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.

[Aggie_Ama]

Here in my area we have HEB for groceries and I find most of their brands just as good. Exceptions: Ranch Style beans (YUCK to theirs), their yogurt and Raisin Bran Crunch. I actually like their Frosted Mini Wheats and Cheerios better and their Creamy Creations Ice Cream is really good. The ice cream is no Blue Bell but then again not much can compare to the little creamery in Brenham. We also use Nature's Own Bread over the HEB brand but their Bake Shop stuff is good, just not the plan old loaf.

I usually try the store brand at least once and most of our canned goods will be their brand.

[Flur]

We buy a lot of Whole Foods 365 stuff. But we won't buy their toilet paper. Just not soft enough

[Crankin]

I shop at Roche Brothers or Donnelans, both local chains. Donnelans only has 3-4 stores. At different points I have tried mostly store brand canned things, that all tasted terrible. It was not worth the savings. I do buy store brand zip locks and things like that. I hardly ever shop at Trader Joe's, as I go to a local health food store for that stuff, but when I go there, I do buy their brand name items. Like their 72% chocolate bars...

[Pedal Wench]

Publix fat-free yogurts. Really yummy. My BF buys WinnDixie's store brand yogurts and they're just nasty. Watery, tasteless, jello-y (new word!) and funky. Publix is just good.

[sundial]

At Sav-A-Lot, I buy the McDaniel's caffeine free coffee and it tastes better than any decaf, including Folger's and Maxwell House. Interestingly enough, the regular coffee is not as good. Also, their brand of cereals taste fresher and crisper than the major brands. I pay 1.35 for a box of cereal.

[Eden]

Safeway's "O" Organic line is pretty good - I love their lemonade - real sugar, not corn syrup makes it taste better. I like their chickpeas too - sounds strange, like there could be a difference in canned beans...., but they are smaller and a bit more firm. It's all very reasonably priced for organic too.

[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).

[GLC1968]

I've found a LOT of store brands that are good. I've been buying them off and on since I lived in Florida (then NC and now OR) - so the names of the stores and the items would be way too long to list here. In general, I've found that most store brand items from Publix, Lowes Foods, Harris Teeter and Safeway are good (particularly their 'natural' 'organic' or 'premier' items. I'd also like to give a special mention to Publix's bakery. Their cakes are fan-freaking-tastic. I only wish I'd used them for my wedding cake instead of using the fancy-schmancy pastry chef at the hotel.

The only two things I refuse to buy generic are birth control pills and diet Coke. And the items that I'll never buy name brand? Aluminum foil, pain relievers, trash bags & sugar.

Buyer beware though - there are times when the generic/store brand is not cheaper than the name brands. Make sure to compare the unit price before you buy.

[michelem]

Buyer beware though - there are times when the generic/store brand is not cheaper than the name brands. Make sure to compare the unit price before you buy.

You've got that right! I was SHOCKED at how much more the Kirkland (Costco) brand wild canned salmon is as compared to the Bear & Wolf brand. They are right next to each other on the shelf. If I recall correctly, the Kirkland brand is 3 or 4 dollars more than the Bear & Wolf brand, and the Kirkland brand has less cans per pack as well. Both are wild (not farmed) salmon. The first time, I bought one of each to see if I could tell a difference in taste, and it was negligible. Definitely not worth such a price difference.