Brand Names, or Off Brands?

[mirinae]

I buy both. There are some things that I'm picky about, but most things I'm more concerned about the price. Most food products are off-brand or store-brand, likewise with most drugs and first aid material, and pretty much the only reason I've been buying clothing at name-brand stores is because I'm a plus-sized woman (currently) and I've yet to find things that fit me at Zellers or in second-hand stores (the plus sizes have almost always been picked through by the time I get around to shopping). I do fork out more money for cat food, though, and for beauty products. There is a difference between brand-name shampoos and conditioners and off-brand/store-brand products, even if we're told there isn't. I can't psychosomatically make my hair more tangled just because I'm using an off-brand product, so it must be that off-brand conditioners don't condition as well as the name-brand ones.

 

[white cat lover]

I buy off brands, but there are some things you don't mess with. I use All Free & Clear laundry soap. Period. I use Dove Pink bars of handsoap. Period. No generic lotions, body washes, face washes, etc. I turn funny colors. I haven't found any off-brand pop that tastes as good as Pepsi, so I pay a small fortune for it.

Clothes, bedding, household cleaners, air fresheners, etc. all generic!

 

[catsallover]

I use the off brands whenever I can (which is the majority of the time), the name brand for special stuff I like (ketchup, barbeque sauce, face wash, etc.) and try to have a coupon for it.
I'm hard to fit, so I get clothes wherever I can- but if it's at the mall, it has to be on sale/clearance

. Oh, and of course, the cat and dog food is name brand

 

[icklemiss21]

It depends what it is for, there are some things that are just as good off brand (and some better when off brand), but I will only buy Kelloggs for Corn Flakes, Heinz for ketchup, toilet paper has to be Charmin etc

As someone said earlier, although cleaning products are generally just as good, I find you don't save 'per use' so buy the brand stuff.

For clothes etc, as long as they are decent quality it doesn't bother me

 

[squirtle]

Heinz should really offer a TCS special! I was suprised reading this thread at how many of you made mention of their ketchup

This is something I have worked on changing.... but I was (and still might be)very picky about buying only brand name items at the grocery store. I THINK it had something to do with the foods my mom bought though. She always purchased the generic items, that you guys have actually mentioned, that never tasted like the brand. Mac & cheese is a good example that sticks out at me, along with a few others. Salad dressing is another...

I shop at Publix and I do occasionally pick up their brand on items such as spaghetti noodles, or milk which are going to taste the same. But for things I am questionable on, I just buy the brand. Usually the price isn't that much different and doesn't seem worth risking not liking it to save ten or twenty cents...

 

[urbantigers]

I will buy a store's own brand if I like it as well or better but I'm wary of economy ranges. I've often wondered whether they are less healthy and this article seems to confirm that they may be

http://www.which.co.uk/reports_and_c...557_103183.jsp

I do quite a bit of label checking before I buy.

 

[catsallover]

Originally Posted by squirtle

Heinz should really offer a TCS special! I was suprised reading this thread at how many of you made mention of their ketchup

This is something I have worked on changing.... but I was (and still might be)very picky about buying only brand name items at the grocery store. I THINK it had something to do with the foods my mom bought though. She always purchased the generic items, that you guys have actually mentioned, that never tasted like the brand. Mac & cheese is a good example that sticks out at me, along with a few others. Salad dressing is another...

I shop at Publix and I do occasionally pick up their brand on items such as spaghetti noodles, or milk which are going to taste the same. But for things I am questionable on, I just buy the brand. Usually the price isn't that much different and doesn't seem worth risking not liking it to save ten or twenty cents...

My mom was just the opposite- she always bought name brand stuff, because they moved a lot, and she didn't want to constantly be trying and sorting out off brands in the stores

. We pretty much have stayed put (same state all my DH's life, I've lived here for 30 years, married for 14), so I don't mind a dud every now or then- it's pretty easy to remember the bad ones

.

Don't forget to look out for transfats and high fructose corn syrup in the store/off brands- I've had a couple of disappointments when I didn't do my label checking

.

