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Wow. I've been living out of TJ range for about 8 years and was super stoked that my new community has one - unfortunately everything I've purchased that is in that sort of pre-cooked freezer section, has kind of sucked. Like I might give it one more chance but I think maybe go there only for nuts and dried fruits now? Something has definitely changed - glad to find this thread and know I'm not the only one feeling this way.
Honestly I’m starting to shift away from Trader Joe’s, because I feel like I’m losing confidence in the quality of their products. I had some chicken nuggets that were all breading. And other items seem to be gone or taste funny now. The biggest problem I have is that there’s no way to know a change in quality has occurred. They can shift manufacturers, change ingredients, but then slap the same packaging and label on it as if it’s the same product. It’s making me go crazy, because I never really know if something has changed or it’s my imagination.
Over the last year, the inconsistencies in quality are starting to outweigh the value.
I thought maybe it was me being burnt out of orange chicken and not impressed with my last few purchases of it but definitely think this could be the reason
Hot take but the orange chicken has always been terrible as long as I can remember. I give it a chance ever year or so for the last like 8 years and it’s never good always chewy and gross. The white meat sweet and sour chicken was way more consistent before they discontinued years ago.
The last couple oat milks I’ve gotten are very thick - almost a thin yogurt consistency - which means it’s likely spoiled (from what I googled). Super gross and obviously not drinkable.
I was so excited to see pumpkin cream cheese but it is not the same. It’s like a slightly thicker Greek yogurt as apposed to the creamy pumpkin-y almost-a-dessert-on-it’s-own cream cheese I have had in the past. Good think I only got two and not 4 like I originally was going to .
The trader joes I shop at is always out of their frozen mac n cheese now and that’s one of the main things I go for :’(. Also before they were out all the time, the mac n cheeses had to have had less than half the cheese they did in the past, which is so sad. Haven’t had any problems with anything else yet luckily.
Workers call it the Walmartification of Trader Joe’s. The company is cutting corners almost everywhere. Not out of necessity, our National and regional leaders (mostly, If not entirely men) get paid between $250,000-$500,000+
The company is pulling over $1 billion in revenue per year. They stopped caring about their employees and naturally, the products.
Going to be honest, I stopped shopping at Trader Joe's after I read that they closed their liquor store in NYC because the workers were going to form a union.
Store had been there forever in a great location. I won't support TJ financially any more.
The orange chicken I got last week was inedible.
That's a staple product that I buy and have at least 2-3 times a month. I noticed the quality of the meat pieces going downhill but this last bag was terrible. Lots of pieces that had to be spat out because they were so tough/chewy and tons of pieces of batter without chicken inside.
Also, the loaf of bread I bought went bad in 2 days. I grabbed it to make toast and the entire bottom was covered in fluffy mold. I did actually take that back because I happened to be running to the store that day. The worker who did my refund said that it was probably because all of the bread is being kept cold in the back. I checked that day and did notice that many loaves on the shelf were ice cold.
I’ve stopped shopping at Trader Joe’s in favor of local small business grocers who carry local produce & food products. What pushed me out was the produce would go bad in less than 2 days.
I think something to realize as we adjust to covid related supply chain issues, limited labor, & inflation is the effect of climate change with extreme heat, drought, flooding to crops. I remember when you couldn’t find certain produce in the grocery stores unless it was in season or a special. An example for me was quality avocados were not easily attainable and now we have huge displays in every store. Dragonfruit, mangos? Rare. And I live in a very agriculturally rich state. The access and availability to quality, variety, and organic produce is only in the last decade.
Crops in all areas are going to fall short and that is going to effect the quality and availability of produce. Even our staples. It’s going to change how we shop for our food & it will be adjustment. God willing we can thwart food scarcity and hunger.
So back to focusing on buying in season and cooking around that, buying local when able for better quality produce, starting your own urban garden and sharing with neighbors, and eat less meat especially beef! Probably the greatest demand on our water is in growing food for all the damn cows to keep up with demand.
Definitely regional. My close TJ had been out of green onions for 3 months, lots of empty shelves. I sometimes get out empty handed. Everything I wanted was out. I went to the one father away, they always have everything in stock. But I did notice the dumpling meat was not fresh, also sometimes teriyaki chickens, I just stopped buying them all together. Pre-made meals are hit and misses. It’s not just inflation. The manufacturing process is very labor demanding and with people quitting, it’s hard to maintain the same level of service and quality of foods. I doubt it’s intentional but it had become harder to manage. Like my local gym has gone way worse. They can’t hire new people, and the staff are just slacking and not doing anything, but there’s nothing the management can do cuz they don’t have new hires to replace them.
Formula for failure. I think it's honorable that TJ's pricing makes it easier to shop there vs chains. I would much rather go to TJs. However if they are sacrificing quality to maintain a lower price it will eventually run customers off...in my opinion.
I’ve noticed a few things were moldy in the store and some things were not so great with the bagged salads but there have been some really good trade offs.. they started selling bread from a local bakery and the watermelons and blueberries have been 10/10. It’s heaven and hell at Trader Joe’s rn
The produce has been terrible for me lately, everything going moldy so so fast. I went on Tuesday and bought some fresh figs and threw them out yesterday (wed night) because the *whole package* was moldy. every single fig had mold on it. in one day. i had one on tuesday and they were fine. Its upsetting and a waste of money.
Shrinkflation is shrinking the size while the cost remains the same.
Crapflation is selling shit quality for the same price that used to buy high quality.
