Tips and opinions about Brand Name products versus their store brand counterparts. Post your thoughts and tips.
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One of the biggest ways I save money is to use generic or store brands. Most of them are the same ingredients as the name brands and work and taste just as well.
By Robin
When shopping for anything from food to cleaning supplies, buy the store band rather than the "brand name" products. It'll save you a lot of money and the products really are the same thing.
Anna
Store or Generic brands are not always cheaper or more economical than their name brand counterparts. If a name brand is on sale or has a coupon (or both) then often I can get that for alot cheaper than the store brand .. for example Heinz Ketchup goes on sale every couple of months for $0.79, the store brand is regularly priced at $1.09.
The store brand or generic cleaners often don't work as well as the name brand. I've found this to be particullary true of laundry products.
My advice is to try the store or generic products but with an open mind. I use numerous products that aren't the name brand and have no problems .. we just all need to be smart shoppers!!
Rebekah
i only buy certain brands of certain things. like veggies in the can. hanover and delmonte are great for string beans and peas and aspargus.i only buy the store brand if it is corn or potatoes.
mac and cheese in the box of the store brand is terrible. it tastes like dish water. but kraft tastes much better. i dont use boxed mix anymore but a friend does. it is gross.
I used to use a certain brand vegetable only, because it was always the best (IMHO); however, when i started finding stems and unknown objects mixed in with these expensive, hardly-ever-on-sale veggies, I decided to try some store brands. I was wonderfully surprised when every brand I tried was as good as the one I'd been eating for 45 years! Believe it or not, they were cleaner, too. You just have to try different brands to know which you like better.
TerryfromChilliOH
I HAD A FRIEND WHO WORKED FOR PET MILK FOR 15 YEARS. THE SAME PRODUCT WAS CANNED AND THEN OVER A 100 DIFFERENT LABELS WAS PUT ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE CAN - INCLUDING THE GENERIC LABELS. MY BROTHER OWNS A TRUCKING COMPANY THAT CONTRACTS WITH SEVERAL CANNERIES THAT PROCESS MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF VEGETABLES.
I agree about using Store Brand products, but sometimes the name brands are just worth it! My family only likes Kraft Mac and Cheese, and the store brand just doesn't cut it.
I agree with most of you. There are certain products I have to buy name brand, but 90% of my purchases are store brands. My all-time favorite store brands are Great Value and Sam's Choice from WalMart. Sometimes they are much better than the name brands themselves!
I tend to buy a lot of store brand items at the grocery store. I like the savings and quality of the items. Now I do buy some name brand groceries and are satisfied with those too.
Ziggee
I have only few things I will not buy a sustitute for.Like others,I only like Kraft Macaroni and cheese.Also Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup,Campbells Pork and Beans,(generic is ok for Baked Beans)and Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls.As for cleaning supplies I absolutely will not buy a store brand over Windex.Store brands just don't do the job.I also have never fround a store brand that works as well or smells cleaner than Lysol Tub and Tile.I have a friend who works at a Dairy factory and years ago he told me they make a lot of Weight Watchers products as well as generic. Can you imagine the price difference,for the same ingredients?
I like to compare store brand with name brand. My husband and I used to buy Listerene Mouthwash, but after paying almost $6.00 a bottle for 2 years we decided to look at the store brand and the Listerene side by side. The store brand had all the exact same ingredients and the same amount of ingredients.
I use a lot of the "Great Value" brand items at Wal-Mart. Not only are they usually cheaper but they are every bit as good as the brand names and sometimes superior!
We try and use store brands whenever possible, for instants the great value brand (Wal-Mart) of canned pasta, such as the Mac & beef and Ravoli taste just the same to us as the Chefboy-R-dee brand, the Kroger brand taste the same too, and their dishwashing liquid (Wal-Mart) cleans just as well as Cascade and at much lower prices, However there is somethings that only name brand will do, Hellmans Mayo is one.
i want to know what is better and where i can look to find out if the cheap brand of lysol works better or if lysol is better.... i need to know for a science fair project.... i know its dumb but i cant find any results anywhere.... so if any one knows plz inform me about it... cuz i hate not knowing... and i need to know in 12 days!!!!!!!!!!!!
Someone once told me that generic cream of mushroom soup was OK, but cheese products (soup, sauce...) are best when they are brand name.
Most of the food I buy storebrand of, except for coffee (or if I do try store name, I get my money back if it is bad!) I was having bad luck with both generic and name brand cleaners (due to allergies in my family) so I switched to a non-store brand. I like to buy food and OTC meds with store labels because they USUALLY honor the 100% money back guarantee, which I do not like to buy without it! Unless it is a specific formula (like dye-free Motrin, which walgreens does carry a storebrand, or Listerine Whitening) I'll take the storebrand over. Most of the time, I just don't like to give my money to certain companies, regardless of convenience. The grocery store that I have been regularly shopping from has some real good off brand, though Kroger's is THE BEST hands down!
Oh the science fair post.....have you checked Consumer Reports, Good Housekeeping magazines? At your local library, you can do a search, like for "household cleaner comparison" Or contact your big name stores PR (Public Relations) person to find the info...At least ask the store manager for a start and emphasize your deadline.
I come from a very wealthy family, and I am used to the finer foods in life: Kraft Cheese products, fine chocolates, Cheetos Brand snacks, Kool - Aid products, the fanciest cheesecakes ( Sara Lee ). Most of my family are persnickety.
But, I decided to try out store brand names, and guess what? They save me lots of money, and the products are just as good as the name brands. I like O Day's Macaroni and cheese found at Sav - A - Lot, and Best Value at Wal - Mart.
I have decided to eat the store brands, instead of the name brands from now on, plus I donated non - perishable brand name products to a homeless shelter.
I should tell my family that store brands are just as good as brand name products. I like Aldi's block cheese, and cream cheese products. Happy Farms, i believe it's called. I frequent Aldi's quite often now. Store brands are just as good as brand names in my book any day.
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