Does Anyone Buy Generic Products ?

[y_p_w]

I probably land around 75% generic/25% branded.

The first basket tends to be things like staples (flour/sugar/cooking oil), sandwich bread, dairy products (milk, butter, eggs, etc.) Ditto for some household supplies (I typically buy the store brand version of Bounty and Charmin for paper towels and toilet paper, etc.) as well as OTC medicine.

The second basket is mostly things like snack foods and soft drinks (pop/soda) - if I’m going to have food like Oreos, Coke, or Doritos, I don’t want a poor substitute, plus these are things I’ve noticed are substantially different. I also splurge on some nicer cheeses and lunch meat. I also tend to buy personal care products from major brands (Dove or Dial soap, Colgate toothpaste, etc.)

For me, it’s not about being “cheap” or chasing the lowest price possible - it’s more about getting a good value. I have no issue paying more for branded products if I feel that they are better/more enjoyable in an appreciable way. Things like store brand butter and cooking oil are an easy way to save a buck while shopping, which I care about since that’s a dollar I can do or buy something more enjoyable with.

A lot of things that are available brand name are really just commodities. I have one heck of a time finding any qualitative difference between sliced white bread of any brand. It's intentionally bland and hard to get wrong when made at an industrial scale with any competent production. But then there's specialty products where I can easily tell the difference between things like artisan bread that's made by hand.

Things made with proprietary recipes like Oreos are clearly going to be different.

 

[PimTac]

Things made with proprietary recipes like Oreos are clearly going to be different.

Oreos are a poor copy of Hydrox cookies.

 

[Nick1994]

Almost everything I buy is name brand.

I’ll buy store brand milk, Tylenol and Ibuprofen, and Kirkland TP & paper towels.

 

[RazorsEdge]

Yes just bought a off-brand toner cartridge for 13$

Name brand - 40$

 

[y_p_w]

Oreos are a poor copy of Hydrox cookies.

Hydrox doesn't exist any more. At least not around here.

 

[Greasymechtech]

My dogs are generic mutts found at the local unwanted animals rescue.

 

[IndyIan]

My dogs are generic mutts found at the local unwanted animals rescue.

That's a pretty good example of often a better "dog" for a tiny fraction of the price... You had better know what you are looking at, and what you want though.

We buy some "no name"and store brand products, as there's no reason potato chips should cost $10/lb, I don't care how nice their ads and bag graphics are... No name Butter too, when its on sale, there are like 4 large scale creamery's in Ontario, so I don't care which one it comes from.
We eat brown beans sometimes and I notice that the Heinz ones seemed to only fill the can 3/4 with actual beans.... so I bought a few brands at once one day and Bush's Beans and the "no name" ones were identical(probably made in the same place) and they actually filled the can up, so no name beans is the winner, as I'm not going to pay twice as much for 3/4 the beans with a name brand.

 

[GSCJR]

Yes, GV English muffins, SuperTech engine oil, Selection automatic dishwasher supertabs and L.A.'s Totally Awesome detergent, only for light loads. Heavy loads get Somat dishwasher tabs and Tide.

 

[fisher83]

I'd say I buy mostly generic/store brand stuff. Not always but definitely more often than not.

 

[Hall]

What is "generic" today ? I remember when grocery stores, for example, sold products in plain, white packaging. Cereal would be labeled "Toasted O's" or "Sugar Coated Flakes" and so on. I don't consider store brands to be "generic".

 

[vavavroom]

Depends - not the diapers. It depends on the value. Generic products may offer poor, similar, or better value.

 

[y_p_w]

Depends - not the diapers. It depends on the value. Generic products may offer poor, similar, or better value.

I think I bought some cheap-o house-branded training pants once when we were on a trip. It was cheaper and worked pretty well. Didn't end up with any blowouts, but my kid was learning how to use the toilet.

And sometimes brands change. Luvs used to be considered a premium brand, but Proctor & Gamble has currently positioned it as a value brand.

 

[ATex7239]

We are about 50/50. If the generic item is cheaper and equal to or better then yeah. But sometimes the name brand is just way better. Like Oreos. Bring me generic Oreos and you might get slapped.

