A Big Change Is Coming to Trader Joe’s for the First Time in More Than 20 Years
What do you want first: the good news or the bad news?
Trader Joes
Trader Joe's is a boon for unique product finds. Even one of its most common grocery items‚ bananas, is a sold in a unique way from other stores. Unlike other grocers who sell by-the-pound, Trader Joe's is well known for selling their bananas individually.
Regular listeners of the “Inside Trader Joe’s” podcast, know the story told by former CEO Dan Bane that when the stores used to sell bananas by the pound about 20 years ago, he asked a long-time customer why she didn’t take a bag of bananas after browsing through them.
The shopper said she wanted to be able to buy bananas individually. “And so we decided the next day we were going to sell individual bananas.” Selling them individually made the banana the top-ranking piece of produce by Trader Joe’s customers who want to pick up a single piece of fruit for a quick snack or an afternoon smoothie without getting the entire bunch which might not get used right away. The grocery chain sold them at 19 cents each and the price remained that way for more than 20 years, until now.
Trader Joe's Raised Its Banana Prices
Trader Joe’s confirmed to us that it recently raised the price of individually-sold bananas from 19 cents to 23 cents—an increase of about 20%.
“We recently changed the price of a single banana to 23 cents, which still represents a tremendous everyday value for our bananas,” says a Trader Joe’s spokesperson. “We only change our prices when our costs change, and after holding our price for bananas at 19 cents each for more than two decades, we’ve now reached a point where this change is necessary.”
Bananas are a cost-friendly fruit for many shoppers but demand in recent years has been driven by the fruit’s affordability according to a 2023 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
More Trader Joe's Pricing Changes
Banana prices have bumped up a bit, but Trader Joe’s shared the news about some other lower prices in the produce section.
“We have been able to negotiate costs for a number of our products, and have lowered our retail prices accordingly. A few examples: Raw Almonds are now $3.99 a pound, down a dollar; Romaine Hearts are now $2.99, down 50 cents; Organic Tri-Color Bell Peppers are $4.49, a reduction of 50 cents; and Green Onions are now 99 cents, our lowest price in at least a decade.’
So while you may have to shell out a bit more for your bananas, it's not all bad news—there are still deals to be had on your next TJ's run.
Read the original article on All Recipes.