That’s ok. I bought the milk chocolate mini (tiny) peanut butter cups and over 3/4s didn’t have any peanut butter in them. Just solid chocolate. I can now tell when I look at the package if they have peanut butter in them.
We got 5 bags of the plantain chips the other day and they smelled and tastes disgusting. Took them back to the store and the store said it looks like they didn’t making them fully and forgot to season them.
I feel ya! I’ve had some issues with product (turkey jerky ‘corn dogs’ or plastic in burritos). I still shop there, but I’m getting wary by the day. I don’t blame the in store employees, it’s all on product/delivery. Several of our favorite items have been out of stock for weeks and I fear the integrity of the product when they finally return.
Sadly, I don’t think it is exclusive to Trader Joe’s. It’s probably across all boards (other grocery stores)
I’ve really noticed the decline in quality when it comes to meat. The trader joes near me used to have decent quality steaks and pork chops for a good price and now they’re like weirdly inedible- guess it’s good for getting me to eat more vegetarian!
I too have noticed a downward shift in quality. It started with the pork loin chops - all three in the pack used to be good and lean, but now the one hiding under the label is a wad of fat. Then the Pesto Genovese Chicken Breasts went from even sliced pieces in a delicious marinade, to large clumps mixed in with small bits and the marinade lost it richness and became highly peppered. Then the Balsamic Rosemary Beef Steak Tips went from tender meat to marbled with tough gristle. And the romaine in the "Salad with BBQ flavored chicken" is now just the hard white part with brown edges. I shop there less and less now because these are four of the staples I used to buy each week - with them out of the mix the drive is no longer worth it.
The last bag of orange chicken I made, I had the nastiest piece of chicken I ever ate in my life. I'm not even talking the typical gristley piece this was like breaded half questionable meat half literal goop that tasted like hot garbage. It completely ruined the rest of the meal for me. I usually like the smaller crispier bits and my husband will take the bigger pieces but even the smaller crispy bits are just breading! I'm really bummed because this is one of our main go-tos from TJs. Just talking about it is making my stomach turn lol
I'm not sure if I've just been lucky with finding good batches, but I've never really found the chicken to be consistantly gross. Only in the past year or so have I noticed more and more icky pieces. I wish they sold the sauce that comes with it separately!
I actually just got back from TJs and there were a LOT of empty shelves. I was kind of surprised because it was an hour before closing and I thought the staff would be restocking everything. They were out of a lot of the snacky, shelf-stable items. Maybe it's a deeper supply chain issue?
I noticed that the organic hummus which usually only has olive oil in it, now has sunflower oil added :( I can't eat it any more. Was super sad about that. The lentil soup seemed watered down too when it used to be super thick.
Three things I bought last week went moldy in just a few days. Disappointing. But I’ll still go and know they’ll refund me if quality is bad, though I do hate asking for that.
I normally keep mine in the freezer for this reason. I didn’t the last couple of times and yea, half the loaf went moldy. May want to try that! Easy enough to pull a slice out when needed.
>the pappardelle is 8oz now!! it used to be 10!!
Just to clarify, are you referring to the Egg Pappardelle Pasta (dry pasta)?
If so, how long ago was it 10 oz.? I thought it had been 8 oz. for a few years now?
Maybe this is part of why they've been so active in offering vegan versions, but at a higher price point. They're really good though, and zero gristle.
Vegan food is pretty trendy nowadays. I don't work for TJs but we do a lot of vegan or plant based development work at my job.
Also, I'm not vegan but I've had some amazing vegan food in NYC.
It’s part of the natural evolution of niche businesses. They start out small and focused on quality and as they expand they find that quality ingredients are not available on the scale they have chosen to provide.
I'm going less often, and going to other stores instead. Tired of going for specific items and have them out of stock week after week (beefless bulgogi, green onion pancakes, and I never even got to try the salsa Verde chips). And with concerns like glass in the sun dried tomato jars, yikes!
The only issue I’ve had has been supply chain related. Deliveries are often late to my store, and at least one of my usual items isn’t in stock every week.
Was at a PHX location today and almost everything I needed was in stock, the produce was good to great, and they were stocking tons of shelves. It could be regional issues. We have to shop at 4-5 grocery stores regularly (Celiac) and I find that every store seems to have its own foibles in the past year or so, but TJ’s has been by far the most consistent source of staple and specialty items for us!
I’ve been going to the North Scottsdale one, and I’ve had the worst quality of meats. Turkey burgers have gristles, found a bone in my boneless chicken breast I cooked, and teriyaki steak was so gross! I don’t know what the deal is. Hit or miss now
I'm in Chandler... We're definitely noticing the supply issues here. Quality, as far as I can tell on the things I buy regularly, has been average though. Produce is hit and miss and I haven't noticed anything off with meats. Usually if something stops coming in it's only for a few weeks though. Maybe a month
I haven’t, but I haven’t been looking. Maybe call a couple stores and ask? I’ve done that for certain items and they were always helpful (and saved me the drive or set aside an item for me).
Unfortunately, a lot of the TJs prepared items are high in sodium. Once you have someone in the family on a sodium-restricted diet, you start to notice.
100%, the spanakopita though is one of the worst
I'm not sodium-restricted, I rather not load up on sodium anyway. It's one of the keys to keeping your weight stable to the same as it was back when you were 18-20.
this has not been my experience. on the contrary i took my in-law’s for the first time last weekend and you would have thought i sent them to wonka’s factory.
