Falling for Trader Joe’s?
Trader Joe’s and Trader No’s: The Ultimate Trader Joe’s Fall Shopping Guide To Avoid Buyer’s Remorse
By: Alex Ster (Fall 2024)
(Photo Credit: Alex Ster) Pictured (left to right): Maple Butter, Apple Overnight Oats, Maple Pecan Granola, Pumkin Seeds, Turkey and Sweet Potato Burrito, Canned Pumkin, Pumkin Joe-Joe’s, Pumkin Cold Brew, Pumkin Overnight Oats, Pumkin Greek Yogurt, Pumkin O’s Cereal, Maple & Sea Salt Kettle Popcorn, Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese, Pumkin Ravioli, Pumpkin Bread Mix, Pumkin Spice Chardonnay, Harvest Chili, Pumkin Protein Barbells Bar, and Pumkin Perfect Bar
Hi, I’m Alex, and I’ll go ahead and admit it: I’m a shopaholic. Now, I know what you’re thinking: Why would I take shopping advice from a self-proclaimed shopping addict? Simple: I live and breathe pumpkin spice – if you don’t trust me, you should know I am writing this while wearing a pair of UGG boots. As a foodie, I have scoped all the new fall items at our beloved grocery stop posted on TikTok and Instagram and have been curious about which ones are worth writing at home about … or not. So, being the gracious fall-loving girl that I am, I blew this month’s paycheck on all things fall at Trader Joe’s, so you don’t have to. You’re welcome.
“We’re well into September, and you know what that means: pumpkin spice season and the return of Trader Joe’s Fall Groceries” – Ali Domrongchai (2024).
Trader Joe’s is known for having the most affordable prices for weekly grocery runs. Overall, Trader Joe’s has prices 19% lower than the average prices from local stores and 24% lower than those of Whole Foods (Brasler, 2024). “Trader Joe’s offers incomparable values on exciting seasonal items as well as everyday essentials. How ‘bout them apples?” (Trader Joe’s 2024). Which items are worth the money, which are good but not worth purchasing, and which are so horrible they shouldn’t make it again.
I grocery shop the same way I shop for clothes, shoes, and anything else a girl can’t live without: prior research, impulse buying, and the necessities. For example, before school starts, I like to follow new clothing trends through Instagram and TikTok (prior research). Then, there are the purchases you make when you see someone strutting their stuff in a new pair of kitten heels that influences you to make the same purchase in seconds. And, of course, there are the necessities like everyday sneakers and sweaters for fall. What if I told you grocery shopping was the same way?
Top Three Ways People Grocery Shop:
- Prior Research: Like most Gen Z and Millennials, I turned to TikTok and created a list of the most popular and trending Trader Joe’s Items. I added items like the Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese and Pumpkin Ravioli, even though I am not the most enormous mac and cheese or ravioli fan. Based on the many TikTok’s trending, I created an extensive list of the recurring favorites.
- Impulse Buy: More realistically, there are the items you bought that you weren’t planning to purchase. This tends to happen with 60% of my purchases. Oops. In this case, I wasn’t planning on purchasing the Pumpkin Trader O’s Cereal, but as a huge cereal fan, this snatched up my attention. Impulse purchases are typically the reason you don’t go to the grocery store hungry either, otherwise you end up going home with three too many pumpkin sheet cakes.
- Necessities: None of the Trader Joe’s fall line items are necessities in this case. However, I viewed it as necessary to ensure I got a week’s worth of healthy meals and snacks even through my autumnal lens. Pivoting away from fall treats, I made sure to pick up the Harvest Chili and Roasted Turkey Sweet Potato Burrito, both of which are quick and easy meals with plenty of health benefits.
Witch Craft: A.K.A. Worth the Hype!
These must-have items should definitely sneak their way into your weekly grocery cart during the holidays:
1. Pumpkin Joe-Joe’s
2. Pumpkin Greek Yogurt
3. Pumpkin O’s Cereal
4. Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese
5. Pumpkin Ravioli
6. Pumpkin Bread Mix
7. Harvest Chili
8. Pumpkin Sheet Cake
9. Pumpkin Spice Candle
These are my top nine fall Trader Joe's items worth the hype they have received online. My personal favorite is the Harvest Chili. As someone who loves soup, I find this soup to be light, flavorful, and filling for dinner on a cold day. Perfect as Southern California transitions from summer weather to slightly colder summer weather.
