GONE BANANAS
‘What’s next? Costco chicken?’ Trader Joe’s shopper asks after retailer hikes price of staple for first time in 20 years
The chain has lowered prices for some of its other produce
TRADER Joe’s fans fear widespread price surges after bosses hiked the cost of a popular fruit - its first in more than two decades.
Costco shoppers are also spooked the chain's popular rotisserie chicken could be next for a spike.
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Trader Joe’s has been selling individual bananas for just 19 cents since 2001.
However that cost has now been bumped up to 23 cents apiece, reported CNN.
The surprise 21 per cent spike has Costco shoppers spooked.
"What’s next? Costco chicken. Please say no," lamented one Trader Joe's fan on social media.
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But others are amazed the fruit has been priced so low for such a long time.
"Bananas have been incredibly cheap. I've been amazed at the great prices they are.
"So if they're going up a little, that's no big deal," said another woman.
But one man joked: "Eat more blueberries!"
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COST CHANGE
"We recently changed the price of a single banana to 23¢, which still represents a tremendous everyday value for bananas," a Trader Joe's spokesperson told the US Sun.
"We only change our prices when our costs change, and after holding our price for bananas at 19¢ each for more than two decades, we’ve now reached a point where this change is necessary.
"At the same time, we have been able to negotiate costs for a number of our products, and have lowered our retail prices accordingly.
"A few examples: raw almonds are now $3.99 a pound, down a dollar; romaine hearts are now $2.99, down 50¢; organic tri-color bell peppers are $4.49, a reduction of 50¢; and green onions are now 99¢, our lowest price in at least a decade."
HALL OF FAME
The price rise comes despite the fruit's popularity for many shoppers, according to a list of customers' favorite items in Trader Joe's product hall of fame.
"Our customers go bananas for bananas.
"It’s the unbeatable price (conventional still 19¢!), plus our organic option that've made them top banana for the fifth time," the chain said of this year's winning produce.
Runners-up were teeny-tiny avocados, honeycrisp apples, Persian cucumbers and the Lemony Arugula Basil Complete Salad Kit.
BIZARRE
And there is a bizarre reason for the lengthy 19 cent cost of single bananas, as revealed in an Inside Trader Joe’s podcast.
Then-CEO Dan Bane was asked by a shopper why the price was so low.
"I was in the Sun City store, and we used to sell bananas by the pound, like everybody else.
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"But that meant because we don't have scales in the store, that we had to weigh them and package them in little plastic bags in the warehouse before they got shipped out and usually the smallest bag you could buy, it was like four or five bananas."
Bane spotted an elderly customer - the store was near a retirement village - who looked at the bags of bananas, but didn't buy any.
"I asked her, I said, 'ma'am, if you don't mind me asking, I saw you
looking at the bananas but you didn't, you didn't put anything in your cart.'
"And she says to me, 'sonny… I may not live to that fourth banana.'
"So we decided the next day we were going to sell individual bananas.
"And they've been 19 cents ever since."
BANANA FARMERS STRUGGLING
The price jump comes as banana farmers worldwide said they needed urgent support at this month's World Banana Forum in Rome, Italy.
"Farmers are battling daily with unpredictable weather patterns, scorching sun, floods, hurricanes and increased cases of plant diseases.
"All these are hitting producers hard.
"Meanwhile, soaring production costs including fertiliser, pallets, plastic packaging, labour and more are adding extra pressure to already fragile livelihoods," warned Anna Pierides, of the Fairtrade Foundation.
"Without fair prices, banana farmers simply cannot make ends meet," she said.
"If banana producers are unable to cover their costs, they are unable to stay in business.
"Our legacy of low supermarket prices only serve to devalue bananas, and they are not sustainable.
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"With rising costs for banana farmers and other players along the supply chain, we cannot continue to be content with a situation where banana farmers pay the price for our low-cost fruit," she added.
The US Sun has contacted Trader Joe's for further comment.
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