Store brand vs. name brand? Your experience?

[raccoon]

I've been buying Southern Home saltines for some time and I'm OK with them.

Once I bought a store brand ketchup (don't remember which brand) and the ketchup separated really bad--I mean into a pale liquid and thicker liquid.

[liberal N proud]

1. You need to know where the store brand was made

Not all store brands are equal.

Sometimes, the store brand is made along side the name brand, sometimes it is the older version of the name brand or it is the same thing in cheaper packaging.
I work for a consumer products company and we manufactured many store brand products on lines adjacent to our name brand. The only difference was the store brand labels did not have all the upgrades our name brand had.

Beware of the Chinese imported name brands.

It is important to study where name brands come from who is the producer/packager.

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. I buy store brand canned vegies once in a while..beets, green beans

and always store brand rice and beans, sugars, etc. Stuff they cannot mess up too much, single ingredient stuff.

[dr.strangelove]

3. I buy store brands far more often than brand name products

I find little to no difference most of the time. I did have a bad ketchup experience, so I also stay with Heinz ketchup, but the savings is only about .20 on the bottle, so I justify it in my mind paying for the brand name.

Cerials, oatmeal, cookies, soups, canned beans and veggies, pasta, rice, dry beans, paper products and cleaning products, I use store brand almost all the time, unless a coupon brings the other down lower in price.

[noamnety]

17. That's exactly what I do.

Store brand, unless the name brand is cheaper in a coupon/rebate deal.

[TexasBushwhacker]

4. Check the ingredients

Store brands sometimes have more of things you don't want - sugar, salt, MSG, etc. The first thing on the ingredient list is the thing there is the most of. Conversely, I found a dirt cheap hot sauce that had less salt than the name brand.

I concur with the post below regarding store brands vs name brands. They are often made at the same facility. I worked at Whole Foods for 5 years. Our store brand dairy was made by one of major dairy vendors. We carried both and there wasn't any difference but the label ab d there were more flavors of the name brand yogurt than the store brand.

[we can do it]

8. Not necessarily, lots of brand names are full of artificial junk.

[TexasBushwhacker]

11. Oh, I agree

I read ALL labels, but a store brand MAY have more salt, which is cheap, than other spices which are more expensive. Or store brand ice cream may have more thickeners like gums and carageenen.

[DebJ]

22. My husband is on a salt restricted diet and I often purchase store brands because there is

less salt. It works both ways.

[oldandhappy]

5. I shop at Stater Bros and buy their store brands. Always OK.

Usually things in cans or jars.

[kwassa]

6. Trader Joe's is mostly store brand.

And we buy a lot of it. Most are products are good, some are mediocre. Depends on the item.

I also do CVS's versions of brand medications.

[csziggy]

7. Depends on the store - Publix store brands are consistently good

Winn Dixie and Walmart are consistently mediocre. I seldom do grocery shopping anywhere but Publix, though.

There are specific items that I buy the name brand rather than the store brand because of personal preference. Publix peanut butter is more like Jif which my husband does not like. He prefers Peter Pan brand so I buy that. Publix catsup is more like Heinz and we both prefer Hunt's catsup.

Publix canned vegetables are as good or better than most store brands. If I buy canned vegetables I have no problem getting their brand. Their breads, cheeses and lunch meats are good, too.

[femmocrat]

9. I read and compare the nutrition labels.

Much of the time, they are identical, which (to me) means they were probably made by the same manufacturer. My husband worked for a couple of big food companies and told me that the big companies usually make the store brands.

And of course, it depends on the item.

[Capt. Obvious]

10. Don't go cheap on toilet paper

[fizzgig]

16. absolutely not

[mackerel]

12. The store brand is usually a name brand.

E.g. Sunnyside water from S-Mart is actually Alhambra water.

[Blue_In_AK]

13. Kirkland brands at Costco are usually pretty great.

[meow2u3]

14. Personally, I prefer the store brand for the most part

I shop at Wegman's and find the store brand is not only cheaper, it's better in quality and they didn't shrink the packaging, unlike many name brand items.

[3catwoman3]

21. Lucky you - Wegman's!

I grew up in Rochester, NY. Only grocery store we ever went to. My 94 yr old mom still shops there. I wish they would move out to the greater Chicago area.

[ohnoyoudidnt]

15. It can be hit and miss. It depends on the product.

A lot of store brands are much cheaper and just as good. Some name brand manufacturers even make store brand items. The companies just pay them to put the store label on them instead. Costco and Publix have some great store brand items.

[rurallib]

18. Couple decades ago there was a huge difference

but store brand quality has really improved - depending on the company.
I wouldn't go near any Walmart brands - but seldom shop there.
The Costco (Kirkland) products are as good as name brand and much cheaper

Be sure to check ingredients.

[Major Nikon]

19. Retailers figured out that quality store brands equates to repeat customers

[WinkyDink]

20. Store-brand Wegman's rules! Pick a product, any product! Butter, broth, cereal, pasta,...!