 

[starryeyedtiger]

Originally Posted by ScamperFarms

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

And they have to be the doublestuffed ones!!!

 

[babyharley]

Originally Posted by StarryEyedTiGeR

And they have to be the doublestuffed ones!!!

And fudge covered!

 

[starryeyedtiger]

Originally Posted by babyharley

And fudge covered!

oh yum!!!!!!!!!!

 

[katl8e]

Kroger's brand of Devil's Food cookies is comparable to Snackwell's and I love them.

Kroger's and WalMart's coffees are good, too, as long as I buy the darker roasts.

Big Lots is my place for linens. They usually have the big fluffy towels that I like and they're usually only $3-$5 each. I recently bought some cute drinking glasses, at the 99-cent store - they have kitties on them and I couldn't resist.

ALL of Pearl's doggie toys come from the 99-cent store. Since she shreds them, I'm not going to buy her expensive ones. Pearl loves tennis balls and they come in 3-packs.

My cats eat a name-brand canned food. If I feed anything else, Buddy gets the runs and for a long-haired cat, that's an awful mess. My other two couldn't care less, what's in their bowl.

I even buy some tools at the 99-cent store. For the minor repairs, that I do, cheap screwdrivers and pliers are fine.

 

[crittermom]

I hardly ever buy name brand stuff either.There are a few that I will NOT eat though unless they are brand names...............such as Jiff PB,toilet paper, Kool-aid

 

[emily_325]

I buy my groceries online and I buy what's cheaper point blank. For example I was about to put store brand chicken broth in my cart and noticed that Swanson's was actually cheaper that week, so I got that instead.

There are a few items of course that you have to get the brand name for because the quality can't be beat, like Oreos of course. I also don't really like off brand potato chips. They're always too greasy.

 

[fwan]

Originally Posted by KitEKats4Eva!

Either-or. I'll usually try the off-brand because it's cheaper, and if it's just as good I'll stick with it. In many cases the brands are more expensive because of all the packaging so I'm not paying for that.

I do agree that in some cases the established brands are better, and will pay the extra for the better quality, but that's certainly not the majority of things.

With clothing, I find refusing to buy anything but brands the worst kind of snobbery. And you shoot yourself in the foot, too, because if you have a closed mind about clothes you miss out on soooo much great stuff! My rule of thumb with clothing is, if I like it, I'll buy it. Don't care if it came from K-Mart or Versace!

Same.

 

[joanne511]

I'm generally not picky, so I buy whichever is cheaper. There are a few exceptions (I always buy Best Foods mayo - never a substitute) due to exceptional difference in taste or quality, but for the most part I'm not terribly loyal to particular brands. The extra savings add up in the long run!

 

[jcat]

Originally Posted by squirtle

Heinz should really offer a TCS special! I was suprised reading this thread at how many of you made mention of their ketchup

I was thinking the same thing, and have to admit that whenever I try another brand, or a generic ketchup, I go right back to Heinz!
I'm not fussy about brands in most cases, and buy a mixture of branded and generic products, but mainly generics. The big exceptions are pet food, shampoo/conditioner, ketchup, crackers (I'm very particular about my crackers), soda pop, jeans, and sneakers. I get the latter two items at factory outlets, though, and save big bucks that way.

 

[amitya]

clothes-- i dont care where they come from-- if i like em i buy em-- although I am really cheap. I refuse to pay over 15 bucks for a pair of jeans (walmart baby!) and i cant stand paying over 25 bucks for a pair of shoes. Walmart again baby) I dont buy/wont consider buying the expensive stuff bc i usualyl wont wear it although i will accept it as a gift( I work in a very casual workplace so its jeans and tshirt everyday)

Food on the other hand I am very paticular on certain things.

Peanut Butter-- either Jiff or Peter Pan only

Jellies and jams-- Bama or smuckers

American slice cheese-- has to be Kraft Singles.

baked beans have to be Bush's

toaster pastries have to be pop tarts

other stuff im not so picky I will and do buy off brands on quite a bit of foods though.