Lunch Tote Bag

Many corporate offices are large with many wings, departments and even floors, and offer employees a wide range of amenities. Some have gyms, locker rooms, mail centers, and almost all have dedicated lunch rooms or break rooms. In the office where I work, we have a few of these lunch rooms spread out around the building, and each is equipped with a lot of major appliances like sinks, toaster ovens, coffee machines, and refrigerators and freezers. While I think it is great that they have all of this provided for employees, the fridge and freezer could use some more space. With everyone piling their lunches and snacks inside of the doors on a daily basis, it has become harder and harder to find space in there for my meals. I decided that instead of trying to squeeze my food in there with the risk of it getting squashed,  having it eaten by someone else or tossed in the garbage during the “cleaning” time, I would have to find my own solution. So, I went out and bought myself an insulated lunch tote bag, and my food storage problem has been solved!

When I ventured out on a shopping trip for my lunch tote bag, I was pleasantly surprised with the vast amount of items and selection available. Gone are the days when you get one size, shape, and color to choose from. Now, there are a number of selections, and you can choose between a plethora of materials, sizes, patterns, colors, brands, and styles. To be honest, I was a bit overwhelmed with the selection, but I was delighted to see that the lunch tote bag designs had come so far. From what I could remember from my elementary school days, lunch boxes only came in a few select colors and styles. Not anymore!

The most common lunchbox styles in the store were available in a wide range of colors and patterns. There are your ever-present “retro” tin lunchboxes, the insulated and segmented bag with a separate compartment for beverage storage, and the ever-so-stylish patterned and zip top bags that resemble an accessory or purse. Since I did not want to feel like a kindergarten student on their first day of school, I opted out of the retro tin lunchbox. I considered the insulated and segmented bag with the compartment to keep my drink staying cool, but decided against it because there were a limited selection of styles available, and the long shoulder strap that accompanied it was just not what I was looking for. In the end, I decided to go with the lunch tote bag with the zip top because it had nearly all of the features I was looking for.

On the outside, the lunch tote bag looks like it can be an accessory or another one of my (many) purses, which is always a plus for any style-savvy girl. The patterns and colors available in the store were not just plain, run-of-the-mill primary colors, but instead were sophisticated paisely designs, bold stripes, sleek solids, and even a herringbone pattern. With a zip top and a sturdy handle, you can barely tell them apart from their slightly less food-functional cousin, the purse.

After debating for a few minutes over the different selections of styles and colors, I chose to go with the black and white paisely pattern with a zipper top to ensure that the inside is kept nice and cool. Its inside is layered with insulation to keep the contents cool and safe and lined again with a smooth, clear plastic to make cleaning very easy. I picked up a small ice pack to store inside to ensure my food, drink and snacks stay cool throughout the day without me having to worry about refrigerating any of the items throughout my long work day.

On Monday morning, I walked into the office with my new purchase and it caught the attention of almost everyone in my department for its fun and stylish design. Almost everyone was surprised to find out that it was, in fact, a lunch tote bag, and they all immediately asked me where I had purchased it. After telling some of my colleagues about the different colors, patterns and styles available, I noticed throughout the next week that there were several new lunch totes in the office! It seems that everyone has been thinking about venturing outside of the refrigerator these days and want to keep their snacks and lunch close by. The new line of lunch tote bags available on the market today are the perfect (and stylish!) solution to that crowded corporate community refrigerator problem we all seem to encounter.