 

[Skippy722]

Just depends. I‘ll happily buy Heinz ketchup over everything else. But Aldi diapers are better than Huggies and Pampers.

 

[PF52]

What is "generic" today ? I remember when grocery stores, for example, sold products in plain, white packaging. Cereal would be labeled "Toasted O's" or "Sugar Coated Flakes" and so on. I don't consider store brands to be "generic".

Our store had those when I was a kid. Plain white label, a lettering font that looked like a stencil.... "Mustard", "Bread", "Peanut Butter", etc. My parents were all over that aisle for awhile! We were even buying the generic "Dog Food" but after a few months the dog started having various mysterious issues: constant restlessness, loss of weight..... There were others but I don't remember them all. The vet was mystified at first but after several examinations he asked what kind of food we were feeding her. He had us switch back immediately to a familiar name-brand food. The dog very quickly was back to her old self! 100% recovery. The theory was that various nutrients were probably missing from the generic food.

 

[Vil_Riker]

Sometimes I buy Generic Products at Walmart or Meijers but when I went shopping I noticed the Generic Toilet Paper was more than the brand name ..... same for the Motor Oil . What happened with Generics being cheaper than the Brand Name ?

The generic stock shifts quicker so the price changes on batches are on the shelves quicker. There was something like that with dishwasher liquid at our local walmart - the generic doubled in price which Cascade became cheaper. In a week Cascade doubled in price, too, and the balance was restored.

 

[dishdude]

Anything Costco - is Kirkland Signature even considered generic or is it chic? Target store brand, Trader Joe's, Aldi all seem to all be high quality and as good as or better than name brand. There are a few things I can't buy generic of -

Q-Tips - they do have a lot more cotton on them!
Saran Wrap - the cheap stuff just sticks to itself and is impossible to work with
Gillette razors - tried the cheap ones and it was a bloodbath

 

[y_p_w]

Just depends. I‘ll happily buy Heinz ketchup over everything else. But Aldi diapers are better than Huggies and Pampers.

That's one of those things where it might not make that much of a difference if it's good. There might be slight differences, but there's probably more difference in individual production runs for Heinz than there is for any reasonably made ketchup brand like Del Monte, Hunts, French's, or Red Gold. It's a product subject to all sorts of variations, even though they try for uniformity.

But I've had some really pathetic excuse for ketchup though. Had "House Recipe" ketchup from Sysco before. Some of the weird stuff from foodservice companies isn't really that good.

 

[Hillbilly Deluxe]

We buy a decent amount of store-brand products at the grocery store, but that is at Publix. This isn't the 70's and 80's, either.

I remember a DISTINCT difference in quality, taste, texture, whatever in store brands and name brands back in the 70's and 80's.

I feel that Publix dairy products, especially their ice cream, sour cream, block cheddar cheese, even their cottage cheese is superior or equal to the top name brands. I think their ice cream is better than any name brand including Mayfield, Tillamook, even Blue Bell. Yes, I said it. I think Breyers, B&J, etc., ice cream is garbage, not even on the radar.

I'd say their sour cream is equal to Daisy. I don't eat the cottage cheese per se, but my wife does. She says it's much better than Daisy and almost equal to the boutique brand Publix has started carrying.

Their canned goods are equal to the name brand IMO.

I have seen some Publix brand products be 10% higher than well-known name brands. You gotta be careful.

One thing I won't buy is store brand mayo - only Hellmans, Dukes or Blue Plate. Not sure Publix even has store brand Mayo. I think they know they couldn't survive unless it was toe to toe with Hellman's. We do buy their mustards.

 

[y_p_w]

I feel that Publix dairy products, especially their ice cream, sour cream, block cheddar cheese, even their cottage cheese is superior or equal to the top name brands. I think their ice cream is better than any name brand including Mayfield, Tillamook, even Blue Bell. Yes, I said it. I think Breyers, B&J, etc., ice cream is garbage, not even on the radar.

Several large supermarket chains operate their own dairies. I think Publix is one of them.