Store Brands vs. Brand Names

[Mr. Bloom]

Despite my lack of caffeine, I'm sleepless and watching a CBS news report on Store Brands vs. Brand Names. (Mr. Silver, what an exciting life!)

So, I thinking about generics and their value.

I know there are some products that I can't accept the difference, others I can. Example, generic Cheerios taste like cardboard to me and I wouldn't eat them. But, while the Kroger equivalent of Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Granola Bars tastes different, it is "good enough" and considerably cheaper.

Please share with the group:

1. A generic/store brand product you like and enjoy
2. Whether there's a difference or not
3. If there is a difference, is it still "good enough"?

[wolfak]

Hy-Vee (Iowa based grocery chain) makes delicious alternatives to Cheerios - especially the honey nut and apple cinnamon varieties. They are a little different - the O's are a little thicker, but I think they are more flavorful and stay crunch longer.

Now that I'm located in Kroger-land (We have the Pay-Less stores), I really miss Hy-Vee. I'm not dissing on Kroger - their dried fruits are amazing quality and cost compared to national brands - I'm just tired of finding rotting produce and stinky meat in my store.

[Dogmama]

I do a lot of shopping at Trader Joe's. Their brands are often better & a lot cheaper.

We have Fry's, a division of Kroger's. They also have bad produce & meat. I've seen produce for sale that I would throw away. Plus, the store is filthy.

[7rider]

Sam's Club mega bottle of Ibuprofen.
Much cheaper than Advil and just as tasty!

[Blueberry]

Ditto Trader Joe's. Almost everything I buy there is the store brand....

Whole Foods - I buy lots of 365 stuff - olive oil, milk, canned veggies, frozen veggies, etc.

Food Lion Raisin Bran - I like it better than the original.

CA

[NoNo]

Stop&Shop's Nature's Promise line of organic foods is usually cheaper and is always good. Generic oatmeal is palatable, but it definitely seems mushier than Quaker oats.

[Brandi]

I have to agree with the trader joe's brand of stuff. All very good and cheaper at times. And I believe the ing are better as well. Now Target store's have a generic brand of stuff called I believe Archer farms. Tasty cerals and italian soda's (great to add vodka too shhhhh).

[shootingstar]

Since moving to Vancouver, we haven't bought hardly any store-brand/generic brand foods ..except for fruit leather, occasionally some juices.

For certain shampoos, toilet paper, will buy generic.

Not economical for us to shop at Costco's since it's just 2 of us at home. So I have no clue if Canadian Costco stores carries their own brand lines.

As for generic soaps, shampoos, etc....according to 2 sisters who are pharmacists and did work for Canadian national pharmaceutical store chains over a decade ago, sometimes the store /generic soap etc. is almost exactly the same as the original brand. And lower in price.

All generic drugs, sold in Canada must be tested/comply with federal law vis a vis Health Canada, federal government. I would seldom hesitate to buy if given a choice if competitive pricing was an option, ...again upon the advice of a diagnosing physician and ...family members who are licensed physician and pharmacists.


Of course, I had one friend who worked on clinical drug testing trials with physicians for a multinational pharmaceutical giant firm. She was ferocious in her defense of company created drugs vs. generic drugs because of R & D dollar investment. Whatever.

[Zen]

Some generic brands are actually brand names, you know.
Where do you think that stuff comes from, Generic, Inc.?

[vinbek]

My husband worked in the food industry for over 20 years. He said many of the generics are the same food stock, just put in private labels. Not all is that way - many are a second cut of product - not top quality. He knows when the fresh peaches are fresh and when they have been frozen. He knows which brands are first quality and which are second cut. He saves us a ton of money buying groceries because he knows the quality of the products. Sorry I can't give specifics - he has all that knowledge in his head!