‘You have to hunt’: Finding the new designer Woolies tote is a cat-and-mouse game

Papadopoulos said he preferred the quality, size and comfortable straps of the Universal Bag over Woolworths’ current line-up of 99¢ reusable bags.

“It’s so much better made, it’s fully lined as well.”

A long-time fan of Hindmarch, Papadopoulos, who works in the fashion industry, already owns a Japanese edition of the tote (grey and red), purchased on holiday a few years back.

“I love Anya Hindmarch. It’s the reason why I bought the [Japanese] one,” he says.

“It’s a lot of fun as a brand. It’s the kind of thing that makes for a fun buy when you want to just spend $20 and feel good.

“These little things we can be doing to make things better are worthwhile. It’s a very small change, but it’s a huge impact if we all do it together.”

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Minami H, who declined to provide her last name, is another avid fan of Hindmarch’s luxury products and was wearing a Hindmarch-designed grey leather crossbody bag when she was out shopping for the newly released tote after hearing about it through Instagram.

“We’ve never had it in Australia. It’s nice to get involved, even this far away from the rest of the world,” she says.

Minami also owns the popular American grocery chain Trader Joe’s version of the tote bag, which has since gone viral for reselling for more than $US100.

“I guess I am a bit of a collector.”

Woolworths declined to comment on the number of bags stocked or sold.

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