Does Trader Joe's Product Feedback Form Really Bring Back Discontinued Items?

Anyone who is a devoted fan of Trader Joe's knows that their favorite products are liable to disappear from the shelf at any moment. The grocery chain is beloved for its wide selection of unique items, which means it's constantly rolling out new experiments. And in the relatively small stores, that means something else has to go. The internet is littered with laments over customers' favorite retired Trader Joe's foods, like the Honey Butter Potato Chips and jarred arrabbiata sauce. But did you know that Trader Joe's has a dedicated feedback form where you can request that it bring back discontinued items? It's true, but it's not clear how likely it is to actually move the needle.

To Trader Joe's credit, it does sometimes bring back discontinued items, like last year, when it brought back the Mini Chicken Tacos it discontinued in 2021. There is not always a reason given for why certain items are brought back — at least part of the reason for the chicken tacos going away may have had to do with supplier issues as opposed to popularity, but it stands to reason that fan outcry is part of the equation. 

Several customers say items that they requested via the feedback form actually returned shortly after. A Reddit user notes at least one clear success story, saying, "polenta! When it came back to stores the internal memo was 'returning due to enough customer feedback.'" Another Redditor notes, "I asked for the frozen pizza crusts to be brought back and they did!"

The discontinued product feedback form for Trader Joe's is pretty straightforward: You just need to know the name of the product. However, the company is also clear that this is a one-way form of contact, and it makes no guarantees that a request will be honored. Trader Joe's says that, "we do take customer requests into account when we develop new products or revisit old favorites." If you want more of an explanation, the company says it's better to talk to a crew member in-store, who will be happy to answer your questions. They can also give you ideas for potential replacements, or you can seek out alternatives for discontinued Trader Joe's items in other stores.

While it's nice that Trader Joe's provides this outlet for customers, don't get your hopes up too much, because the company doesn't just discontinue an item for no reason. The company has said most items are taken off the shelf due to poor sales. This is something that Trader Joe's is actually more sensitive to than other grocery stores. Not just because of the limited shelf space, but also the fact that Trader Joe's mostly sells its own snacks and products. 

In standard American grocery stores, 3rd-party suppliers often pay for shelf space, which generates revenue for a store regardless of how well the product actually sells. This isn't the case for TJ's, so any product that isn't selling enough gets yanked. As much as you may love a discontinued Trader Joe's item, it was probably the case that not enough people felt the same way.