Trader Joe’s Increased the Price of Bananas After 20 Years — but Lowered the Cost of Many Other Items

A Trader Joe’s representative confirmed with PEOPLE that items like raw almonds and green onions saw a price cut

RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post via Getty Images Trader Joe’s bananas are increasing from 19 cents to 23 cents

Trader Joe’s is adjusting the prices of some of their most commonly purchased items.

A representative for the national grocer confirmed with PEOPLE that the price of bananas recently increased while other produce items and raw almonds saw prices slashed.

“We recently changed the price of a single banana to 23¢, which still represents a tremendous everyday value for bananas,” the statement read.

This is a 4 cent increase. The rep clarified why TJ’s prices get adjusted when they do.

“We only change our prices when our costs change, and after holding our price for bananas at 19¢ each for more than two decades, we’ve now reached a point where this change is necessary,” the spokesperson added.

The good news is that with the slight hike of bananas comes the decrease in price of certain products.

Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Trader Joe’s bananas are increasing from 19 cents to 23 cents

“At the same time, we have been able to negotiate costs for a number of our products, and have lowered our retail prices accordingly,” the spokesperson said.

The affected items primarily include produce. “A few examples: raw almonds are now $3.99 a pound, down a dollar; romaine hearts are now $2.99, down 50¢; organic tri-color bell peppers are $4.49, a reduction of 50¢; and green onions are now 99¢, our lowest price in at least a decade,” they said.

The Trader Joe’s representative also confirmed that the pricing is consistent in all Trader Joe’s stores regardless of location.

Getty (2) Bell peppers and raw almonds are few Trader Joe’s items experiencing a price decrease

The grocery chain recently made headlines when the brand’s mini tote bags went viral on TikTok.

Social media users have shared videos of customers rushing to stores to snag one of the bags, which come in navy, yellow, red and green. The totes retailed for only $2.99 in Trader Joe’s stores but since many locations sold out, they were being listed on eBay for much more. One listing for a set of all four colors asked for nearly $1,000.

A spokesperson for the brand gave an update on the viral bags and the steep price surging.

“Our Mini Canvas Tote Bags certainly sold more quickly than we anticipated. Before we had the opportunity to promote them in any way, customers across the country found them at their neighborhood Trader Joe’s,” said the spokesperson. “Our customers, in our stores, are our focus; we do not endorse the re-sale of any of our products, anywhere.”

According to the rep, customers who didn’t snag one of the totes will have another chance.

“We do have more Trader Joe’s Mini Canvas Tote Bags coming. Customers can expect to see them in our stores in late summer,” they added.

Read the original article on People.