For roughly three years, Hulken owned the heavy-duty utility tote category without serious competition. Its distinctive metallic sheen became standard issue for interior designers, fashion stylists, and apartment dwellers navigating three-block grocery hauls. The bag established that people would pay triple digits for a soft-sided rolling bin if the wheels did not stick or wobble like supermarket wire carts.
Costco disrupted that monopoly by stocking the CleverMade collapsible cart nationwide. Shoppers immediately recognized the profile: upright rectangular walls, four multi-directional wheels, long shoulder webbing, and a stiff top grab loop. Social feeds filled with grocery store walk-throughs comparing trunk loading times. The conversation moved quickly past novelty. Commuters wanted to know if the structural frame held up under serious deadweight.
