Here’s Why Trader Joe’s Bananas Only Cost 19 Cents

How are they SO cheap?!

yellow bananas on store shelf. fruits grocery shoppingVera Petrunina/Shutterstock

If you’re ever looking for a cheap snack, Trader Joe’s bananas do not disappoint. Their 19-cent bananas are certainly a steal of a deal, on the same caliber as Costco’s $4.99 rotisserie chicken and their $1.99 slice of pizza. Nineteen cents for a snack is pretty hard to beat, and it’s all thanks to one honest customer.

In an episode of the new podcast “Inside Trader Joe’s,” the company’s CEO Dan Bane shares a story of a short conversation he had with an older customer in Arizona. Before the birth of the 19-cent banana, Trader Joe’s used to package up bananas in bags containing four or five bananas. Here are 9 other things that you should really only buy at Trader Joe’s.

One afternoon a woman was looking at the packaged bananas but decided to not take a bag for herself. Dane stopped the customer and asked, “Ma’am, if you don’t mind me asking, I saw you looking at the bananas, but you didn’t…put anything in your cart.”

“Sonny,” she replies, “I may not live to that fourth banana.”

After that, Dane decided to sell his bananas individually, decreasing the price to a mere 19 cents. The success of the 19-cent banana was all thanks to Dane’s ability to listen and find solutions for his customers. Don’t miss these 11 other things Trader Joe’s employees want you to know.

Taste of Home
Originally Published on Taste of Home

Kiersten Hickman
Kiersten is the Social Media Editor at Reader's Digest and writes for Taste of Home and The Family Handyman. She firmly believes that no matter where you go, picnics are always a good idea. Especially if it’s paired with a good book. She’s an advocate for meal prepping and passionate about living a plastic-free life.