Brand Names, or Off Brands?

Originally Posted by babyharley

We buy off brand pop - I can get 2 12 -packs of pop for $4.00 at WalMart and tastes just as good as the brand name!

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We do that too. I can't bring myself to pay almost $5 for a 12pack of soda.
I buy alot of off brands. The only time I buy name brand is my hair care products... (Yes, I'm vain about my hair ) I shop at the dollar store ALOT. I also don't skimp on air freshener and Doritos Everything else is store/off brand.

I buy off brand everything. When you see some of the store brand foods they are actually made buy the same big companies. Take for example green beans say you shopping at Kroger. The Kroger brand green beans are made by one of the major labels but its packaged and sold under the Kroger name. That goes for probally 90% or more of your groceries.

off brand unless its on sale or one of my select items

Heinz Ketchup
Pepsi
and Kraft MAc N cheese0

Originally Posted by Ping

I buy off brand everything. When you see some of the store brand foods they are actually made buy the same big companies. Take for example green beans say you shopping at Kroger. The Kroger brand green beans are made by one of the major labels but its packaged and sold under the Kroger name. That goes for probally 90% or more of your groceries.

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Where are you getting that info? I have noticed that some of their beauty products (like face wash etc) have a distinctly similar address to P&G listed on them... but I didn't think it was 90%.

Anyway, I'm just wondering what you guys consider off-brand. Does it have to be store brand or no-name, or do brands like "Val-U-Time" count?

Has anyone else read White Noise and remember the scene in the grocery store where Murray J Siskind loads his cart with white cans with black labels that are all generic, and makes a big deal about being not-snobby?

Originally Posted by Zissou'sMom

Where are you getting that info? I have noticed that some of their beauty products (like face wash etc) have a distinctly similar address to P&G listed on them... but I didn't think it was 90%.

Anyway, I'm just wondering what you guys consider off-brand. Does it have to be store brand or no-name, or do brands like "Val-U-Time" count?

Has anyone else read White Noise and remember the scene in the grocery store where Murray J Siskind loads his cart with white cans with black labels that are all generic, and makes a big deal about being not-snobby?

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I will have to look and see where I heard that from. My hubby works for Wal-Mart so that might be where I heard that from. Here is another good example. I have a can of Wal-Mart green beans out. On the back it does not say Made by-Wal-Mart instead it says- Marketed by- Wal-Mart. So someone had to make it for them.

Let me look around online and see what I can find.

Originally Posted by Ping

I buy off brand everything. When you see some of the store brand foods they are actually made buy the same big companies. Take for example green beans say you shopping at Kroger. The Kroger brand green beans are made by one of the major labels but its packaged and sold under the Kroger name. That goes for probally 90% or more of your groceries.

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Very True I work at Schuncks ( I spend 1/2 my time running the floral dpt...and the rest of it cashiering when they need help). The store brands are manufactured by the same big companies often times in different buildings just down the road from each other- but their packaging and other things make them more affordable...they taste just the same for the most part Also - the way things are shipped make a huge difference in prices! For instance- Kraft will send over all of their products by their company (hence more expensive prices a majority of the time- unless you have a cupon ...but at my store- ALL of our store brand products are shipped in from St. Louis, MO where our main branch of our company is located- it's shipped directly to the store without the middle man, so it saves money.

For most things, I buy the store brand: aspartame sweetener, lunch meats, cream cheese, pickles, to name a few. I get laundry detergent, bleach, cleaning products and liquid hand soap at the 99-cent store.

I DO use brand-name toothpaste and body wash, as well as Campbell's soups. My local supermarket brands of potato chips and cookies are made by the name-brand companies.

Walgreens store-brand OTC drugs are comparable to the brand-names and are about half the price.

Oh speaking of Dollar Tree- I'm a HUGE Dollar Tree fan!!! They have great stuff! Big Lots too- I like to get my dry groceries there - oh and while we're on the off brand/ brand name topic- just a little heads up the Target brand's version of Febreeze doesn't work worth poo....I gotta shell out an extra $ or 2 and get the real stuff -the fragrance lasts longer and it works better. But that's about the only thing The off brand Clorox wipes and Swiffer stuff is aweosme!(Costco carries a brand called Kirkland- it's an off brand and all their cleaning stuff is AWESOME! )

Originally Posted by StarryEyedTiGeR

Oh speaking of Dollar Tree- I'm a HUGE Dollar Tree fan!!!

