Why Trader Joe's Fans Have A Problem With Its New Croissant Offering

It is no secret what keeps Trader Joes' fans coming back for more. One of the main appeal points for fan loyalty stems from TJ's unwavering low prices, which they maintain by sticking to house brands over wholesale items, maintaining a low overhead, and keeping advertising costs down, among other reasons. But beyond price, Trader Joe's offers new items regularly, and their steadfast items continue to keep fans' attention and love.

One of those regularly featured items is their croissant. While the croissant has gone through some iterations at Trader Joe's, there is no denying the common denominator is fans' love for the product. Fans were ecstatic when they announced a new frozen chocolate and butter croissant, with many praising their incredible taste, but even the original frozen chocolate ones have gotten fair praise, with the Queer Eye Fab Five being just a few of those raving over them. And their cheesy pastries, which are essentially frozen cheese-filled croissants, earned similar excitement. So it is hard to imagine a reason TJ's fans wouldn't support the latest croissant option.

The latest item joining Trader Joe's list of newbies is a fresh chocolate croissant. Instagram account @traderjoeslist describes these as "your favorite butter croissant wrapped around semi-sweet chocolate bars," noting the new item's dough is "sourced from the Pacific Northwest and chocolate from the center of South America." So, what is there to complain about?

Well, aside from the misspelled label in the Instagram photo, the price tag for the package is quite high. Fans of @traderjoeslist agree, questioning the "too expensive" price tag, with one noting that while "$3.99 for a single croissant is the going rate at most bakeries," it "is kinda steep for TJ's." 

Some in the comments did mention this is a pack of two, but another pointed out that the frozen ones are "cheaper per croissant" while also calling attention to the fact that frozen options have the added benefit of being fresh when you want them, rather than having to eat them before they go bad. With their original chocolate croissants coming in at $4.99 for a pack of four, it is hard to justify buying two for $3.99 as labeled in the photo, even if it is saving you a bit of cooking time.