Tag Archives: Trader Joe's

Discontinued

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This is a screen shot from Amazon. Tone soap was what we have used since we got married. I used to buy it at the grocery store and then it disappeared. Then I ordered it from Amazon, but now there are only a couple listings and it’s WAY overpriced. It must be discontinued.

Now, we can no longer find Strawberry Yogurt Zone Perfect Bars. Can’t find them anywhere. I used to get them at the grocery store, too. Trader Joe’s had the best prices. I was able to order them on Amazon a few years ago. Now they are nowhere. There are a few other flavors still out there. But not the flavor we like.

The latest discontinued product that I use is my face cream. When I went to the website, I couldn’t find it. I got a chat bot box and asked if it was discontinued and the bot said yes, but there was inventory available at Amazon. Here we go again. At least it’s the same price on Amazon as it was on the manufacturer’s website.

I wrote about brand loyalty HERE.

We get used to certain brands and stick with them for decades. My mom was a loyal brand lover and believed that what she bought was THE BEST. Like Life cereal, Crest toothpaste and Best Foods mayo. I followed her example and brands. Until I got married. My husband and I discovered conflicts with our brands.

I googled why Zone bars and Tone were discontinued. It has to do with changing market preferences. In the case of Zone bars, not only was it discontinued in 2024 — a layoff of close to 200 employees happened. Tone was sold to Proctor Gamble from Colgate-Palmolive. There are many options in skin care and bar soaps aren’t as popular as they once were. People are also looking for natural products without chemicals. So good-bye Tone — after six decades.

I think there are many more choices today for all categories of household items compared to my childhood. It’s a tougher market for brands to survive. Plus, we have tons of “off-brand” items that are more affordable.

What brands are you loyal to?

What products have you used that were discontinued?

What’s annoying…

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hiking in the preserve
McDowell Sonoran Preserve

I like living in Arizona. I really do. I like being across the street from 130 miles of hiking trails that will never be developed. I also like the wildlife — bobcats, mule deer, coyotes, hawks, owls and coyotes.

But what annoys me are the grocery stores. It’s 30 minutes to drive to Trader Joe’s or Costco, which we make a special trip to do. There are four grocery stores much closer. But I have to stop at two to three of them to get my shopping done.

The one that is closest is very small. It’s not a national chain, but a family-owned local store.They never carry what I need. But they do have the only kitty litter Olive the cat will use — Johnny Cat. It’s the only one of the four stores near us that carries it. They also are the only store that carries Brown Cow yogurt. (If you haven’t tried Brown Cow, please give it a try. It’s amazing.)

So I start my shopping there for cat litter and yogurt. Next I go to a major chain to get mostly everything else. Specialty items I go to the upscale store down the street from the chain store.

I don’t mind driving, but I do mind going in and out of stores for what should be one-stop shopping. I never had this problem in Palm Springs. Maybe it’s still a supply chain issue?

Are you able to do your shopping in one stop? Or do you have to go to several stores to complete your list?