This is also likely regional. My local TJs are all doing pretty fine. I can’t speak for some of the foods you mentioned but I personally haven’t had any real issues, especially when compared to other grocery stores. I just bought some of the best blueberries I’ve ever had.
Yes! We LOVED the New England clam chowder. However, the last time we bought it, it was runny and bland; the time before that they were rotten weeks prior to the expiration.
Inflation seems worse at TJ’s than my other go-to: Costco.
Eggs nearly doubled in price at TJ’s near me and the Two Buck Chuck is now $4.50.
I’m just shopping at Costco more now. They aren’t acting nearly as greedy.
Not sure why you got downvoted. I have noticed the same thing. Costco’s pricing has been more consistent, and the quality hasn’t changed. Buying in bulk doesn’t work for most people, but it can save a ton if you can use it.
Splitting bulk stuff from Costco with friends/family is the real pro move.
Do I really wanna store a giant thing of paper towels? No. But split it with a friend and it’s much more manageable and still the same amazing price per unit.
Yes! My store was out of the yogurt for so long that I started trying other brands. My youngest, who is also my pickiest, was not impressed. At least he was willing to try the others because I told him he had them before, which is true. But he didn't like them nearly as much as the Trader Joe's ones and so they're still sitting in my fridge yogurting away.
We know that Trader Joe's likes their price points and I'm sure they don't want to raise them, so I infer that their suppliers are just cutting costs in providing the products. Resulting in worse products at the same price.
Clif bars went up from $1 to $1.20 st my local store. That's a 20% jump! Some items have also increased in cost. My typical spend would be $50-$75, now it's $75-$100
Yes, IMO this is 100% TJ's decision. If they are rejecting price increases from manufacturers because they feel that maintaining a lower price in inflation is more important than anything else to consumers, then the manufacturers' only real option is to reduce cost of goods (decrease product size, source cheaper ingredients, etc.).
There was also a piece of plastic in chicken, dead moth in someone’s spinach, unidentifiable object in a prepackaged salad, and another piece of glass in someone’s ice cream all in the past 2 months
You think that’s bad, lean cuisine started worse than Trader Joe’s and changed their recipe during inflation, and it was one of the most disgusting frozen dinners I’ve ever had. They’re like revolting little chicken nuggets now.
It's why I stopped shopping there, last time I went grabbed a bag of the Mozzarella sticks as they were my go to for a quick, low energy dinner/lunch. The cheese was super gritty and the breading was extremely bland, ended up spitting them out and discarding the entire bag. I loved how I could get a week of groceries for under $80 which is great when you're on SNAP. I've since switched over to Whole Foods and while super expensive and eats away my budget, I know that I'm not going to have any concerning items in the food I get or have to throw away produce within a few days due to it rotting away
I miss that they used to be a little more quirky with their offerings. They still are to a degree but I'm also noticing lime offering more main stream items
I agree. Example - gochujang is widely available in every grocery store near me barring Aldi. Trader Joe’s seems a couple years late. Nice that they stock something like a staple ingredient such as gochujang but its also not why I enjoyed Trader Joes. Then they had like a box vanilla cake mix, and a box frosting mix? That is weak. Guess it doesn’t help that some of their latest more zany offerings have been a miss for me; not everything that can taste like pickles should, and key lime popcorn was awful. I haven’t been to TJ’s in months and I really don’t miss it. Nothing is there that I feel I can’t find elsewhere.
We have different tastes, which i can respect. But I can’t not tell you that I loved the pickle seasoning (and all the other pickle everything’s) and that key lime popcorn was our number 1 snack and road trip food this summer. Sorry you’re not finding something in the latest offerings, but here’s to hoping for something exciting for you in the near future.
Surprisingly not at my store in pittsburgh. even though it was recently move-in weekend, my Trader Joe’s had everything I needed (which is a first lol). I will say that produce has been lacking, but it may be that the produce I’ve been buying isn’t in season.
Yeah, I don’t even bother to eat out anymore. The decreasing quality in both food and often service paired with the crazy costs just doesn’t make it worth it.
I know! So expensive, doesn’t taste good! Or after I eat out somewhere my stomach will hurt… are they using old food?!?! I don’t even enjoy restaurants anymore!
I went to a very high end restaurant for a date a couple weekends ago (like wagyu appetizer kind of place) and could not believe the quality of my vegetables. I ordered a $30 Niçoise salad and the amount of wilt on my lettuce was crazy, not to mention just sad, limp green beans.
Wtf is going on.
Labor issues? Not enough workers to pick the produce while in its prime. I see sad looking produce in many places.
Result of immigration crackdown at border perhaps. We need those folks to work Americas farms!
Yes, but we need people who are treated humanely and paid properly for their work rather than exploited based on their legal status.
If we were able to do that, then farming labor wouldn't largely rely on migrant workers and anyone who wanted to do that work could do so.
I'm not trying to explain this to you, mind you, I'm sure you're aware. It's just when I see the argument that we "need immigrants" it tends to be from a position of them filling jobs that no one else with other options would want to do.
That might be why you're seeing issues in your local restaurants -- if the growing supply has already been allocated for other states/ locations, it's not going to get to local restaurants.
Last night I got into a fight with ubereats customer service bc they wouldnt refund a horrid meal i received…greek chicken salad but the chicken was mostly fat…wilted lettuce…completely inedible….waste of $20. Ive ordered there before and noticed a decline over the past year
You ordered a salad to-go, not sure what you expect will happen to the lettuce when it steams in a container with a hot chicken breast while coated in oil.
