Generic Brands vs Name Brand items

Discussion in Product Reviews started by Terri • Aug 11, 2012.

  1. Terri

    TerriMember

    Joined:
    Aug 10, 2012
    Threads:
    5
    Messages:
    26
    Likes Received:
    1
    Growing up, my parents would sometimes argue over the types of food we'd get at the grocery store. My father was a fan of name brand items. While these items may have been more popular at the time, they were a lot more expensive than we could afford. My mother, on the other hand, didn't mind getting items from the store that were not well known. In her mind, they worked just as good as the more expensive brands. This caused them lots of tension around breakfast, lunch, and dinner time, naturally ( :p ).

    Because of this I realized that I like certain foods that have brand names on them, and there are some types of food or electronic devices that I could care less about how popular it is... I will admit, with electronic gadgets, you want to make sure you go with a brand you know and can trust.

    What about you, which do you prefer? Generic brands or Name brands?
     
  2. sarah_9

    sarah_9New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2012
    Threads:
    0
    Messages:
    1
    Likes Received:
    0
    it depnds..if i`m buying big gadgetthen o prefer big brand name instead of new company but for apparel and fashion stuff i try all the players:)
     
  3. Cornholio

    CornholioActive Member

    Joined:
    Aug 4, 2012
    Threads:
    3
    Messages:
    202
    Likes Received:
    0
    The only name brand products I get from the grocery store is toilet paper and other paper goods like plates, cups, etc. They are far superior in quality, but otherwise when it comes to food I really can't tell the difference.
     
  4. KNH

    KNHActive Member

    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2012
    Threads:
    4
    Messages:
    150
    Likes Received:
    0
    When it comes to my food, I definitely stick with brand name. It always tastes better to me and I "trust" it more. On the other hand, I will buy generic brands of other things like plastic cups/spoons/etc. because I feel they are the same thing as brand name.
     
  5. mountainside

    mountainsideActive Member

    Joined:
    Aug 3, 2012
    Threads:
    6
    Messages:
    275
    Likes Received:
    1
    Certain brand named products definitely have a better flavor, if speaking of food. Generic brands are just not the same quality in my opinion. Other things generic, are sometimes fine.
     
  6. sandooch

    sandoochActive Member

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2012
    Threads:
    17
    Messages:
    274
    Likes Received:
    0
    I shop at Ralph's and have lately been buying a lot of their Private Select products. Some of the food items are rather good, some just okay. But I guess that can be said for a lot of brand named foods as well. As for staples like sugar, salt and spices, I really cannot tell the difference.
     
  7. Marchese

    MarcheseMember

    Joined:
    Jul 18, 2012
    Threads:
    0
    Messages:
    83
    Likes Received:
    0
    i think it depends. I mean i'll take heinz over no name ketchup, but i'll take an acer laptop over paying more for a sony. I guess it just depends upon taste and what exactly you're using it for. I mean if i was a graphic designer i'd take a mac over an acer!
     
  8. cassien

    cassienNew Member

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2012
    Threads:
    1
    Messages:
    6
    Likes Received:
    0
    When it comes to electrical items (or expensive things like that) in my home, I usually like to go with name brands. The biggest thing I do is just check reviews for the items online. For large things like that, I don't want to end up buying something just because its cheaper, only to find out that I need to shell out more money later for something that actually works. I will also ask my friends who already have the products about theirs, and see if they say its a good product.

    That being said, when it comes to food, I actually LIKE to buy non-name brand items. I find that a lot of the time, the name brand items aren't really that great. Usually the mom-and-pop items tend to taste a lot better, because it isn't just some massive company mass producing the items! If I'm looking for a Chinese sauce for my stir fry, I won't buy the Canadian name-brand version... instead, I'll buy the one covered in Chinese writing who no one really knows about. Who knows Chinese food better than the Chinese?

    Name brand items tend to be super expensive, and a lot of the time I don't see the reason for it. The only reason people line up to buy the items is because of all the commercials they see about it. The next time you want to flavour your food, why not buy it from the smaller companies? Like I said-- why buy a chinese sauce from an american company? It's a lot better (and cheaper) straight from the source.
     
  9. gina121

    gina121Active Member

    Joined:
    Jul 29, 2012
    Threads:
    12
    Messages:
    322
    Likes Received:
    2
    If a non-branded electric gadget is being sold at an attractive (read: tempting) price, I almost always get it just to see how well it works more than actually wanting to use it. Nine times out of ten, it is stowed away after the first trial use. Handheld blenders, flat irons, hair dryers, curlers fall under this category. As for bigger, often used items, I only go for reliable brands - not so much for the name, but more because of the backing of a warranty that comes with it.
     
