Saving Money - Store Brand or Name Brand?

Discussion in Food & Drink started by silentrascal • Jul 1, 2014.

  1. silentrascal

    silentrascalNew Member

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    These days grocers have pretty much all jumped on the bandwagon of having their own store brand items to compete with the bigger, more well-known name brand products. This is anywhere from toilet paper and paper plates to cereal, ice cream, and cold medicines. The majority of the time there will be a noticeable price difference by going with the store brand of something, i.e. chocolate chip cookies, rather than the more well-known brand, i.e. Chips Ahoy from Nabisco. But there can also be a discernible difference in the quality of the product as well. Are you more concerned with saving money by going store brand or do you stick with knowing what you like even if it's a bit higher? Or, will you mix and match by getting some store brand items and others of the established brand? I find that on some items I just don't care, so I'll tend to mix and match. Store brand chocolate ice cream, for instance, is just as good (and less costly) than picking up a half-gallon of Breyers.
     
  2. caseyfacey

    caseyfaceyActive Member

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    I buy the store brand when I can. I don't know if I've ever bought store-brand cookies however. Things like cereal, pop-tarts, Oreos, etc - I think they lose something when they are the generic version. I also don't buy store brand toilet paper. But certainly on cleaning items, medicine - definitely store brand.
     
  3. davbopol13

    davbopol13Active Member

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    I try the store brands sometimes, but there are certain items that I just have to have the name brand! Some of these items are mayo, bread, and grape juice. The prices are climbing so high now though that I may need to learn to like the store brand better.
     
  4. prettycolors

    prettycolorsActive Member

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    I start my purchasing a name brand. After I acquire the taste I start trying out store brands and if the quality/taste pleases me I continue buying the store brands and ditch the name ones. This way I'll cut some of my costs but not the quality. Sure, there are certain products, like Nutella for example, that I refuse to replace with cheaper versions.
     
  5. Livvy

    LivvyActive Member

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    Much like yourself, I'll mix and max. Somethings don't make all that much of a difference in taste or quality, even to the extent that they feel like they could have came from the same factory originally. Others however...you just can't go with the store brand as they're just not up to snuff. In particular, think of toilet paper. NEVER go with store brand toilet paper in my experience, as it is almost always subpar.
     
  6. lionzfire122

    lionzfire122Member

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    I would buy store brand, but also remember not all store brands are equally the same. I noticed that some name brands are even cheaper than store brand and better quality.

    Sometimes if your a big shopper, get coupons and save on name brands as well. Also don't forget to shop at your local mini stores so you can potentially save on basic products. I'm cheap as heck and I somehow find those stores where the food is almost expired. There I can get extremely cheap name brand foods, but I have to make sure it is put to good use.

    LIONZFIRE
     
  7. pfaemaster

    pfaemasterMember

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    In terms of taste and quality, I found that most store brands are as good as a name brand. I would say that almost any store-brand product is worth a try. There's little risk: Most grocers offer a money-back guarantee if their products don't meet your expectations. (National brands often give unsatisfied buyers coupons, but the process might take a while.) And there's plenty of opportunity for reward. Store brands are just as good. I think that store-brand buyers are no longer seen as cheapskates but as savvy shoppers.
     
  8. dustysmommy2013

    dustysmommy2013Active Member

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    It just depends on what items I'm buying. For example, I love Kraft Mac and Cheese and its already cheap so I don't bother with the store brand boxes. Trash bags, on the other hand, we buy the store brand in bulk (100 bags) and 1 box lasts forever. Mind you, we dump the trash almost every day! For some things though, I have no choice but to buy name brand. Diapers are a big one. My son breaks out if anything but Pampers or Huggies touches his skin so I break down and buy the name brands. Some parents swear that store brands work just fine but I have to disagree. Besides, I'd rather spend a little extra money on diapers that work rather than deal with a screaming baby and a diaper rash later in the day. Sometimes its worth it to bite the bullet and buy name brand.
     
  9. sidney

    sidneyWell-Known Member

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    All that matters to me is the taste of the food. So if I don't like the store brand, then I will switch back to the "branded" one that I used to buy before trying out the store brand. I don't think it's worth it to buy something cheaper but inferior in quality, so I would rather buy the more expensive but better tasting brand. The same goes for other non-consumable products, I won't buy the cheaper brand if I'm not satisfied with the quality of the item.
     
    #9Jul 13, 2014
    Last edited: Jul 13, 2014