What generic or "store brand" items do you buy? - Page 1

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - What generic or "store brand" items do you buy? (Page 1 of 2)

Posted: 11/23/2022 3:11:44 AM EDT

I thought I would make this thread to be a guide to help people save money with this crazy inflation. I've been more adventurous in trying more and more store brand products. Some of them I've found to be just as good, some probably aren't but they are at least acceptable, a few have been better than name brand, and a few are absolute hard pass and name brand is required.

I've found no difference in store brand vs name for basic staples like milk, eggs, butter, flour etc. Store brand bacon is acceptable to me. Canned vegetables like corn, green beans, peas, etc. seem to be the same as name brand in taste and quality

For me, a couple basic condiments like ketchup and mayo have to be name brand. Most store brand mayos I've tried have been absolutely disgusting. However, I really like great value store brand buffalo sauce. I prefer it over Frank's.

There's a lot more I could go into, but for now I guess I'll start with that.

Posted: 11/23/2022 4:35:51 AM EDT

[#1]

Costco/Kirkland all the things.

If you look them up, Costco uses fairly high-end sources/suppliers for most of “their” branded goods, including bourbon and tequila.

Posted: 11/23/2022 4:37:55 AM EDT

[#2]

I don't think I buy any generic.

Posted: 11/23/2022 4:39:49 AM EDT

[#3]

Basic meds (cold, headache, first aid stuff) it's all made in the same FDA regulated factory as the name brand stuff. Why pay more?

Posted: 11/23/2022 4:54:28 AM EDT

[#4]

Kirkland from Costco and have had good luck with a lot of private selections from kroger.

Posted: 11/23/2022 5:13:28 AM EDT

[#5]

Everything I buy locally is store brand. Great Value and Equate.

ETA: I guess I choose Jolly Time pc seeds over Great Value, Jolly Time is better and within a cent or two.

If it's for stuff other than food and personal care or stuff I can get online then it's whatever is the best deal. Brand name means nothing.

Posted: 11/23/2022 5:27:46 AM EDT

[#6]

Dang most food stuff we buy is store brand unless there is a specific need unfulfilled by it. We ain't boujee

Posted: 11/23/2022 5:45:47 AM EDT

[#7]

Omeprazole, paper/styrofoam plates, plastic spoons and forks, shit paper (only great value brand), canned vegetables.

Posted: 11/23/2022 6:04:39 AM EDT

[#8]

We probably buy more generic than brand name.

Tropicana Pure Premium is one of the few things I won't compromise on. But I don't drink it regularly.

Off the top of my head, can't think of anything from Kroger, Great Value or Members Mark that was a clunker. From PB to TP/PT to American cheese, all gtg.

We do also use Costco, and Kirkland is good shit. But it's still expensive, in absolute terms. Costco let's you get a Cadillac at absolute rock-bottom pricing. But it's still a Cadillac. Sam's let's you get a Chevy at absolute rock-bottom pricing. I'm a Chevy guy.

Posted: 11/23/2022 6:08:31 AM EDT

[#9]

I’m on GD, therefore, I’m wealthy and would never stoop to buying “store brand” items!

Fresh Market and Whole Foods only…

Publix, CVS and WM brands are fine for me.

Posted: 11/23/2022 6:10:41 AM EDT

[#10]

I can't understand why I have five kids, the store brand condoms are just as good.

Posted: 11/23/2022 6:13:05 AM EDT

[#11]

I do most of my shopping at Aldis so its all generics/knock offs. Mostly good so far. I go to Walmart here and there when I need something you can't get at Aldis. I've been happy with it for several years now. YMMW.

Posted: 11/23/2022 6:15:30 AM EDT

[#12]

I'm from Michigan too. I buy most of my groceries from Meijer's. I have had really good luck with their store brand items. Sometimes, I will buy the store brand even if the national brand is on sale and about the same price. The only thing I bought that disappointed me was their version of Doritos. Not quite the same thing. But, everything else I tried was excellent.

Posted: 11/23/2022 6:17:33 AM EDT

[#13]

Great Value dry pasta. The only Walmart branded food item I will eat.

Posted: 11/23/2022 6:21:12 AM EDT

[#14]

Equate over the counter drugs
Great value cheese and potato chips

Posted: 11/23/2022 6:26:40 AM EDT

[#15]

Depends very much on the store.