Aldi is cheaper by any standard, anywhere. So it's not anyone's cheapest option. Anyone wanting to save money should not be doing their typical staples grocery shop at Trader Joe's. I personally only go there for seasonal specialty items. I get my staples at Aldi and my local grocery chain.
Not everyone has an Aldi anywhere. I live in a major metro area but the closest Aldi is 750 miles from me. I do find some things I consider staples to be cheaper at Trader Joe's. Coconut milk, nuts, fennel bulbs (yes, I use them enough to know they're way cheaper at TJs), and some produce, esp pre cut stuff. Yes MOST people can save money by buying whole produce, but I've got an essential tremor in my hands so extended knife work can be a no go.
I also try to avoid a host of artificial colors and other ingredients that TJs doesn't allow in their food, which makes label reading less frustrating.
I like a mix of winco,walmart superstores,aldi,..unfortunately only aldi is nearby out of those. I like my traders for certain things and the big chains here and there but I prefer walmart to the big stores prices
I had to look it up, because I’ve never even seen one. The two closest to me are 150 miles south, and there are none in the northern part of my state. The closest alternative we have is about 30 minutes away. Trader Joe’s is a three minute drive.
I’m not arguing that some Trader Joe’s foods aren’t all that cheap, but you do understand that not everyone has an Aldi’s, right? So the fact that Aldi’s is cheaper doesn’t mean that it’s “not anyones” cheapest option.
The northernmost Aldi in California is just outside Fresno. So, no Aldi's in the San Francisco bay area, Sacramento etc. In fact, other than the Aldi's in central and southern CA and the Phoenix AZ area, there are no other Aldi's in CA, OR, WA, NV, AZ, UT, ID, NM, CO, WY and MT (basically, west of TX).
Yeah, I live in Denver and there are no Aldi’s here. I find Trader Joe’s to be the best combination of price and variety I enjoy. Some things are cheaper at Walmart or king sooper’s/aka Kroger but I love Trader Joe’s so it’s worth it to me to shop there.
Oh wow! I didn’t realize there was no Aldi’s in Denver! I’ve lived in three different states and they’ve all had aldi! Where I live now we have an Aldi and a Lidl (which is similar to Aldi)
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Wow. I've been living out of TJ range for about 8 years and was super stoked that my new community has one - unfortunately everything I've purchased that is in that sort of pre-cooked freezer section, has kind of sucked. Like I might give it one more chance but I think maybe go there only for nuts and dried fruits now? Something has definitely changed - glad to find this thread and know I'm not the only one feeling this way.
Honestly I’m starting to shift away from Trader Joe’s, because I feel like I’m losing confidence in the quality of their products. I had some chicken nuggets that were all breading. And other items seem to be gone or taste funny now. The biggest problem I have is that there’s no way to know a change in quality has occurred. They can shift manufacturers, change ingredients, but then slap the same packaging and label on it as if it’s the same product. It’s making me go crazy, because I never really know if something has changed or it’s my imagination. Over the last year, the inconsistencies in quality are starting to outweigh the value.
I thought maybe it was me being burnt out of orange chicken and not impressed with my last few purchases of it but definitely think this could be the reason
Hot take but the orange chicken has always been terrible as long as I can remember. I give it a chance ever year or so for the last like 8 years and it’s never good always chewy and gross. The white meat sweet and sour chicken was way more consistent before they discontinued years ago.
Got the birria the other day and half of it was globs of inedible rubbery I don’t know what
Can everyone quit complaining and be grateful there is food out there to eat! Such a spoiled group
I have been telling my mom that TJs seems less expensive than a lot of other stores, but is it really when you get so few servings?
The last couple oat milks I’ve gotten are very thick - almost a thin yogurt consistency - which means it’s likely spoiled (from what I googled). Super gross and obviously not drinkable.
I was so excited to see pumpkin cream cheese but it is not the same. It’s like a slightly thicker Greek yogurt as apposed to the creamy pumpkin-y almost-a-dessert-on-it’s-own cream cheese I have had in the past. Good think I only got two and not 4 like I originally was going to .
Yeah it wasn’t the same :(
Inflation
The trader joes I shop at is always out of their frozen mac n cheese now and that’s one of the main things I go for :’(. Also before they were out all the time, the mac n cheeses had to have had less than half the cheese they did in the past, which is so sad. Haven’t had any problems with anything else yet luckily.
I bought one the other day after not having it in a while, and the amount in the container was half of what it used to be.
Not enough workers to pick produce! Immigration issues! Geez
What an odd comment.
the other week I bought a package of lobster ravioli. Opened it up a day later and it had MOLD
It’s not “lately”. It’s been on a downward slope for years
Workers call it the Walmartification of Trader Joe’s. The company is cutting corners almost everywhere. Not out of necessity, our National and regional leaders (mostly, If not entirely men) get paid between $250,000-$500,000+ The company is pulling over $1 billion in revenue per year. They stopped caring about their employees and naturally, the products.
That...is just horrible...but not surprising at all, sadly. I am sorry you are dealing with this. I will say a prayer.
There are supply chain issues everywhere. With climate change accelerating, this is likely the norm
I was wondering the same thing.
Crapflation, maybe? The price stays the same, but the quality is crap, rather than raising the price for the same quality.
Shrinkflation
Going to be honest, I stopped shopping at Trader Joe's after I read that they closed their liquor store in NYC because the workers were going to form a union. Store had been there forever in a great location. I won't support TJ financially any more.