  10. Sandra Piddock

    Sandra PiddockExpert

    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2012
    Threads:
    24
    Messages:
    757
    Likes Received:
    3
    The only brand name foods we have in our house are Heinz salad cream and tomatoe ketchup, Nescafe instant coffee, Tetley teabags and Kellogs cornflakes. Everything else we're happy to go with generic - in fact I find generic baked beans more palatable than Heinz, which are too sweet for my taste. I'll go with generic electronic items as well, if the price is right, and I can find good reviews.
     
  11. Mama2three

    Mama2threeMember

    Joined:
    Aug 20, 2012
    Threads:
    7
    Messages:
    63
    Likes Received:
    0
    Usually, I go with whatever is cheaper. There are a few things I prefer name brand. I only like Yoplait Yogurt, and my husband tries to go with name brand yogurts and I never eat them. Another thing is canned crescent rolls. I used to buy generic until I had a coupon for Pillsbury. They were so much softer and easier to work with than the store brand I had been used to buying. I like name brand on some cereals, too. I think store brand cereals are more likely to taste like cardboard than name brands.
     
  12. Jessi

    Jessi<a href="http://www.quirkycookery.com">QuirkyCooke

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2012
    Threads:
    126
    Messages:
    2,256
    Likes Received:
    78
    It really depends. On some things, I definitely prefer the generic brands. That's both because of the much cheaper price AND the taste. Sometimes you can't tell the difference, but it does matter one way or another other times. I do stick to certain name brands for other products regardless of the price, too. For those, I'd rather just go without than to buy an awful off brand.
     
  13. kittykarina

    kittykarinaActive Member

    Joined:
    Apr 15, 2012
    Threads:
    0
    Messages:
    146
    Likes Received:
    0
    It depends on the item. We usually buy store brands compared to name brands because they are way cheaper at times. Now there are a few food items here and there that just taste better being name brand. If purchasing something large and costly such as electronics, we only buy well known brands that have a good reputation.
     
  14. kalasin

    kalasinMember

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2012
    Threads:
    7
    Messages:
    43
    Likes Received:
    1
    It depends on the specific item for me. Kroger has a lot of generic brand stuff that I buy, but there are some things (interestingly, a lot of condiments come to mind) that we only like the taste of a certain name brand. For non-food stuff, I do like Kroger's brand of diapers, but tend to buy name brand beauty stuff.
     
  15. SpYkz

    SpYkzMember

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2012
    Threads:
    5
    Messages:
    52
    Likes Received:
    0
    I decide by looking at the type of product. With things like electronics and cellphones it's always better to go with name brands since they are of better quality and usually carry guarantees in case something goes wrong. I prefer buying brand name footwear since I heard that bad footwear can damage your feet. When it comes to other less expensive items I'm not to picky. Things like snacks, clothing and stationery don't really make a difference to me.
     
  16. ACSAPA

    ACSAPAWell-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2012
    Threads:
    52
    Messages:
    3,093
    Likes Received:
    240
    It depends on the individual items. For things like pasta, the store brand is fine. For frozen foods, brand names are usually better. The Walmart brand of cleaning supplies is great. I try different things and if the better product happens to be the store brand then I buy that.
     
  17. siriusboi

    siriusboiMember

    Joined:
    Jun 20, 2012
    Threads:
    0
    Messages:
    59
    Likes Received:
    0
    I always go for the cheapest but I see to it that the cheap products I buy are of great quality even if they cost less. But when it comes to electronic products, I always try to go for brand names. I don't want to waste my money on generic products that break down easily. I don't want to buy Made in China electronics.
     
  18. rollybooz

    rollyboozActive Member

    Joined:
    Jun 30, 2012
    Threads:
    6
    Messages:
    177
    Likes Received:
    9
    I guess for items that I require to be long lasting and that I will frequently be using I will almost always get branded ones as opposed to generic branded ones. They are just better in terms of quality, boast more useful functions and usually are safer to operate. For food, I'm fine with generic brands for things such as seasonings, bread, juices and sometimes even frozen foods. They don't always taste bad and are usually also manufactured by a notable company just that the packaging has the house brand on it. If we're talking about foods such as coffee where individual preference is important, I usually will only drink the specific brand I've always been drinking. As long as we can judge for ourselves, I guess generic branded products can't be that bad and would definitely save us a lot.
     
  19. liquidfuzzy

    liquidfuzzyMember

    Joined:
    Sep 14, 2012
    Threads:
    15
    Messages:
    53
    Likes Received:
    1
    I honestly can't think of a situation where I would prefer name brands except for with my shampoo and conditioner. When it comes to food, I always try to get off brands, and Walmart makes this really easy with their 'compare to (whatever item)' stickers. It's literally the exact same product so much of the time, and you're just paying for package design!
     
  20. classicnyer

    classicnyerActive Member

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2012
    Threads:
    19
    Messages:
    918
    Likes Received:
    2
    There are only certain things that I will always buy name brand. Coffee is one, and cheese is another. Aside from those, I usually go with whatever is cheapest. I don't find that there's a huge difference between food brands most of the time. Like, I would never buy name brand sugar unless it was on sale.