Wednesday morning, there was a deluge in North Jersey. That may have slowed the madness, but it didn’t stop it completely.

The “I’m Not A Plastic Bag” (www.anyahindmarch.com) phenomenon had arrived. Designer Anya Hindmarch’s uber-trendy $15 shopper is this summer’s must have accessory.

At the Whole Foods (www.wholefoodsmarket.com) in Montclair, 500 bags were sold—the entire stock, five minutes after the store opened. Shoppers waited overnight to be first in line.

In West Orange, they sold out by 8:30 a.m. The store limited each person to three bags.

The crowd jeered when the store representative made the fretful announcement. Watch the video for yourself.

Our take on the bag?

Stay dry and buy the Tory Burch tote: (www.toryburch.com)

Ask your special friend for this bag: http://www.eluxury.com/browse/product_detail.jhtml?styleid=11555466&SectionID=6000

Or if he’s really special take him to this website: www.hermes.com and look for the Silky Pop Bag.

The blog “The Bag Snob” has a nice round-up of these environmentally friendly fashionable totes: www.bagsnob.com/2007/05/stella_mccartney_environmental.html

All of the above will help you tote home much more than groceries. And you won’t have to wear your waders either!