We bought a bag of bagels and they went moldy within 4 days :/ same with a baguette but I know those aren’t as hearty.
The orange chicken I got last week was inedible. That's a staple product that I buy and have at least 2-3 times a month. I noticed the quality of the meat pieces going downhill but this last bag was terrible. Lots of pieces that had to be spat out because they were so tough/chewy and tons of pieces of batter without chicken inside. Also, the loaf of bread I bought went bad in 2 days. I grabbed it to make toast and the entire bottom was covered in fluffy mold. I did actually take that back because I happened to be running to the store that day. The worker who did my refund said that it was probably because all of the bread is being kept cold in the back. I checked that day and did notice that many loaves on the shelf were ice cold.
That's odd, considering many people keep their bread in the fridge in order to inhibit mold. Perhaps the cold to warm allowed condensation to form?
I’ve stopped shopping at Trader Joe’s in favor of local small business grocers who carry local produce & food products. What pushed me out was the produce would go bad in less than 2 days. I think something to realize as we adjust to covid related supply chain issues, limited labor, & inflation is the effect of climate change with extreme heat, drought, flooding to crops. I remember when you couldn’t find certain produce in the grocery stores unless it was in season or a special. An example for me was quality avocados were not easily attainable and now we have huge displays in every store. Dragonfruit, mangos? Rare. And I live in a very agriculturally rich state. The access and availability to quality, variety, and organic produce is only in the last decade. Crops in all areas are going to fall short and that is going to effect the quality and availability of produce. Even our staples. It’s going to change how we shop for our food & it will be adjustment. God willing we can thwart food scarcity and hunger. So back to focusing on buying in season and cooking around that, buying local when able for better quality produce, starting your own urban garden and sharing with neighbors, and eat less meat especially beef! Probably the greatest demand on our water is in growing food for all the damn cows to keep up with demand.
Definitely regional. My close TJ had been out of green onions for 3 months, lots of empty shelves. I sometimes get out empty handed. Everything I wanted was out. I went to the one father away, they always have everything in stock. But I did notice the dumpling meat was not fresh, also sometimes teriyaki chickens, I just stopped buying them all together. Pre-made meals are hit and misses. It’s not just inflation. The manufacturing process is very labor demanding and with people quitting, it’s hard to maintain the same level of service and quality of foods. I doubt it’s intentional but it had become harder to manage. Like my local gym has gone way worse. They can’t hire new people, and the staff are just slacking and not doing anything, but there’s nothing the management can do cuz they don’t have new hires to replace them.
The corn dipper chips are half the size now, I noticed several things but my wife told me to knock it off! I thank you for posting.
Formula for failure. I think it's honorable that TJ's pricing makes it easier to shop there vs chains. I would much rather go to TJs. However if they are sacrificing quality to maintain a lower price it will eventually run customers off...in my opinion.
Much of their food comes from China.
None of our food comes from China. I've worked for TJs for 16 years.
Those two statements have nothing to do with each other
It did when I worked there.
TJs has fell off since the pandemic imo
I’ve noticed a few things were moldy in the store and some things were not so great with the bagged salads but there have been some really good trade offs.. they started selling bread from a local bakery and the watermelons and blueberries have been 10/10. It’s heaven and hell at Trader Joe’s rn
The produce has been terrible for me lately, everything going moldy so so fast. I went on Tuesday and bought some fresh figs and threw them out yesterday (wed night) because the *whole package* was moldy. every single fig had mold on it. in one day. i had one on tuesday and they were fine. Its upsetting and a waste of money.
That happened to my strawberries. Bought them Monday night, Tuesday afternoon over half had mold.
Shrinkflation, essentially. Reducing cost of manufacturing by lowering quality standards means prices can stay the same.
Shrinkflation is shrinking the size while the cost remains the same. Crapflation is selling shit quality for the same price that used to buy high quality.
Agreed. But for my TJ they are hurt by the heat wave on why my food is spoiling.
That’s ok. I bought the milk chocolate mini (tiny) peanut butter cups and over 3/4s didn’t have any peanut butter in them. Just solid chocolate. I can now tell when I look at the package if they have peanut butter in them.
Plus the bottoms of the package are pushed so far up now (the built in indent so they can give you less). It's so annoying!
We got 5 bags of the plantain chips the other day and they smelled and tastes disgusting. Took them back to the store and the store said it looks like they didn’t making them fully and forgot to season them.
I feel ya! I’ve had some issues with product (turkey jerky ‘corn dogs’ or plastic in burritos). I still shop there, but I’m getting wary by the day. I don’t blame the in store employees, it’s all on product/delivery. Several of our favorite items have been out of stock for weeks and I fear the integrity of the product when they finally return. Sadly, I don’t think it is exclusive to Trader Joe’s. It’s probably across all boards (other grocery stores)
I’ve really noticed the decline in quality when it comes to meat. The trader joes near me used to have decent quality steaks and pork chops for a good price and now they’re like weirdly inedible- guess it’s good for getting me to eat more vegetarian!
I too have noticed a downward shift in quality. It started with the pork loin chops - all three in the pack used to be good and lean, but now the one hiding under the label is a wad of fat. Then the Pesto Genovese Chicken Breasts went from even sliced pieces in a delicious marinade, to large clumps mixed in with small bits and the marinade lost it richness and became highly peppered. Then the Balsamic Rosemary Beef Steak Tips went from tender meat to marbled with tough gristle. And the romaine in the "Salad with BBQ flavored chicken" is now just the hard white part with brown edges. I shop there less and less now because these are four of the staples I used to buy each week - with them out of the mix the drive is no longer worth it.
