A carton includes a top panel, a first side panel and a slot handle. The slot handle includes a line of separation extending across the top panel at a location spaced from the longitudinal center of the top panel. The slot handle includes a lifting edge spaced from the line of separation and disposed on one side of the line of separation. The slot handle further includes a first stress relief mechanism provided in the first side panel. The first stress relief mechanism includes a frangible line having a linear stem section that is acutely angled relative to a notional line normal to the hinged connection between the top panel and the first side panel. The stem section is angled away from the lifting edge and terminating in an arcuate stop at a location spaced below the hinged connection on the one side of the line of separation.

A carton for holding a plurality of articles in at least a first layer and a second layer. The carton can comprise a plurality of panels extending at least partially around an interior of the carton. The plurality of panels can comprise at least a bottom panel, a side panel, and a top panel. The carton further can include a divider for at least partially extending between the first layer and the second layer of the plurality of articles. The divider can at least partially define a first modular section of the carton and a second modular section of the carton. The first modular section can comprise the top panel, an upper portion of the side panel, and the divider. The second modular section can comprise the bottom panel and a lower portion of the side panel. The first modular section can be at least partially separable from the second modular section.