For many, the official start of Fall isn't the Autumn Equinox or the changing leaves. It's when Trader Joe's Fall Finds hit the shelves. For a limited time, the store is chock full of orange-colored packages filled with pumpkin, apple, and maple goodies that we simply can't resist!

If you prefer video, watch the full episode 21 YouTube video version.

While Trader Joe's isn't by any means a one-stop shop for our family's groceries, there is one thing they do particularly well: capturing the spirit of the Fall season and getting their patrons excited to shop there.

Visiting a Trader Joe's in the Fall means loading up on items you can't usually find at other times of the year, such as pumpkin brioche bread, pumpkin pancake mix, and pumpkin kringles to name a few.

Why are Trader Joe's Fall Finds so popular?

Scarcity seems to be a key motivator for these purchases; the idea that in a few weeks, these items will no longer be available so customers may feel compelled to "stock up now".

Another likely contributor to the success of Trader Joe's Fall Finds is the popularity of pumpkin spice as a flavor.

Essentially, humans love to be reminded of Fall and the feelings of home, family, and nostalgia, and according to Matt Johnson, a psychologist who specializes in marketing psychology, pumpkin spice is a flavor that's closely tied to the arrival of these feelings.

In this episode, we discuss our favorite (and not-so-favorite) Fall finds and how we feel about shopping at Trader Joe's in the Fall.

Note: we did not receive any compensation from Costco and the opinions expressed in this podcast are solely our own.

Resources

The Psychology of the Pumpkin Spice Latte, by Matt Johnson Ph.D.

Sip and Feast Recipe for Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Sage Brown Butter Sauce

Sip and Feast Recipe for Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Maple Brown Butter

Sip and Feast Recipe for Pumpkin Mule

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Transcript

Intro

James (00:00):Welcome back to the Sip and Feast Podcast. Today we're talking Trader Joe's and specifically, the fall seasonal items at Trader Joe's. You can see I have my fall seasonal shirt on. What do you think about that?, Tara?

Tara (00:15):Looks very different from all your other flannels, which are also, could be fall seasonal.

James (00:22):The ones that I have from my cooking videos, I don't want to get dirty, so these are the ones maybe that I wear out.

Tara (00:29):This is the one you don't want to get dirty.

James (00:30):That's right.

Tara (00:31):Yeah.

James (00:31):No, the cooking video ones, they actually act as aprons.

Tara (00:35):That's right.

James (00:36):That's why they're on the dark side like that darker blue flannel because if they're black and blue, when you get some sauce or something on there, you can't even see.

Tara (00:45):I'm going to jump right into a question right now.

James (00:47):Okay.

Tara (00:48):It's not an audience question, although, I'm sure it's on their minds. Do you wear anything other than flannels?

James (00:53):Yes, I do. A few people recognize me because I'm famous. They recognized me at Pottery Barn out east in Long Island. It was multiple people in one day, and I had a T-shirt on that day, so they got to see me in a T-shirt.

Tara (01:10):Oh, I don't even remember. Were you wearing a T-shirt?

James (01:10):I was.

Tara (01:11):Oh, wow.

James (01:12):Yeah.

Tara (01:12):Lucky for them.

James (01:13):Yeah.

Tara (01:14):Sun's out,