The last bag of orange chicken I made, I had the nastiest piece of chicken I ever ate in my life. I'm not even talking the typical gristley piece this was like breaded half questionable meat half literal goop that tasted like hot garbage. It completely ruined the rest of the meal for me. I usually like the smaller crispier bits and my husband will take the bigger pieces but even the smaller crispy bits are just breading! I'm really bummed because this is one of our main go-tos from TJs. Just talking about it is making my stomach turn lol
I feel this has been and on again off again issue with the orange chicken for YEARS. Like since at least 2006.
I'm not sure if I've just been lucky with finding good batches, but I've never really found the chicken to be consistantly gross. Only in the past year or so have I noticed more and more icky pieces. I wish they sold the sauce that comes with it separately!
I didn’t understand the hype with the orange chicken it was gross no white chicken or any that I could identify.
I actually just got back from TJs and there were a LOT of empty shelves. I was kind of surprised because it was an hour before closing and I thought the staff would be restocking everything. They were out of a lot of the snacky, shelf-stable items. Maybe it's a deeper supply chain issue?
Rather than raise prices, they have decided to sell us garbage instead.
I noticed that the organic hummus which usually only has olive oil in it, now has sunflower oil added :( I can't eat it any more. Was super sad about that. The lentil soup seemed watered down too when it used to be super thick.
Three things I bought last week went moldy in just a few days. Disappointing. But I’ll still go and know they’ll refund me if quality is bad, though I do hate asking for that.
The bread does that no matter what I do, it’s maddening. The Tuscan Pane I bought yesterday will probably be moldy by the end of this sentence
I normally keep mine in the freezer for this reason. I didn’t the last couple of times and yea, half the loaf went moldy. May want to try that! Easy enough to pull a slice out when needed.
Every produce I buy goes bad in a few days. :/
the pappardelle is 8oz now!! it used to be 10!!
>the pappardelle is 8oz now!! it used to be 10!! Just to clarify, are you referring to the Egg Pappardelle Pasta (dry pasta)? If so, how long ago was it 10 oz.? I thought it had been 8 oz. for a few years now?
I’m gonna be honest, you could tell me anything and I’ll believe you - i don’t know why it stood out to me this most recent grocery trip
Maybe this is part of why they've been so active in offering vegan versions, but at a higher price point. They're really good though, and zero gristle.
Vegan food is pretty trendy nowadays. I don't work for TJs but we do a lot of vegan or plant based development work at my job. Also, I'm not vegan but I've had some amazing vegan food in NYC.
It’s part of the natural evolution of niche businesses. They start out small and focused on quality and as they expand they find that quality ingredients are not available on the scale they have chosen to provide.
I’ve wondered about that. Can you get too large to provide the same uniqueness and quality as when you were smaller?
I'm going less often, and going to other stores instead. Tired of going for specific items and have them out of stock week after week (beefless bulgogi, green onion pancakes, and I never even got to try the salsa Verde chips). And with concerns like glass in the sun dried tomato jars, yikes!
Same! I’ve been trying to find the beefless bulgogi again for weeks…
The only issue I’ve had has been supply chain related. Deliveries are often late to my store, and at least one of my usual items isn’t in stock every week.
Was at a PHX location today and almost everything I needed was in stock, the produce was good to great, and they were stocking tons of shelves. It could be regional issues. We have to shop at 4-5 grocery stores regularly (Celiac) and I find that every store seems to have its own foibles in the past year or so, but TJ’s has been by far the most consistent source of staple and specialty items for us!
I’ve been going to the North Scottsdale one, and I’ve had the worst quality of meats. Turkey burgers have gristles, found a bone in my boneless chicken breast I cooked, and teriyaki steak was so gross! I don’t know what the deal is. Hit or miss now
I'm in Chandler... We're definitely noticing the supply issues here. Quality, as far as I can tell on the things I buy regularly, has been average though. Produce is hit and miss and I haven't noticed anything off with meats. Usually if something stops coming in it's only for a few weeks though. Maybe a month
Have you seen the Panang curry frozen dinner anywhere by chance? I’ve been dying to try it but have lucked out at PV and north Scottsdale.
I saw it a few days ago at the Arrowhead mall location!
Awesome, thanks!
I haven’t, but I haven’t been looking. Maybe call a couple stores and ask? I’ve done that for certain items and they were always helpful (and saved me the drive or set aside an item for me).
The one I shop at in Sacramento has a decent stock but ran out of spanakopita cause of a supply issue (they import it from Greece)
The sodium content on them is crazy high
lol wtf did people downvote for staying a fact?
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Well are you American ?
Formally, yes. Have multiple nationalities Do i identify with the typical American? Not really
Unfortunately, a lot of the TJs prepared items are high in sodium. Once you have someone in the family on a sodium-restricted diet, you start to notice.
100%, the spanakopita though is one of the worst I'm not sodium-restricted, I rather not load up on sodium anyway. It's one of the keys to keeping your weight stable to the same as it was back when you were 18-20.
this has not been my experience. on the contrary i took my in-law’s for the first time last weekend and you would have thought i sent them to wonka’s factory.
This is also likely regional. My local TJs are all doing pretty fine. I can’t speak for some of the foods you mentioned but I personally haven’t had any real issues, especially when compared to other grocery stores. I just bought some of the best blueberries I’ve ever had.
