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Nothing says springtime like a canvas tote drop from Trader Joe’s. That’s right. The highly anticipated shopping bags are back and ready to fly off the shelves (and, probably, the resale sites) once again. Trader Joe’s totes are historically massively popular. The brand’s mini totes, which are just 13-by-11-by-6 inches, first dropped in 2024 and became an instant sensation after going mega-viral on TikTok. Once they sold out, they quickly began popping up on resale sites. While the totes only cost $2.99 in stores, resellers majorly marked them up, with some listing the bags for hundreds or even thousands. Since 2024, Trader Joe’s has released a few other versions of the totes as well, like Halloween-themed bags, which were also massively popular. Now, the bags are coming back, and this time, you can get one in a larger (more practical?) size. Nakia Rohde, a Trader Joes spokesperson, told Fast Company that the “next new bag will be a large canvas bag with lavender handles and a pink logo.” That means you’ll be able to hold way more TJ’s goods. But if your heart is set on the mini bag, don’t fret. They are heading back to stores this spring, and they’ll be popping up in the same springtime colors as last year: delicate pink, baby blue, mint green, and lovely lavender. Still, you’ll have to stay nearby Trader Joe’s if you want to snag one. Rohde did not give an exact date that any of the totes will be available nationwide, but said they should be in stores by mid-March, with dates varying based on location. It may also be a good idea to refer to your local TikTok influencer. TJ’s tote bags are certainly not the first item to experience viral fame that leads to an instant surge in purchases. Stanley tumblers, mini waffle makers, beauty products, and tons of other everyday items have, too. However, the Trader Joe’s totes have not seemed to lose their luster since they first arrived on the scene. And, remarkably, it all happened without the brand even having to advertise the bags at all. Our Mini Canvas Tote Bags certainly sold more quickly than we anticipated, Rohde told AP News in 2024. Before we had the opportunity to promote them in any way, customers across the country found them at their neighborhood Trader Joes.
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E-Commerce
Pay transparency laws were supposed to address the pay disparities that tend to impact women and people of color in the workplace. Over the last decade, 15 states have introduced laws that require varying degrees of disclosure from employers, from including explicit salary ranges in job postings to verbally sharing those details with prospective employees during the interview process. But new research out of Cornell University indicates that those laws have not been as effective as intendedin part because many employers fail to truly comply with them. These laws often do not clearly articulate how broad a salary range should be, and simply instruct companies to provide a good faith salary range. (The pay transparency law in New York, for example, states that at the time a job is posted, the range must be the minimum and maximum annual salary, or hourly rate the employer believes, in good faith, they are willing to pay.) As Fast Company has previously reported, this means some employers provide broad salary ranges that technically abide by the law, but are of little use to job applicants. Cornells findings show that these wide salary bands can have the exact opposite effect than was intended by advocates of pay transparency: Across four studies, researchers saw significant variation in the breadth of salary rangesand a clear pattern of women preferring jobs with narrower salary bands compared to their male counterparts. So even as pay transparency laws have sought to put all applicants on even footing, women are often discouraged from applying to jobs with wide salary ranges, reinforcing gender-based pay gaps. But it turns out women face obstacles even when they opt for jobs with narrower ranges. In terms of the implications of this work, those that applied to narrower pay ranges then negotiated less assertively, says Alice Lee, the lead author and assistant professor of organizational behavior at Cornells School of Industrial and Labor Relations. If women are sorting into jobs with narrow pay ranges, that is then constraining their likelihood to negotiate assertively for a higher salaryand these policies that are intended to mitigate these gaps might be actually perpetuating these gaps. Lees research team conducted a collection of studies to understand the effects of pay transparency laws. In an analysis of nearly 10 million job postings, they found a broad spectrum of pay ranges. Two following studies looked at how applicants responded to different job postings, along with how they negotiated when they started interviewing. A final study tested out a few interventions that the researchers thought might encourage women to apply to jobs with wider ranges. There were a few things that did seem to make a difference for female applicantsnamely, being more transparent about how compensation was determined in the original job posting. We just included some clarifying information to the job ads in addition to the pay ranges we provided, Lee says. It was just two sentences that informed applicants of the typical starting salary, as well as sort of the qualifications and the system through which pay is determined . . . for those that saw the job ad with this clarifying information, women applied just as frequently as men to jobs with wider pay ranges, and we also saw no gender gap in negotiation behavior. As Fast Company has reported, overly broad salary ranges have been a recurring issue in states that have enacted these laws. The language of these pay transparency laws leaves room for interpretation, and many employers are not particularly incentivized to volunteer more information than necessary. (Pay transparency laws could impose stricter limits on salary bands, as is the case in states like New Jerseythough this might be a tough sell in regions where corporate interests hold more sway.) The state agencies that enforce these laws tend to prioritize the most flagrant violationsemployers