, too much Mariah Carey and not enough routine, the start of the new year is more than welcome.The one thing that dampens my cheer at being dragged back to my desk for the comfort of drudgery – besides the endless and brutal news headlines – is the New Year’s resolution. The tradition of picking a few things to promise yourself to do (or not do) in the spirit of wellness is centuries old, dating back as far as 2000BC. Not sure what the Babylonians were resolving to do. Tidy up the storage closet in the ziggurat? Finally finish that tower the...

Politics

6 d. ago Simple bag, big payday: Trader Joe’s totes are so popular they are selling for up to $50K

The tote bags originally sell for under $5 at the popular grocery store chain

Economics

8 d. ago Recycled toilet paper is growing in popularity and the best brands are easy to find

Prices are expected to drop if consumers continue buying it and manufacturers expand production

Politics

1 week ago I’m not sure a bakery needs a branded condom – can any business resist selling merch now? | Elle Hunt

From Trader Joe’s totes to Greggs jewellery, swag mania reveals how small businesses can promote their ‘brands’ – and how we use stuff to signal our tribeFor all its many charms, Norwich tends to lag behind London on internet-buzzy trends (personally, I count that as among its charms), but it’s not always easy to pinpoint by exactly how long. So I was interested to spot, on a recent trip into the fine city, a woman carrying a Trader Joe’s-branded tote bag.Trader Joe’s is a US supermarket; it does not operate in the UK, let alone East Anglia. And yet its merchandise – specifically this black-strapped, red-stamped but otherwise unremarkable tote bag – has been increasingly ubiquitous in London this year, as noted by the New York Times in July. Continue reading...

Economics

2 w. ago Lububus, Taylor Swift and Sydney Sweeney: here’s the deluge that was 2025 | Dave Schilling

It was a tough year (again) and we met it all with a shrugIt’s the end of another year, which means a deluge of dire looks back on the various atrocities of the last go around the sun. As is my duty, I have to add to the pile. But does it all have to be quite so sad? Do we have to dutifully trawl through the muck to find some elusive meaning to what we’ve been forced to endure? Unfortunately, yes. It was a tough year (again) and we met it all with a shrug. As we’ve all been made punishingly aware, Dictionary.com’s word of 2025 is “6-7,” a viral meme slogan which is technically two words. Pretty cheeky of the Dictionary to cheat on their own assignment.How tragically emblematic of the year we just witnessed. We’re all too apathetic to even complain about getting swindled by a gaggle of word snobs. “Apathy” would have been a better choice for word of the year, considering how we’ve collectively shrugged at every dispiriting development of the last 12 months. Nicki Minaj popped up at t...

Politics

3 w. ago What stores are open and closed on Christmas Eve and Day for last

Popular grocery stores like Target and Trader Joe’s are closed on Christmas Day

Politics

4 w. ago No more French ‘fashion police’: Emily in Paris costume designer relishes move to Rome

Costume designer Marylin Fitoussi says Italy understands the show’s wardrobe is ‘about breaking rules and having fun’Netflix’s famously frothy romcom Emily in Paris has long divided critics and Parisians alike, but as it returns for its fifth season it seems to have won a presidential seal of approval. On Monday, Emmanuel Macron named the series’ creator, Darren Star (best known for Sex and The City), a knight of the legion of honour for boosting France’s cultural prominence and soft power through the show’s global success.It is a long way from the initial backlash, which partly centred on the brash wardrobe of Emily Cooper, the American in Paris played by Lily Collins. Brightly coloured, print-heavy and over the top, the outre outfits were received as a personal affront by many Parisians, who even objected to her embrace of archetypal French chic. Continue reading...

Events

4 w. ago Lulu Guinness shoppers race to snap up £30 designer bag for £15 before Christmas cut

The £30 Lulu Guinness striped tote bag is back and shoppers can get their hands on it for less than £15 if they snap it up before the Christmas delivery cut-off

Economics

4 w. ago Lulu Guinness shoppers have one day left to snap up designer bag for £15

The striped tote bag from Lulu Guinness is usually £30, but shoppers can get it for less than £15 if you get it before the Christmas order cut-off on December 19

Economics

4 w. ago This French tote is one of the most accessible designer bags you can own

The 30-year-old Longchamp bag has won over Gen Z

Politics

last month Trader Joe’s limits number of eggs you can buy as prices soar ahead of Christmas

Avian flu is forcing farmers to slaughter millions of chickens a month

Economics