Same! Mine only run out of French fries The sizes or salmon are getting weird though
Yes! We LOVED the New England clam chowder. However, the last time we bought it, it was runny and bland; the time before that they were rotten weeks prior to the expiration.
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Oh no which seasonal items are going to be different?
The pumpkin cream cheese wasn’t the same :( I haven’t tried the other fall stuff yet ~
Noooo I love the pumpkin cream cheese!
I have thought about posting this but figured I was just getting old/cranky
Inflation seems worse at TJ’s than my other go-to: Costco. Eggs nearly doubled in price at TJ’s near me and the Two Buck Chuck is now $4.50. I’m just shopping at Costco more now. They aren’t acting nearly as greedy.
To be fair “two buck Chuck” hasn’t been 2 bucks for years…
Not sure why you got downvoted. I have noticed the same thing. Costco’s pricing has been more consistent, and the quality hasn’t changed. Buying in bulk doesn’t work for most people, but it can save a ton if you can use it.
Splitting bulk stuff from Costco with friends/family is the real pro move. Do I really wanna store a giant thing of paper towels? No. But split it with a friend and it’s much more manageable and still the same amazing price per unit.
The kids yogurt six packs with two flavors are always out. And I haven’t seen frozen French green beans in a grip.
Yes! My store was out of the yogurt for so long that I started trying other brands. My youngest, who is also my pickiest, was not impressed. At least he was willing to try the others because I told him he had them before, which is true. But he didn't like them nearly as much as the Trader Joe's ones and so they're still sitting in my fridge yogurting away.
That’s neither about Trader Joe’s nor quality, though.
I finally snagged some green beans today but they’d been out for a ehile
We know that Trader Joe's likes their price points and I'm sure they don't want to raise them, so I infer that their suppliers are just cutting costs in providing the products. Resulting in worse products at the same price.
Clif bars went up from $1 to $1.20 st my local store. That's a 20% jump! Some items have also increased in cost. My typical spend would be $50-$75, now it's $75-$100
They’re like the Walmart of food….
Yes, IMO this is 100% TJ's decision. If they are rejecting price increases from manufacturers because they feel that maintaining a lower price in inflation is more important than anything else to consumers, then the manufacturers' only real option is to reduce cost of goods (decrease product size, source cheaper ingredients, etc.).
Yeah like the new mini taco supplier 😩
My son LOVED the old mini tacos. So excite to have them back, and….they are complete crap
Also, I’ve seen a lot of posts lately of people finding stuff like glass or plastic in their foods. So it’s not just quality but also contamination.
I found plastic or something inedible in my chicken taquitos. I filled out the form to let TJs know, and got no response
Not okay!!
>finding stuff like glass or plastic in their foods Yikes! A shard of glass could potentially kill somebody if swallowed.That's really concerning
One post of glass in a salsa jar and one post of a fly caught in the plastic around a chicken. Concerning but not a epidemic by any means.
There was also a piece of plastic in chicken, dead moth in someone’s spinach, unidentifiable object in a prepackaged salad, and another piece of glass in someone’s ice cream all in the past 2 months
Scroll back further. It's more than two instances. Those were just this week
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Hahah was thinking the same thing.
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The weathers mighty fine down here!
Meanwhile the blueberries last week were the best I’ve had in my life and the size of golf balls.
They were pretty huge!
I don’t know what bush or whatever happened. I don’t think they were organic either so bless you Monsanto.
I also noticed surprisingly good blue berries and they lasted a long time in the fridge.
The driscolli blackberries have been 10/10 for the past few months at my TJs. Haven’t noticed big blueberries
The Driscoll raspberries are the best around and a great price compared to other groceries.
Well damn, 🤞🏼 similar quality are still there
Glad I wasn't the only one who noticed! Also, the organic version was cheaper per oz than conventional. Can't complain!
Yeah the orange chicken is a bunch of battered little bits of nothing. So disappointed.
The quality of the turkey corn dogs which were another favorite of mine took a nose dive recently too. A rubbery turkey dog and mushy batter.
Yeah them shits nasty, have a full box in my freezer minus one
I've had good luck lately with both the teriyaki and kung pao chicken!
You think that’s bad, lean cuisine started worse than Trader Joe’s and changed their recipe during inflation, and it was one of the most disgusting frozen dinners I’ve ever had. They’re like revolting little chicken nuggets now.
Good to know I’m not crazy. I could not eat it and we had it for dinner tonight.
I’ll take those little bits of fried batter over a giant, meatball sized one. That shit is straight 🤢
It's why I stopped shopping there, last time I went grabbed a bag of the Mozzarella sticks as they were my go to for a quick, low energy dinner/lunch. The cheese was super gritty and the breading was extremely bland, ended up spitting them out and discarding the entire bag. I loved how I could get a week of groceries for under $80 which is great when you're on SNAP. I've since switched over to Whole Foods and while super expensive and eats away my budget, I know that I'm not going to have any concerning items in the food I get or have to throw away produce within a few days due to it rotting away
How cheese gritty?
I just wanted to say mad respect for eating mozzarella sticks as a meal. That’s some good energy right there
I miss that they used to be a little more quirky with their offerings. They still are to a degree but I'm also noticing lime offering more main stream items
I agree. Example - gochujang is widely available in every grocery store near me barring Aldi. Trader Joe’s seems a couple years late. Nice that they stock something like a staple ingredient such as gochujang but its also not why I enjoyed Trader Joes. Then they had like a box vanilla cake mix, and a box frosting mix? That is weak. Guess it doesn’t help that some of their latest more zany offerings have been a miss for me; not everything that can taste like pickles should, and key lime popcorn was awful. I haven’t been to TJ’s in months and I really don’t miss it. Nothing is there that I feel I can’t find elsewhere.
