Shoes

[tough_kitty]

On 9/24/2014 Trix said:

On 9/24/2014 Rottie_mama said:

In my mind, LOL, a tote does not have a zipper but a shopper does. That said, I expected Stevieb to know and if she doesn't then no one does.

The difference boils down to marketing words. Coach, Ralph Lauren, Tignanello make totes with zippers, and I know I've seen zippers on other brands as well. I own a Lauren, Sondra Roberts, and Maxx NY totes-- and each has a zip closure. I suppose one could say shoppers don't tend to be quite as square shaped as most totes as they often have a more a-line shape.

I thought it was the other way round? LOL

[Texasmouse]

So I guess I'm not the only one who's confused about the terms and whether or not they're interchangeable. Thanks for your contributions, ladies.

[stevieb]

I think they can be used interchangeably. I use the term 'tote' more times than not. The only time I would likely refer to a 'shopper' is when that's the name given by the manufacturer and I want to convey information about a specific bag by using it's name.

[Lavenderjunkie]

I don't think there is a solid definition in the industry. For some manufacturers a shopper has a zipper and a tote doesn't. But for other manufacturers that doesn't hold true. Also from my observation, shoppers are often more the size of large handbags while totes can range in size from large to very, very large.

In general, I think the terms are used to denote larger handbags that can hold a lot of stuff. Often easy access is a feature... either an open top, snap closure, or a zipper that folds down on the sides or opens completely (break-away zipper).

[bells4me]

To me a shopper is taller & not as wide with longer shoulder straps. At least all the shoppers I have purchased are like this.