who openly flout the law and do not disclose any salary range, for examplewhich means there are fewer repercussions for companies that effectively try to get around the law by posting unhelpful salary ranges. In New York City, for example, the New York City Commission on Human Rights brought 33 complaints against a variety of employers in the year after the citys pay transparency law took effect in late 2022. But the vast majority of those complaints focused on companies that had neglected to include any salary information in their job postings. While the agency did bring a handful of complaints against companies that used very broad ranges, Fast Companys reporting found that there were other major employers who posted jobs with salary bands that spanned about $100,000. Employers have their reasons for posting wide salary ranges. Many of them want to stay competitive to attract the best talentwhich can mean leaving some room for negotiating compensation, even if that might exacerbate pay disparities. Sometimes companies dont have a clear compensation strategy and scramble to come up with an appropriate salary band, which is especially likely for AI roles that are in demand and can command high salaries. But companies can send the wrong message when they use broad salary rangesin turn alienating prospective employees. Lee says there is an element of risk aversion that also plays into why women are more likely to steer clear of broad salary ranges. Job applicants may also make assumptions about how much a company values equitable pay practices or the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion more broadly. If a company cares about [diverse talent]which I think, personally, all companies shouldthen they should absolutely care about what their pay ranges are signaling, Lee says. For employers who purport to care about pay equity, Cornells research suggests that employers only need to take a few steps to embrace the spirit of these pay transparency laws. Providing even minimal context on how compensation is determinedalong with a typical starting salarygoes a long way. The researchers found that women responded positively to relatively basic language, which noted your exact offer will reflect your relevant experience, skill level and the responsibilities of the role, in line with our standardized compensation guidelines. In some cases, Lee says, it might make sense for a company to use a large salary band, but outline specific pay tiers within that range, based on experience and qualifications. Lee points out that these laws do give workers an opening to ask more questions about compensation and advocate for themselves. But ultimately, its companies who hold a lot of power in those negotiations, regardless of legal protectionsand many of them may not even be aware of the message they are sending to prospective employees. I do thinkI hopethat some employers do truly care about attracting [diverse] talent, and you might be constraining and preventing many of those people without even knowing so, Lee says. I think these findings might come as a surprise to some people.
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E-Commerce
Fancy a chauffeur? Uber is courting the well-heeled with a new ride option that will see it extend its reach from a taxi alternative to offering a more exclusive, limousine-style service. Uber announced Thursday it will launch a chauffeur ride optionUber Elitethat will offer a luxury ride experience targeting executives and other frequent travelers. Uber Elite will become the rideshare operators most expensive option, and will be offered on an invite-only basis for current Uber Black and Uber for Business clients in San Francisco and Los Angeles, followed soon by New York. Uber is banking on a market for a more elevated experience, though the accompanying cost may be difficult to justify for some people. Just consider the hypothetical ride that the company shared as an example in its announcement. An Uber Elite customer could request a ride from the San Francisco International Airport to the citys Union Square, with an option for a meet and greet at baggage claim, for a whopping $177.95 for the roughly 13-mile journey. Thats more than three times the cost of an UberX, a standard ride-alone option, while the citys BART system costs only $11.80 for that same journey. PREMIUM PRICING FOR PREMIUM EXPERIENCE The premium pricing is seemingly justified by a premium experience: Uber Elite will partner with fleet companies that employ professional chauffeurs driving luxury vehicles. In addition to the option to be met at baggage claim by the chauffeur, riders can expect complimentary amenities that some Uber drivers already offer in quest of a 5-star rating: Chargers, bottled water, mints, and hand-sanitizing towelettes. Riders can also make special requests, like champagne, which surely come at an extra cost. [Image: Uber] But there is a notable perk for anyone who has dealt with the frustration of trying to reach a human through Ubers customer support options: Uber Elite riders will have access to premium 24/7 phone support, which will be available before, during, and after the trip. Whats more, riders can call their chauffeur directly before pickup and rides can be arranged with as little as one hour notice or up to 90 days in advance. Chauffeur services have become the new battleground for rideshare companies. In October, Lyft acquired TBR Global Chauffeuring for about $110 million, expanding its reach into the luxury market in more than 3,000 cities in 120 countries. That said, Lyft has also been appealing to more budget-conscious customers recently, with recent blog posts touting the benefits of opting for rideshare versus car rentals and car ownership. Since its founding in 2009, Uber has steadily expanded its options to corner nearly every transportation option, from bikes to air taxis in select markets. Last year, riders booked more than 13.5 billion trips with Uber, the company reported last month. Even so, Ubers stock has stalled; its fallen more than 27% from an all-time high in October and slumped nearly 2.8% in mid-day trading on Thursday.
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E-Commerce
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