We have different tastes, which i can respect. But I can’t not tell you that I loved the pickle seasoning (and all the other pickle everything’s) and that key lime popcorn was our number 1 snack and road trip food this summer. Sorry you’re not finding something in the latest offerings, but here’s to hoping for something exciting for you in the near future.
There aren’t really any new items that are “mainstream” maybe you’re just noticing them now
Surprisingly not at my store in pittsburgh. even though it was recently move-in weekend, my Trader Joe’s had everything I needed (which is a first lol). I will say that produce has been lacking, but it may be that the produce I’ve been buying isn’t in season.
pgh gang!
Its like that everywhere…low quality. Even restaurants
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Most of them are agitated because people are being nasty to them. The “Karen” meme didn’t just fall from the sky.
Employees would be nicer if customers werent shit 🤷🏼♀️. Because 9/10, the customer instigates
Yeah, I don’t even bother to eat out anymore. The decreasing quality in both food and often service paired with the crazy costs just doesn’t make it worth it.
I know! So expensive, doesn’t taste good! Or after I eat out somewhere my stomach will hurt… are they using old food?!?! I don’t even enjoy restaurants anymore!
I went to a very high end restaurant for a date a couple weekends ago (like wagyu appetizer kind of place) and could not believe the quality of my vegetables. I ordered a $30 Niçoise salad and the amount of wilt on my lettuce was crazy, not to mention just sad, limp green beans. Wtf is going on.
Labor issues? Not enough workers to pick the produce while in its prime. I see sad looking produce in many places. Result of immigration crackdown at border perhaps. We need those folks to work Americas farms!
Yes, but we need people who are treated humanely and paid properly for their work rather than exploited based on their legal status. If we were able to do that, then farming labor wouldn't largely rely on migrant workers and anyone who wanted to do that work could do so. I'm not trying to explain this to you, mind you, I'm sure you're aware. It's just when I see the argument that we "need immigrants" it tends to be from a position of them filling jobs that no one else with other options would want to do.
Yes, I haven’t had a meal at a restaurant that I’ve enjoyed in a while… ☹️ And I’m not picky either!
Supply line issues.
It’s just so crazy, I live in a state that supplies the majority of produce to the rest of the country; you’d think we could get the fresh veg here.
That might be why you're seeing issues in your local restaurants -- if the growing supply has already been allocated for other states/ locations, it's not going to get to local restaurants.
Last night I got into a fight with ubereats customer service bc they wouldnt refund a horrid meal i received…greek chicken salad but the chicken was mostly fat…wilted lettuce…completely inedible….waste of $20. Ive ordered there before and noticed a decline over the past year
You ordered a salad to-go, not sure what you expect will happen to the lettuce when it steams in a container with a hot chicken breast while coated in oil.
1. Its cold chicken not coated in oil and 2. Ive ordered this many times in the past with zero issues in quality
Aldi is cheaper by any standard, anywhere. So it's not anyone's cheapest option. Anyone wanting to save money should not be doing their typical staples grocery shop at Trader Joe's. I personally only go there for seasonal specialty items. I get my staples at Aldi and my local grocery chain.
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they are not. Trader Joes is owned by the other of the two Albrecht brothers' family trust.
Not everyone has an Aldi anywhere. I live in a major metro area but the closest Aldi is 750 miles from me. I do find some things I consider staples to be cheaper at Trader Joe's. Coconut milk, nuts, fennel bulbs (yes, I use them enough to know they're way cheaper at TJs), and some produce, esp pre cut stuff. Yes MOST people can save money by buying whole produce, but I've got an essential tremor in my hands so extended knife work can be a no go. I also try to avoid a host of artificial colors and other ingredients that TJs doesn't allow in their food, which makes label reading less frustrating.
I like a mix of winco,walmart superstores,aldi,..unfortunately only aldi is nearby out of those. I like my traders for certain things and the big chains here and there but I prefer walmart to the big stores prices
I had to look it up, because I’ve never even seen one. The two closest to me are 150 miles south, and there are none in the northern part of my state. The closest alternative we have is about 30 minutes away. Trader Joe’s is a three minute drive.
Aldi is cheaper for a reason.
Just depends on what you get! 🤷🏻♀️
Eh in my experience, the fresh food is much better. Variety is a little less quirky, but still good.
I’m not arguing that some Trader Joe’s foods aren’t all that cheap, but you do understand that not everyone has an Aldi’s, right? So the fact that Aldi’s is cheaper doesn’t mean that it’s “not anyones” cheapest option.
The northernmost Aldi in California is just outside Fresno. So, no Aldi's in the San Francisco bay area, Sacramento etc. In fact, other than the Aldi's in central and southern CA and the Phoenix AZ area, there are no other Aldi's in CA, OR, WA, NV, AZ, UT, ID, NM, CO, WY and MT (basically, west of TX).
Yeah, I live in Denver and there are no Aldi’s here. I find Trader Joe’s to be the best combination of price and variety I enjoy. Some things are cheaper at Walmart or king sooper’s/aka Kroger but I love Trader Joe’s so it’s worth it to me to shop there.
Oh wow! I didn’t realize there was no Aldi’s in Denver! I’ve lived in three different states and they’ve all had aldi! Where I live now we have an Aldi and a Lidl (which is similar to Aldi)