The Trader Joe's Bakery Item That Some Customers Say Is Actually Overpriced

Unlike some specialty grocery stores, Trader Joe's is known for pricing items pretty fairly. It may not be the cheapest grocery chain in the U.S., but when you consider that many of its foods are organic, free of artificial ingredients, and can't be found anywhere else, the extra cents you pay are worth it... unless we're talking about bread. This baked good is one of the most overpriced Trader Joe's products, according to customers.

Trader Joe's breads aren't poor-quality by any means — many options are delicious and worth trying at least once. However, consistently buying bread there uses up a surprising amount of your grocery budget. For example, both TJ's sliced white bread and sliced whole wheat bread cost $2.49 per 22-ounce loaf, or about 11 cents per ounce. Meanwhile, Walmart's Great Value sliced white bread costs $1.48 per 20-ounce loaf, or 7.4 cents per ounce, and a same-sized loaf of the brand's whole wheat bread costs $1.97 or 10 cents per ounce. If you buy a loaf every week, you'll spend $9.96 per month at Trader Joe's, but just $5.92 to $7.88 at Walmart. Choosing the latter could save you $24.96 to $48.48 per year.

In terms of flavor, nothing really differentiates TJ's breads from more cost-effective products, so they're overpriced in the eyes of some customers. However, there is an ingredient difference: most of Trader Joe's breads lack preservatives. While this is appealing to many shoppers, it also presents a big issue that could waste your dough (no pun intended).

Artificial preservatives are one of the ingredients you'll never see on Trader Joe's shelves, but this is a double-edged sword. Customers constantly complain that the store's bread goes bad super fast, molding just two to three days after purchase, or even the day of. This instantly wastes some or all of your money. "I stopped buying bread there for just this reason," said one customer on Reddit. Another shopper on Facebook wrote that their TJ's sourdough was already moldy when they purchased it, which they unfortunately discovered upon first bite.

Many Trader Joe's fans circumvent this issue by storing bread in the fridge or freezer, but if you prefer not to defrost your slices every day, you could try other ways to keep bread fresh. However, if you're tight on grocery money, it might be better to completely avoid the possibility of paying a premium for TJ's bread, only for it to spoil.

This isn't to say that you should never try Trader Joe's breads. If you use them up fast or try to preserve them, they can be a great occasional treat. To make your purchase worth it, don't buy generic bread there — seek out fancier, exclusive products that justify a little extra cash. For example, we think the unique Everything Ciabatta Rolls are the Trader Joe's bread that's worth the buy every time. TJ's gluten-free breads are also priced roughly the same or less compared to competing brands and offer superior quality in return.