Katie Notopoulos Secures One Tote on National Donut Day
On national donut day, Katie Notopoulos tracked down one of Dunkin’s limited free tote bags after calling local stores on Monday and finding one location with a single bag left. She raced over and secured it, turning a simple giveaway into a race against a 20-bag allocation at each location.
Katie Notopoulos and one tote
Notopoulos, a Business Insider writer, called several local Dunkin locations to ask whether they still had the free tote bags available with the purchase of a half or full dozen donuts. One store was confused by the call, another did not answer, and a third said it had just one tote bag in stock. “I raced over, and to my relief, I secured the bag,” she said.
20 bags at each store
The tote was part of a limited-time promotion, and the scarcity was built into the rollout: each location received 20 bags. That kind of inventory means the giveaway is less a broad customer perk than a fast-moving retail drop, the sort of thing that rewards callers who can check stock store by store before the supply disappears.
The bag itself came in pink or orange straps against white, a look that fit the chain’s recent run of small merch stunts. Dunkin gave away a single pink mitten this winter to keep a hand warm while holding an iced coffee, and earlier this spring it offered a pink wedding ring box with purchase of 25 or more Munchkins as part of the I Dough collaboration with Vera Wang.
Dunkin’s limited merch play
Dunkin started in the Boston suburbs in the 1950s and now has more than 14,000 locations worldwide, with the Northeast US holding the highest concentration of stores. The chain has also leaned into viral merchandise drops and social-media marketing, including the 2020 push that made Charli D'Amelio a spokesperson and sold donut-scented candles. Against that backdrop, the tote bag fits a broader pattern: small, scarce items that keep customers checking back and pushing on local availability.
For readers who want one, the practical move is the same one Notopoulos used: call ahead before you go. The promotion was tied to a purchase, the inventory was limited, and one store’s last tote was enough to decide the outcome on Monday.
