Image Courtesy of Trader Joe’s
October 27, 2025
Are Trader Joe’s Private Label Names Too Whimsical?
Trader Joe’s on a recent podcast explored how it comes up with many of the playful names of its private label products.
Hosts Tara Miller, the grocer’s president of marketing, and Matt Sloan, VP of culture and innovation, said the use of quirky names, such as This Strawberry Walks Into A Bar for a cereal bar, is because the grocer aims to make the Trader Joe’s experience “fun.”
Sloan said, “Essentially, we believe that grocery shopping can be fun, that it does not have to be a chore. And when you bring the things that you buy from your Trader Joe’s home, we’d love to extend that experience to your cupboard, to your freezer. So maybe you open the pantry, and you see that This Strawberry Walks Into A Bar. That’s on purpose.”
Miller said This Strawberry Walks Into A Bar, part of Trader Joe’s mix for a while, is a no-frills strawberry-filled cereal bar so she felt the grocer’s private-label developers saw an opportunity to reframe the name of the cereal bar with the opening of a joke — rather than just call it “strawberry cereal bar.”
She said, “I think the thinking internally was let’s make it sound like fun, because it is fun, and it’s different than saying, ‘I want a strawberry cereal bar.’ It’s like, ‘I want This Strawberry Walks Into A Bar.’”
The phrasing led to similar adventurous names for other products, such as This Apple Walks Into A Bar cereal bar and These Sprinkles Walk Into A Cookie sandwich cookie.
Trader Joe’s Experiments With Fun in its Private Label Lineup
Miller noted some private label names used by Trader Joe’s are “very straightforward,” although colorfully descriptive, such as Cauliflower Gnocchi, Mandarin Orange Chicken, and Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips.
But many are puns or a play on words. Its chocolate bars are called Pound Plus because they’re slightly over a pound. Avocado’s Number Guacamole calls out the number of avocados in the product. Midnight Moo, Trader Joe’s version of chocolate syrup, references the popularity of chocolate milk as a midnight snack.
Some names are simply Trader Joe’s private label team “having a bit of fun,” according to Sloan — such as Unexpected Cheddar Cheese Spread, Synergistically Seasoned Popcorn, and Hold the Cone! Ice Cream Cones.
He concluded, “If putting a fun name or even a really strangely long descriptive name of a product on the package helps you find a little bit of fun in your grocery shopping experience, we’re all for that.”
Smuckers in mid-October filed a lawsuit against Trader Joe’s, alleging the grocer’s Crustless Peanut Butter & Strawberry Jam Sandwiches infringed on the trademarks of its Uncrustables frozen sandwiches.
The lawsuit pertained to the product’s similar make-up rather than the name, although some of Trader Joe’s names are similar to national labels, such Joe’s O’s versus Cheerios. Costco this year was similarly sued by Lululemon, and Aldi by Mondelēz International, over alleged copycats as private labels have been seeing accelerated growth amid inflationary pressures.
Discussion Questions
Are Trader Joe’s private label names informative and inspiring or confusing and annoying?
Can and should other grocers try to be similarly adventurous in naming their private labels or are the quirky names tailored to Trader Joe’s personality?
Poll
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Lisa Goller
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Lucille DeHart
Principal, MKT Marketing Services/Columbus Consulting
Scott Benedict
Founder & CEO, Benedict Enterprises LLC
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Trader Joe’s is performing incredibly well. Customers love it. They love the products, the quality, the taste, the service – and yes, they love the whimsy. It’s part of what makes the store fun. Trader Joe’s knows what it’s doing!
It’s easy to see why Trader Joe’s’ playful private-label names resonate for many: names like This Strawberry Walks Into A Bar and Pound Plus elevate everyday items into something quirky and memorable. Their marketing team openly says the aim is “fun”—to make grocery shopping less of a chore and more of a personality-filled experience. For their loyal customer base, these names contribute meaningfully to the brand’s identity: they’re not just buying a cereal bar, they’re buying part of the Trader Joe’s story.