They have great stuff! Big Lots too- I like to get my dry groceries there

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I love the Dollar Tree too, I buy a lot of stuff there!

Here is one link:
http://frugalliving.about.com/cs/buy...d/a/090903.htm

I scanned this and it is a decent article on this:
http://are.berkeley.edu/~perloff/PDF/privlab.pdf
exert from article: "For example, H.J. Heinz Company, the leading producer of ketchup, makes
about 80% of the private-label soups sold in supermarkets."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Store_brand

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_label

I'll do some more digging and get better links. And I just wanna state pet food is the one thing I don't buy generic.

With groceries and other generic household items, I'm all about off-brands. Target brand disinfecting wipes seem to work as well as Clorox, after all (plus, I've heard rumors that they're sometimes made at the same place anyway).

With clothes (ESPECIALLY clothes), personal hygeine items (I won't use anything tested on animals), cat food, technology items, etc., I've come to learn that it's worth the extra couple bucks to buy the name brand.

In between.

Let me tell ya a little trade secret.. The off brands and the name brands are normally manufactured in the same building.. with the same materials.. No difference besides the label.

I work for a pet products company. Our label you wouldn't really know. However I bet you know some of the others we manufacture for. They pay us to manufacture their products. Ours is the original...they borrow our formula's. We fill, label, and ship.

Lots of companies do this..and your never the wiser for it.

Now if you see an obvious difference I can see you wanting to buy name brand... otherwise, if it looks, smells, tastes the same...it most likely is the same.

Originally Posted by babyharley

I love the Dollar Tree too, I buy a lot of stuff there!

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Isn't that store awesome!!

Lots of off or store brands, but it also depends on the product. Can't get stingy with the chocolate, y'know.

I'm brand loyal in some things, bargain loyal in others -- it depends on how variable the product is from brand to brand. And that can as easily be a house brand as a national one. For instance, TP and paper towels, I always get at Costco -- their Kirkland brand -- I'd rather have an extra package waiting in the garage than run out. Some are specialty brands, imports. For instance, I use a lot of canned tomatoes -- La Molisana, please and thanks, not interested in anyone else's. The only soft drinks (soda, pop) that I buy are San Pellegrino -- 12% fruit juice!

Cleaning products, I'm mostly brand loyal, because on the whole, I think what you save buying the cheaper brands, you spend using more product.

Clothes, on the other hand, I am mostly not brand loyal, the exceptions being in gotchies and shoes -- the places where comfortable fit is most important, so when I find what works, I stick with it.

I'm not committed to brand names if I find an off brand that is the same. I have a few brands that I haven't found any substitutes for.

For example:
Pickles - store brands usually don't have that "snap" that I need in my pickles.
Mac N' Cheese - store brands don't come close to the blue box when making the powdered stuff.
Lucky Charms - haven't found a substitute for that, but coco pebbles are just as good in the off brand.

I try off brand stuff and keep using it if I like it.

oh i thought of my other one...oreos gotta be real

I basically buy all store brands or off brands, unless, like someone said, I have a coupon that makes the name brand cheaper and I really have nothing that I have to buy name brand except for maybe diet Pepsi. I prefer Dawn dish detergent but am not opposed to buying something else.

It depends on the product for me to buy brand vs off brand. Cream cheese-many local dairies have their own I'll but it-same with butter.
Facial tissue-it doesn't matter. I only use 3 types of laundry detergent-Tide, Cheer and Oxydol. Same with dishwasher detergent-Cascade. Toothpaste what ever is on sale!! I'll will use store brand of ibuprofen, decongestant etc...
Since I don't buy really any prepared/convience foods like soup or noodle stuff I will usually by brand name.
But if there are local companies that make a product I will at least try it out.

I am a mixed bag on these things. Some brands are better. Ketchup has to be Heinz and A-1 has to be A-1 and hot suace has to be Red Hot. But there are certain brands I won't buy. Like Freezer Queen Salisbury Steaks. Yuck. Canned veggies I will do off brand if there is a big price difference but where I shop there isn't a huge difference. But if Publix makes a store brand version of something I will usually buy it because it normally tastes just as good.