Life
The Most Popular Trader Joe's Items Of 2016
Between an incredibly tense presidential race and an inordinate number of celebrity deaths, 2016 was a stressful year, to say the least. If you needed cookie butter to get through it, I certainly can’t blame you. Recently, Trader Joe’s revealed its most popular products of 2016. As part of Trader Joe’s 8th annual Customer Choice Awards, customers voted on their favorite items from the beloved grocery chain, and the list of winners may have you adding a few extra things to your shopping list.
Given the cult followings that a lot of Trader Joe’s products have, many of the items appearing on this year’s list are predictable, but there is at least one surprising change. For the past two years, Speculoos Cookie Butter has taken the top spot for “Favorite Overall” product. But in 2016, cookie butter toppled from its throne, to be replaced by a new ruler of the land: Mandarin Orange Chicken! Dun dun. (For some reason, I’m imagining the overthrow of the all-powerful cookie butter as an episode of Game of Thrones. “Cookie butter thought its rule was secure — but it never suspected the treachery of Triple Ginger Snaps and Joe's Diner Mac ‘n Cheese, as they plotted to put power in the hands of another…”) Er… where was I?
Cookie butter did make it onto the runner-up list for best overall product, but Mandarin Orange Chicken managed to make it to the top of two lists. These are people’s TJ’s faves for 2016:
Favorite Overall
Mandarin Orange Chicken
Favorite Bakery
Soft Pretzel Stick
Favorite Beverage
Spiced Cider
Favorite Candy
Dark Chocolate PB Cups
Favorite Cheese
Unexpected Cheddar
Favorite Coffee
Cold Brew Coffee
Favorite Condiment
Organic Ketchup
Favorite Frozen
Mandarin Orange Chicken
Favorite Home/Bath
Tea Tree Tingle Shampoo
Favorite Meat(less)
Soy Chorizo
Favorite Produce
Bananas
Favorite Salad
Arugula
Favorite Snack
Peanut Butter Pretzels
Favorite Pumpkin
Pumpkin Butter
Which Trader Joe’s product will top the list for 2017? Will Mandarin Orange Chicken hold onto its title with an iron grip? Will Speculoos Cookie Butter risk all to take back its throne? Will the produce section stage a coup? The game continues…