On the top of my fall Trader Joes list and the official Trader Joe’s website is the Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese for $3.75 (Trader Joe’s, 2024). The next time you are in your local Trader Joes, it is worth planning or impulse grabbing one of the Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese (although your stomach may rage at you later). It’s worth the Lactaid and be sure to grab two packages while you’re at it (and thank me later).
Trader Yeses:
Items you try once and then never again:
1. Apple Overnight Oats
2. Maple Pecan Granola
3. Turkey and Sweet Potato Burrito
4. Canned Pumpkin
5. Pumpkin Overnight Oats
6. Pumpkin Barbells Bar
These are the six fall items that are good but not great, just “meh”. For example, the Organic Pumpkin can is no different from any other grocery store canned goods. I am glad I tried these items but would not repurchase them. If this was clothing, I would try these on and return them because they weren’t worth the money.
Trader No’s:
*Sigh* As a Trader Joe’s lover … these were the most disappointing items out on the market:
1. Pumpkin Seeds
2. Pumpkin Cold Brew
3. Maple & Sea Salt Kettle Popcorn
4. Pumpkin Spice Chardonnay
5. Pumpkin Perfect Bar
6. Maple Butter
Trader Joe, your ultimate heartbreaker. These products gave me trust issues on our strong foundational relationship. You promised to always provide for me and these products proved that terribly wrong. The pumpkin seeds and the maple & sea salt kettle corn are nothing special and are extremely sweet. The pumpkin spice cold brew smelled beautiful but tasted like nail polish remover. The maple butter was good but something you will never use more than once and won’t be around when the leaves are back to their viridian hue. Lastly, the pumpkin spice chardonnay was the biggest disappointment of all the fall items. Wine and pumpkin? Such a spectacular combo, yet such a spectacular failure.
As an avid fall food lover and big fan of pumpkin pie and pumpkin spice some items this season were extremely disappointing. On the chopping block this week, bottom of the pyramid, and overall last on my list: the Pumpkin Spice Chardonnay. As someone who loves white wine, I think this is the worst wine and, overall, Trader Joe's item out of the products I tried. Many others agree that Pumpkin Spice Wine is where the line should be drawn regarding seasonal Trader Joe's goodies. Peete O'Connell proclaimed, "local TJ's sampled it today and it tasted like regret,' and another writer wrote 'The closest thing I'd compare it to is a white mulled wine, and that's an insult to mulled wine,' writes another" (2024). If I were you, I would stick with the Spiced Apple Cider and save your taste buds.
Work Cited
Brasler, Kevin. “How Do Trader Joe’s Prices Compare?” Consumers’
Checkbook Magazine, Consumers’ Checkbook, 9 Nov. 2022, www.checkbook.org/puget-sound-area/supermarkets/articles/How-do-Trader-Joe-s-Prices-Compare-2064.
Domrongchai, Ali. “Trader Joe’s Employees Just Leaked the 14 New Groceries
Hitting Shelves This Fall They’re Most Excited About.” Kitchn, The Kitchn, 9 Sept. 2024, www.thekitchn.com/trader-joes-fall-groceries-podcast-2024-23679437.
“Fearless Flyer As Always, Free. And Worth Penny.” Fall 2024 Fearless Flyer,
Trader Joe’s, www.traderjoes.com/home/ff. Accessed 22 Sept. 2024.
O’Connell, Pete, and photography: trader_joes_treasure_hunt –
instagram.com. “Trader Joe’s New Pumpkin Spice Chardonnay Is Not for the Faint of Heart.” VinePair, 12 Sept. 2024, vinepair.com/booze-news/trader-joes-pumpkin-spice-chardonnay/.
Alex, I really liked the way you formatted the article and I honestly really enjoyed the topic you chose. It was cool how you also included the yeses and no's. I may be wrong but remember not to indent on new paragraphs. I think I remember professor saying that we should never indent for business writing but I may be wrong on that. Great work Alex.
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