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‘Try Just Egg’: Trader Joe’s shopper tries to buy eggs. The workers ‘closed the curtain’ on them

‘I’m going to have to get creative with breakfast now.’

Photo of Braden Bjella

Braden Bjella

3 panel image: on the right is a display case of eggs, in the middle is the exterior of a Trader Joe's store, and on the right a store display shows a smug chicken.

As anyone who has recently been to the grocery store can attest, it’s getting harder and harder to shop for eggs.

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Shoppers looking for eggs in recent weeks have been met with empty shelves or, if there are eggs at all, high prices.

There are a few reasons why egg prices have increased so dramatically. First, an outbreak of avian flu—specifically, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)—has required producers to euthanize or isolate a significant number of birds, meaning there are fewer egg-producing birds. Second, some evidence suggests that egg producers may be price-gouging.

Amid the crisis, shoppers aren’t thrilled. Many have taken to social media to share their experiences attempting to buy eggs.

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What happened when this woman tried to buy eggs from Trader Joe’s?

In a video with over 1.3 million views, New York-based TikTok user Evelyn Pelczar (@wut_the_ev) shows herself walking through a Trader Joe’s location.

When she reaches the fridge that normally contains eggs, she’s met with a curtain-covered refrigeration unit.

“It’s official, my Trader Joe’s closed the curtain on eggs tonight,” she writes in the text overlaying the video. In the caption, she adds, “I’m going to have to get creative with breakfast now.”

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Is Trader Joe’s facing egg shortages?

As mentioned above, many distributors currently face problems getting enough eggs to meet consumer demand.

That said, other retailers appear to have raised their prices in response to this limited supply and increased demand. However, Trader Joe’s has opted to keep its prices lower than competitors. This may explain why they’re having a hard time keeping them in stock.

Per Newsweek, the cost of a dozen pasteurized large brown eggs is approximately $4.99 at most Trader Joe’s locations. In contrast, similar pasture-raised large brown eggs at major regional grocery chains like Kroger and H.E.B. are priced closer to $8 per dozen.

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@wut_the_ev I’m going to have to get creative with breakfast now 😭 #fyp #foryourpage #traderjoes #america #eggs #breakingnews #nyc #shopping #sad ♬ O Fortuna aus Carmina Burana – Collegium vocale Innsbruck & Vocappella Innsbruck & Jauna Muzika Vilnius & Cappella Istropolitana & Art of Brass Hans Gansch & Schlagzeugensemble Peter Sadlo

Commenters share their thoughts

In the comments section, users shared similar stories about trying and failing to find eggs, while others suggested that the TikToker use egg alternatives.

“Try ‘just egg,’” wrote a user, referring to a plant-based egg alternative. “Hard to find depending on ur state but taste just like eggs in my opinion.”

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“Mine kept not having them in the Philly suburbs and I randomly snagged some XL eggs for $3.99 this week and I TRULY felt like I won the jackpot,” added another.

“I left an entire carton of eggs at my Airbnb 2 weeks ago after tearing my ACL and I’m more distraught about the eggs than my impending major surgery,” offered a third.

The Daily Dot reached out to Trader Joe’s via media request form and Pelczar via email.


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