Well, that was quick. On Tuesday, Lands’ End kicked off an online promotion inviting customers to trade in any tote bag, from any brand, on the brand’s website. In return, they could choose two of Lands’ End medium or large Pocket Canvas Totes for $1.
It was a deal that seemed too good to be true. And for many consumers, it was. Lands’ End had set aside an unspecified amount of inventory for this promotion. Every day, consumers flocked to the site, blasting through all the days’ stock within minutes, according to a brand spokesperson. The brand says tomorrow will be the very last day for people to get their hands on these $1 totes. The landing page for the promotion opens at 9 am E.T., but if the last two days are any indication, inventory is likely to run out quickly.
There has been some frustration around the promotion. On Tuesday, the day it launched, the landing page for the promotion seemed to crash. Eventually, customers got the message saying that submissions for the day were filled, and they should check back the next day to try again. This morning, some consumers took to the comments section of Lands’ End’s Instagram complaining that the promotion submission page again wasn’t loading. They’ll have one more chance to snag their totes tomorrow.
Over the past two years, tote bags have become a fashion statement. L.L. Bean totes—often emblazoned with cheeky sayings—have gone viral on TikTok. Trader Joe’s mini canvas totes sold out within weeks of debuting this spring—and often showed up on eBay for hundreds of dollars. Lands’ End launched this promotion essentially to show the world that it too makes canvas tote bags. It also made a point to differentiate itself from the competition by highlighting the many pockets in its totes, which help with organization.
The promotion was certainly a way to get some attention. And according to Lands’ End, tote bags were the number-one selling product on the site yesterday, suggesting that some people who didn’t manage to get a bag in the trade-in promotion simply bought one.
It’s still unclear whether Lands’ End was able to engineer the kind of long-term virality that other tote bag makers have. And there are many people who will be disappointed that they weren’t able to take advantage of such a good deal. But there’s a glimmer of hope: A Lands’ End’s spokesperson says the brand is trying to continue building momentum around the totes, including possibly having an in-store activation in the future.