I buy Costco and Lidl store brand with confidence, always have. I actually prefer Lidl brand over most branded offerings, to the point we've joked we can't move to where Lidl doesn't have a store.

I tend to limit most others to things like over the counter meds.

Posted: 11/23/2022 6:27:38 AM EDT

[#16]

Costco/Kirkland
Publix Greenwise
OTC meds
Ford

Posted: 11/23/2022 6:29:02 AM EDT

[#17]

Quote History

Quoted:
Great Value dry pasta. The only Walmart branded food item I will eat.

View Quote

For a minute I thought you were thorazine.

Posted: 11/23/2022 6:30:47 AM EDT

[#18]

Kroger, Walmart (as long as I don't get shot by the manager*), Walgreens, all GTG from the ones I have tried.

*Okay sorry, that was in horribly bad taste.

Posted: 11/23/2022 6:35:37 AM EDT

[#19]

A lot of generic brands are just rebranded popular items.

Posted: 11/23/2022 6:50:45 AM EDT

[#20]

Wal-Mart Great Value and Equate for all things. I try very hard to just buy those, even motor oil. They are made by the big names, just re-branded and much cheaper.

Posted: 11/23/2022 7:15:00 AM EDT

[#21]

Lemme ask my wife

Posted: 11/23/2022 7:15:33 AM EDT

[#22]

Shop at Aldi, big cost savings on most items (not all) over other grocery stores.

Posted: 11/23/2022 7:20:34 AM EDT

[#23]

I get the Aldi brand diet Red Bulls, they taste just the same to me and they’re like 1/4 the cost.
CVS brand Benadryl and Imodium generics.

I don’t like the Aldi fake pringles, fake Ritz, guacamole, or most of their sauces; but their off-brand bread, produce, etc is usually good.

Posted: 11/23/2022 7:20:39 AM EDT

[#24]

PSA

Posted: 11/23/2022 7:46:06 AM EDT

[#25]

Quote History

Quoted:
PSA

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Should have been first post.

Posted: 11/23/2022 7:50:01 AM EDT

[#26]

I don't buy store brands at the supermarkets, they are deficient in quality in some way. I bought some peaches, and they all have bits and pieces in them, not worth the lower price of a few pennies. And the potato chips have more broken pieces in them.

Posted: 11/23/2022 7:54:42 AM EDT

[#27]

buy lots of generic, but the one thing i dont skimp on is trash bags, cant stand a weak ass trash bag. Glad force flex PLUS! you could stuff a body in one of those and drag it behind your truck and it wont rip.

Posted: 11/23/2022 8:00:04 AM EDT

[#28]

Quote History

Quoted:
PSA

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Posted: 11/23/2022 8:02:46 AM EDT

[#29]

Quoted:
I do most of my shopping at Aldis so its all generics/knock offs. Mostly good so far. I go to Walmart here and there when I need something you can't get at Aldis. I've been happy with it for several years now. YMMW.

View Quote

Heavy Aldi shopper here. That said, I needed a new can opener and found an American made one online. 18 bucks and it just glides through the can. ????

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B075X45LCC?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

Posted: 11/23/2022 8:03:30 AM EDT

[#30]

Brand loyalty ended for me when every fucking company in the world became woke political hate mongers. I buy almost everything store brand.

The only thing I can really think of that I still buy branded is Pop Tarts. The generic ones really are not as good. But, fuck Kellogg's. My wife still eats them, but I just gave them up because fuck Kellogg's. Seriously. Fuck them.

Posted: 11/23/2022 8:05:04 AM EDT

[#31]

Quote History

Quoted:
I buy almost everything store brand.

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Posted: 11/23/2022 8:06:52 AM EDT

[#32]

Kroger food.

Rural King Jeans.

Posted: 11/23/2022 11:20:03 AM EDT

[#33]

Quote History

Quoted:
Kroger food.

Rural King Jeans.

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I've bought three pair of those damn $9.99 jeans and everyone of them the ass ripped out with in 6-8 weeks. I've got Levi's that are 10-12 years old and thread bare ( I refuse to buy anymore Levi's) and new Wranglers and have never had the seat rip out of any other jeans.

Posted: 11/23/2022 11:49:18 AM EDT

[#34]

My wife does most of the regular household shopping.

She knows what brands you can buy the generic and what things you need to premium.
I like it, she is all about saving us money. She says the more we save, the more ammo and other shit you normally buy, you can afford.