However, the same naming approach can confuse or annoy other shoppers. If product names become too clever without any clarity about what’s inside the package, the result can be frustration—especially when time is tight and shoppers just want to grab what they need. For an average grocery shopper, “This Strawberry Walks Into A Bar” might require more decoding than “Strawberry Cereal Bar,” which could be a barrier in a fast-paced shop. It also stands to hamper digital shopping searches that tie to a product name keyword, although there may be technical workarounds for that issue.
As for whether other grocers should mimic this naming style: they can, but only if it aligns with their own brand personality. Trader Joe’s has built an audience that appreciates its irreverent voice and curated selection—so the whimsical names fit. For a larger grocery chain with a broader, more pragmatic consumer base, quirky names may feel out of sync and could undermine clarity. If another retailer goes down this path, it should do so selectively—perhaps for niche or seasonal private-label items—and ensure the naming remains clear, informative, and on-brand. Otherwise, it risks creating confusion rather than engagement.
The only possible danger in these cute names is that one can get ‘too cute’ and become silly but Trader Joe’s knows what they’re doing and that is not likely to happen. “Fun” while shopping for grocery items is a welcome factor. I believe that its clientele ‘gets it.’
Are Trader Joe’s private label names too whimsical? Who cares? Anyone who complains about the name of a cereal bar has too much time on their hands.
Cruel but funny, Georganne!
Naaaa. Just honest.
Trader Joe’s? Too whimsical? I don’t know if this is possible. Also, clever names might provide a bit of copycat “cover”.
Trader Joe’s private labels perfectly reflect its playful, positive brand. These whimsical names differentiate this line, especially compared to other private labels whose simple, logical product names seem more designed for SEO.
Fun product names can be strategic. A chocolate shop in Paris deliberately gave its truffles unusual names to spark intrigue, conversation and questions from customers. Similarly, Trader Joe’s whimsy encourages customers to slow down and look closer at its products.
Whimsy is the point!
Everything about Trader Joe’s is quirky, by design. It’s not a full-service grocery store and doesn’t want to be. This faithful customer thinks it’s huge fun.
Does Trader Joe’s have a distinctive and fun personality? YES. Is the parking lot always jammed? YES. Does my local Stop & Shop or Big Y have a distinctive and fun personality? NO. Parking lot jammed? NO. Don’t get me wrong. They are both nice storres and I have shopped all three. But I am betting that Trader Joe’s has a much higher true loyalty rating than the other two. TJ’s private labels serve them brilliantly.
Yes! TJ’s chose to be loved by fewer people (their parking lots are notoriously small) rather than be tolerated by everyone.
Asking whether Trader Joe’s names are “too whimsical” is like asking whether Apple stores are “too minimalist”—it misses the point that the aesthetic is the strategy. they’ve weaponized whimsy as a filtration mechanism. “This Strawberry Walks Into A Bar” doesn’t just make loyal customers smile—it actively selects for customers who value discovery over efficiency. If you’re the shopper who’s annoyed by that name, TJ’s has successfully communicated: “We’re probably not your store.”
Playful names create what cognitive psychologists call “approach motivation”—the opposite of the defensive, efficiency-focused mindset most grocery shopping induces. The names also solve a second-order problem: the whimsy creates legal and brand moats simultaneously. I would not advise others to copy this. You can’t copy a brand’s DNA; you can only reveal your own.
Full disclosure: I’m a loyal TJ’s shopper. But that’s precisely why this strategy fascinates me—they’ve made me complicit in their success by making grocery shopping feel like discovery rather than drudgery. This is a self-selecting ecosystem design masquerading as product labels.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the way that Trader Joes differentiates itself. Private label can often be seen as just the cheaper alternative, but their unique branding makes you actually want to purchase the product and feel good about doing it because it gives you micro happiness. I personally have changed to only Trader Giotti Italian Products because I laughed the first time I saw the label. The naming is consistent with the whimsy that TJs has infused into their overall persona. More grocers need to find a way to create a personality for their brands and make them more of a destination not a chore.
Trader Joes private label products are very much on brand for the company in terms of adventure, approachability, and fun, which resonates with customers. The products are often at a medium tier of quality food standards, with the magic in unique flavor combinations at a great value.
Other grocers will have a hard time following the Trader Joe’s approach on product brand positioning because their DNA and go-to-market strategy won’t allow it, especially middle of the road chain stores who cater to everyone.
Given their success, I’d say whimsical works!