18 things you should never buy at Trader Joe’s

There’s a lot to love about Trader Joe’s. The friendly employees, the well-curated collection of private label products that you can’t find anywhere else, the rush of discovering a tasty new treat you haven’t seen there before. But there are also a few things that even the most loyal TJ’s fans just can’t get on board with, namely the seemingly interminable lines and the occasional products that just don’t taste good. And we’re calling out 18 Trader Joe’s products that you probably shouldn’t waste your money on.

18 Things You Should Never Buy at Trader Joe’s (Slideshow)

But don’t just take our word for it; we reached out to our old friends at What’s Good at Trader Joe’s (who recently helped us out with “Trader Joe’s Summer Products You Need to Buy Before They’re Gone” and have helped us assemble big rankings like “The Best and Worst Products at Trader Joe’s” Part 1 and Part 2), and they were kind enough to pass along a dozen of the worst products on Trader Joe’s shelves, in 17 categories: dips, beverages, dairy products, candy, meat, condiments, organic juice, frozen desserts, appetizers, miscellaneous, seasonal, pre-made salads, snacks, yogurt, cereal, dried fruit, and frozen food. And you should trust them: These folks have tasted - and reviewed - nearly every single product to grace the shelves of Trader Joe’s since 2010, so we’ve included their thoughts on each of the slides that follow.

Before we get into specifics, there are a couple more general additions that we’d like to add to this list: sushi and produce. As a former employee recently told Business Insider, the sushi is made elsewhere and is the only product that most Trader Joe’s employees won’t touch; and the produce isn’t of any higher quality than what you find at your local grocery store. Click here to learn which 18 specific Trader Joe’s products you should avoid buying, and don’t forget that if you do end up buying something that you don’t like, you can return it no questions asked.