While grocery shopping isn't exactly a seasonal affair, many people look forward to the times when they can pop into the shop for their everyday essentials, only to be greeted by the warm and familiar scents of peppermint, cinnamon and cocoa.
Some of us may even make extra trips to the store for the sole purpose of scoping out the latest holiday treats.
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But the issue with grocery shopping this year is that things are more expensive.
In 2022 food prices jumped 10.4%. It's too early to see how much food prices might jump in 2023 since we've still got a couple of weeks to round out the year, but the figure isn't expected to decline much, if at all.
Data from the most recent Consumer Price Index indicate that the prices of many items has increased. Here's how they've changed over the past 12 months:
- Food: up 3.3%
- Food at home: up 2.1%
- Food away from home: up 5.4%
- Energy: down 4.5%
- Electricity: up 2.4%
- New vehicles: up 1.9%
- Apparel: up 2.6%
- Medical care commodities: up 4.7%
- Shelter: up 6.7%
- Transportation services: up 9.2%
Enter Trader Joe's, a family-owned discount grocery store that aggregates items from other wholesalers and sells them at budget-friendly prices.
Trader Joe's is also known for its offbeat and niche product offerings. Many have cult favorites, some of which are offered only seasonally or once a year.
Trader Joe's discontinues beloved product
For example, each December Trader Joe's brings in dozens of holiday favorites, from its Gingerbread House Kit to its Candy Cane Peppermint Joe Joe's sandwich cookies.
But in a recent podcast Trader Joe's said these treats were here only till Dec. 31. Then they're gone for another year.
Here are some products that will no longer be here in January 2024:
- Jingle Jangle chocolate holiday mix
- Dark Chocolate Stars cookies
- Taste Test of Caramels
- Gingerbread House Kit
- Candy Cane Peppermint Joe Joe's sandwich cookies
- Pretzel Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel Sauce
- Shimmering Candy Cane Body Butter
- Apple Crumble Pie
- Belgian Cookie Collection
- Something Spritzy holiday beverage
- Organic Jumbo Cinnamon Rolls
Trader Joe's cancels a product; Reddit to the rescue
Fans have also noted that Trader Joe's is indefinitely canceling one beloved item: Dark Chocolate Covered Minty Mallows. They're usually offered specifically during the holiday season, but the grocery store is reportedly yanking them from stock forever.
"I was at Trader Joe's today looking for Minty Mallows and an employee went to check for order status," one Reddit user wrote on the Trader Joe's subreddit. "He informed me that Trader Joe's has discontinued Minty Mallows. They can no longer order them."
It turns out that Trader Joe's indeed has made the difficult decision to discontinue the beloved product for the foreseeable future.
“Our mission is to bring customers the best quality products at the best prices," a company representative told KTLA. "To do this, we have to manage our store space (which is not expansive) well."
Luckily, creative fans have found a duplicate at Aldi for those who want a minty marshmallowy fix.
"Hello, fellow Minty Mallow lovers," one customer wrote on Reddit. "I am happy to report that Aldi is selling these Dark Chocolate Peppermint Marshmallow trees, and they taste exactly like Minty Mallows. They even come in the same style packaging, just upside down. Happy holidays to us all!"
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