Why A Trader Joe's Shopper Got 'So Mad' When They Spotted These Ube Pretzels
Even before Trader Joe's Ube Pretzels made their way into stores nationwide, fans of the California-based grocery chain were raving about them online. "Oh hell..lol another ube product for me to obsess over," one Redditor wrote after seeing a post about the snack's upcoming release. "My wallet is crying," another shopper quipped. The hype has hardly died down die in the weeks since the limited-edition product made its official in-store debut – though we can't say we're totally surprised. Per Thrillist, the grocer has released a number of seasonal products over the years flavored by the eyecatching purple sweet potato, all of which have flown off the shelves.
Unsurprisingly, TJ's new Ube Pretzels may have followed suit, causing at least a couple of shoppers to head to the internet to vent their frustrations about not being able to find a bag for themselves. Therefore, it may come as a bit of a shock that one shopper was recently upset after finally spotting several bags of the hot buy at their local Trader Joe's. However, their anger didn't spawn from the product itself. "Two people took every single last one of the ube pretzels..I am so mad because I could never find them every time I shop and I guess I know why??" Redditor u/Sharulle wrote in the TJ's subreddit on Saturday, May 7 along with photographic evidence of the culprits' two Ube Pretzel-filled carts.
What TJ's shoppers think these customers are doing with the Ube Pretzels
Die-hard Trader Joe's fans may have been searching at their local stores in hopes of finding the Ube Pretzels that were, so we can't blame Redditor u/Sharulle for putting to shoppers on blast on Reddit for snatching up every single bag of the seasonal snack for themselves. Many of their fellow shoppers were upset, as well, including u/Debinthedez, who said they found the hoarding "a little rude." Some blamed TJ's for not limiting the number of Ube Pretzels each shopper could purchase, while others encouraged u/Sharulle to simply grab a bag out of one of the carts. "They probably wouldn't have even noticed that one was missing! Haha" u/Spitfiiire said.
In a separate comment, u/Sharulle explained that they were chalking up the situation to the shoppers prepping for Mother's Day: "Either the moms or the kids just love these pretzels." But while that's not implausible, others theorized that the customers were stocking up on the purple snacks to resell them on Amazon for a profit. The issue is one that TJ's has been dealing with for some time, with The Kitchn reporting that one couple made over $30,000 for reselling the grocer's famous Everything But The Bagel Seasoning in 2018. Unfortunately, the outlet reports that the behavior, known as "retail arbitrage," is not illegal, so, sadly, it doesn't look like it will be going away anytime soon.