California family’s $444 receipt from Trader Joe’s goes viral on social media: ‘Insane’

A California family’s massive Trader Joe’s receipt recently went viral on social media, sparking a debate about which grocery stores are affordable for families.

In a video that’s been viewed over 17 million times on X, a father-of-six’s camera panned across a massive Trader Joe’s receipt from a location in Westlake Village, an affluent city in Los Angeles County. 

“Here’s what it takes to feed six kids [for] about a week and a half,” the man is heard saying in the video. Most of the items on the massive receipt cost between $2.99 and $3.99. 

The video shows that the family bought fresh produce like strawberries ($4.49 a pound), a bag of four avocados ($4.99) and cucumbers ($2.49 each) on the grocery trip.

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The receipt also included a large amount of frozen food items, such as Trader Joe’s chicken and cheese tamales ($3.99 each), chicken soup dumplings ($3.49 each) and a margherita pizza ($4.79 each).

The most expensive items on the receipt were the frozen Korean-style beef short ribs, which clocked in at $13.99 each. Other pricier products included breaded chicken tenderloins at $8.99 and a rib-eye steak for $7.27.

In response to the video, some social media users dissed Trader Joe’s prices and endorsed the discount supermarket chain Aldi.

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A woman shops for fresh vegetables on July 6, 2023 at the Trader Joe’s supermarket in South Burlington, Vermont. ((Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images) / Getty Images)

“Would cost 1/3 that at Aldi,” one person said.

“Aldi’s got you for like $125,” another chimed in.

Other X users asserted that Trader Joe’s prepared food products are not designed to feed large families at a low price.

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“Shopping at trader joes [sic] instead of costco [sic] with 6 kids is insane,” one tweet, which accrued 22,000 likes, read.

“Trader Joe’s isn’t meant for a large family,” another user wrote.

Shopping bags at the Trader Joe’s Upper East Side Bridgemarket grocery store in New York, U.S., on Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021. (Photographer: Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Some social media users encouraged the family to buy simpler food products to reduce the cost of their grocery bills.

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“Trader Joe’s is cheap, but this person didn’t buy anything to cook, it’s all prepared stuff which is always more,” a commentator wrote. “Buy ingredients and make food.”

“Nearly half of everything on the list is organic, which is a luxury. Also things like Gnocci Alla Sorrentina, surfine capers, and Brazil nut body wash (!)?” another argued. “If he’s going to cry about prices, at least have some buying discipline.”

Grocery items are offered for sale at a supermarket in Chicago. (Scott Olson/Getty Images / Getty Images)

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FOX Business reached out to the shopper and Trader Joe’s for comment, but did not immediately hear back.