I'm curious to hear how MMers feel about generics and private labels for various products. Which name brands do you and your family just have to have?
I tend to try the very inexpensive or private label option for everything at least once. And my husband makes sure to tell me which are okay and which I should be sure to avoid in the future. His latest request was for me to spring for something other than private label ketchup. I tease him that my palate must not be as refined as his, because I can't tell the difference. That said, we both hate the private label coffee creamer.
Publix Hummus was not very good. I prefer the Sabra brand.
I do buy Publix brand cheese though (not from the deli) like shredded cheeses or block cheese for crackers etc. I have never really noticed the difference in taste.
I buy Boars Head from the deli though because the generic is lacking in flavor.
I buy just about everything generic. We do buy ketchup, peanut butter, and jelly name brand. Also, DH really likes doritos, every generic version we've tried is gross.
Post by mrssavy42112 on Aug 28, 2012 12:56:15 GMT -5
Hummus, OJ, haircare, & skincare have to be brand. I think that’s it. ETA: Oh, I forgot feminine hygiene. Yeah, generic doesn’t cut it there either.
I should add that I coupon so I buy mostly name brands when they are on sale and I can use a coupon to cut costs. It ends up being cheaper than the generic. If the item isn't on sale / coupon then I will buy the generic brand.
Post by mollybrown on Aug 28, 2012 12:59:50 GMT -5
I must have name brand: peanut butter cereal ketchup (DH's request) hair/skin care chocolate potato chips yogurt (I've never even seen store brand greek yogurt)
Q-tips Heinz ketchup Ocean Spray cranberry juice Marcal Small Steps toilet paper and paper towels Turkey Hill iced tea Turkey Hill or Friendly's ice cream Ba-Tampte pickles Tropicana orange juice Hershey's syrup Land o' Lakes cheese (cold cut cheese) Thuman's bologna Wellness cat kibble
ETA: Hershey's or Nestle chocolate chips for when I make cookies. The Shop Rite brand is gross.
Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder. I recently tried Gharadelli cocoa powder and was not a fan.
This post makes me sound like a giant Hershey whore.
I should add that I coupon so I buy mostly name brands when they are on sale and I can use a coupon to cut costs. It ends up being cheaper than the generic. If the item isn't on sale / coupon then I will buy the generic brand.
Ditto. So we end up having 90% brand anyway, but if it wasn’t for the fact that it’s cheaper, I wouldn’t care in most instances.
Name brand: Coke/Diet Coke ("Diet Cola" is disgusting) q-tips Tampax Sabra hummus ketchup shampoo, conditioner, deodorant paper towels (the Costco brand have huge sheets, so I buy Bounty) Muir Glen pizza sauce Ghiarardelli brownie mix (but also comes in a huge box from Costco so I don't think it's that much more)
Everything else is pretty much fair game - we buy a lot of Target/Costco generics and I can't think of anything that's been awful.
I should add that I coupon so I buy mostly name brands when they are on sale and I can use a coupon to cut costs. It ends up being cheaper than the generic. If the item isn't on sale / coupon then I will buy the generic brand.
This. I buy all brand name stuff usually. If generic were actually cheaper, I would buy mostly that. Cereal, ketchup, ice cream are my only sticking points.
It really just depends on the price. I've often found at our Target that the generic is more expensive than the brand. I can't really think of anything where I have to have a certain brand where food/groceries are concerned.
I don't so much have specific brands, but when I buy packaged foods I try to stick to those with ingredient lists I understand and without HFCS, sugar, etc. as one of the top ingredients. Usually, but not always, the generic labels have more sweeteners and more difficult-to-interpret ingredients. Spaghetti sauce is a good example based on what I've seen.
Of course, this strategy more often than not leads me into the natural foods aisles and even more pricey food, so it's not a very MM one.
I am a huge fan of the Kirkland Brand from Costco. Never had anything that didn't taste good or work well. But I also look at the ingredients and I don't buy it if has stuff I can't read or HFCS.
Post by niemand88f on Aug 28, 2012 13:55:35 GMT -5
Target's powdered creamer (mimicking Coffeemate) was the most disgusting thing ever. Not that Coffeemate is good, but that's all we have at work so I've gotten used to it. Target's attempt is nasty.
My current grocery store doesn't have Boar's Head so the store brand is actually the best deli meat. Most medications I have tried don't seem to be any different and are usually significantly cheaper too.
Post by Wines Not Whines on Aug 28, 2012 14:02:29 GMT -5
There are only a few items where I insist on particular brands:
Heinz ketchup. It is the One True Ketchup. Doritos Coke products Contact lens solution - I've tried others, but they irritate my eyes, so now I'm brand loyal
I will buy or try store brand of almost anything else, especially if it's the Whole Foods, Trader Joe's or Wegman's store brand.
I'm generally okay with private labels. However, if it's something that will last a long time, I'll just go ahead and splurge on the name brand. Examples would be Kraft Grated Parmesan, bottles of spices, etc.
Post by dragonfly08 on Aug 28, 2012 16:08:40 GMT -5
I'll buy generic/store brand of most things, at least once. If we don't like it we'll go back to name brand next time.
The three exceptions I can think of off the top of my head are cereal (DH will eat store brand instant oatmeal but everything else must be name brand), jam (with a name like Smuckers, it's got to be good!) and ketchup (in a pinch I'll buy Wegmans Organic but absolutely prefer Heinz).
Post by midnightmare81 on Aug 28, 2012 17:56:59 GMT -5
Lets see... Things that must be brand name Mayo (Hellmans only) Ketchup (must be Heinz) Peanut Butter (though I try and make my own) Coke Toilet Paper/Paper towels
Everything else generic. I will note that H and I went shopping together once and there were a few things he wanted to buy name brand swearing it was different and the other was gross, until I informed him I never buy name brand of said products and he never complained. He was shocked to say the least! Needless to say he backed down after that!
I'm with your husband on ketchup. Also, tp and paper towels.
In his previous career, my husband was an editor for a trade magazine all about private label products. This coupled with his admitted "cheap bastard" tendencies,'and he could talk *forever* about store brand products. Luckily, he's socially aware enough to reign himself in most times I also have to *really* convince him to not buy all store brand all the time