I can tell the difference as when we go and she does all the picking out, we get a whole cart full off stuff; If I go by myself, we get maybe a half dozen items for the same money.

Posted: 11/23/2022 11:52:32 AM EDT

[#35]

Sam's Club Members Mark TP is actually better (IMO) that the premium commercial brands.

Posted: 11/23/2022 2:19:55 PM EDT

[#36]

For granola bars, I buy the better brands, if you read the ingredient lists some of them are different, they probably use lesser quality ingredients to get the price down.

Posted: 11/23/2022 2:33:40 PM EDT

[#37]

We buy some store brand stuff.. ibuprofen etc…

But one thing I found to save a few bucks is buying all the plastic bags ( sandwich bags. Freezer bags etc…) at the Dollar store.

They are name brand ( Glad, ziplock ) but WAY cheaper than the grocery store.

Posted: 11/23/2022 2:50:03 PM EDT

[#38]

Quote History

Quoted:
I don't buy store brands at the supermarkets, they are deficient in quality in some way. I bought some peaches, and they all have bits and pieces in them, not worth the lower price of a few pennies. And the potato chips have more broken pieces in them.

View Quote

This is true for some but I just accept that for the savings. there are some store brand items that are superior.
For example Great Value canned tuna is better than any of the popular name brands. It's like a chunky cross section cut of a fish, the name brands are like fish pulp....or at least they were 5-10 years ago when I gave up on them. I much prefer the Great Value frozen vegetables to name brand.

When I lived in TX, the HEB brand frozen chicken breast were wayyy better than name brand, most of that shit was garbage.

Posted: 11/23/2022 2:51:49 PM EDT

[#39]

Quote History

Quoted:
I do most of my shopping at Aldis so its all generics/knock offs. Mostly good so far. I go to Walmart here and there when I need something you can't get at Aldis. I've been happy with it for several years now. YMMW.

View Quote

same, Aldi is our primary grocery store.

Would be easier to list the things that we go out of our way to buy brand name.

Posted: 11/23/2022 3:00:45 PM EDT

[#40]

Quote History

Quoted:
I can't understand why I have five kids, the store brand condoms are just as good.

View Quote

I'm glad I wasn't drinking anything.

Posted: 11/23/2022 3:02:20 PM EDT

[#41]

Screw Kroger and their corporate anti-gun stance. I'm not sure where Costco stands. May have to look into them.

Posted: 11/23/2022 7:29:01 PM EDT

[#42]

Poors thread.

Posted: 11/23/2022 7:43:47 PM EDT

[#43]

Quote History

Quoted:
Sam's Club Members Mark TP is actually better (IMO) that the premium commercial brands.

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It's soft, but I find it unacceptably fragile. You just can't seem to get a good wipe in. And, it's thick the actual roll hardly has any length to it.

Costco for the win (but they were putting out seriously substandard stuff for a year or more after the great TP shortage of 2020.

Posted: 11/23/2022 7:56:36 PM EDT

[#44]

As much as possible. Poors buy name brand so they don't feel poor. Smart people save money.

Posted: 11/23/2022 7:58:48 PM EDT

[#45]

Quote History

Quoted:
Kirkland from Costco and have had good luck with a lot of private selections from kroger.

View Quote

The Kroger stuff is very high quality for most items.

Posted: 11/23/2022 8:08:23 PM EDT

[#46]

I agree regarding many store brand mayos.
I'm agnostic about my ketchup & mustard.

The only hard & fast brand insistence I have are tomatoes certified San Marzano D.O.P. when making pasta & pizza sauces. Tomatoes for soups & stews can be anything.

I guess we all know (it may have already been said) that the store brands are really relabeled national brands where you don't pay for the advertising.

Posted: 11/23/2022 8:22:51 PM EDT

[#47]

Most of my stuff if possible the only real exception is my martini olives, store brand won't cut it for me.

Posted: 11/23/2022 8:24:15 PM EDT

[#48]

Instant coffee, and pretty much everything I get at Trader Joe's is technically the store brand.

Posted: 11/23/2022 8:41:58 PM EDT

[#49]

I do all of my grocery shopping at Walmart, so Equate and Great Value are the ones I get.

Posted: 11/23/2022 8:46:53 PM EDT

[#50]

The Walmart ziplock bags are actually really good.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - What generic or "store brand" items do you buy? (Page 1 of 2)

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