Trader Joe’s Shoppers Vote for Favorite Items

Grocer shares this year’s Customer Choice winners spanning several categories

1/24/2024

Trader Joe’s is out with its list of Customer Choice winners, which features some familiar products for 2024 along with some new additions. The grocer released its top shopper favorites this week, highlighted with special signage in stores and heralded online across the company’s social media pages and in its podcast.

“Since the voting ended in our 15th Annual Customer Choice Awards, our team has been counting non-stop,” reported Tara Miller, VP of marketing, on the Inside Trader Joe’s podcast.

The list includes offerings from several categories, including snacks, meals, beverage and nonfoods. The No. 1 overall item is Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips, topping the list for the second year in a row and cementing its status as a fan fave. That product also beat the competition in the snack segment.

Other category winners include the following:

Beverage: Spiced Apple Cider. This seasonal item beat out runners-up including French Market Sparkling Lemonade and Triple Ginger Brew.
Cheese: Chèvre /Goat Cheese. Trader Joe’s offers goat cheese in different forms, including crumbled and Chèvre with Honey. Close behind were Syrah Soaked Toscano Cheese Spread and Dip and Burrata.
Produce: Bananas. Top banana in the Trader Joe's poll for the fifth year in a row, this grocery staple is also budget friendly, priced at 19 cents apiece. Shoppers also ranked Honeycrisp Apples and Teeny Tiny Avocados high for this category.
Appetizer: Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Dip. Shoppers couldn’t get enough of this hearty dip which edged out Mac and Cheese Bites and Parmesan Pastry Pups.
Breakfast and Brunch: Hashbrowns. Another simple but perennially popular item, the Trader Joe’s version is a heat-and-eat variety that came ahead of other go-to offerings like Chocolate Croissants and Almond Croissants.
Lunch and Dinner: Butter Chicken with Basmati Rice. This is the first time at the top of this category for the Indian-inspired dish, followed closely by another Indian-style heat-and-serve product, Chicken Tikka Masala.
Bath, Body & Home: Brazil Nut Body Butter. It may sound (and smell!) food-ish, but this is definitely a personal care item that made a big debut last summer. Runners-up include Daily Facial Sunscreen SPF 40 and Coconut Body Butter.
Sweet Treat: Sublime Ice Cream Sandwiches. The Trader Joe’s take on this classic dessert got some big fans, who turned out the vote. Mint Chip Ice Cream and Hold the Cone! Chocolate Chip came in second and third, respectively.

While these products got a lot of attention from shoppers, the fan base can widen even more. As podcast co-host and Trader Joe’s marketing VP Matt Sloan pointed out, “We hope you might consider these to be worth a try because lots of your fellow customers really like these products.”

With more than 500 stores in 40-plus states, Trader Joe’s is No. 27 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. PG also named the company as one of its Retailers of the Century.