Do You Buy Generic or Store Brands? If Not, Why?

Does your neighbor think there is a big Target manufacturing facility specializing in the manufacture of several thousand items? If she does, she's a dullard.
Stores pay manufacturers to package the same stuff to "Target" or other vendors specifications and then pay less b/c the "name" isn't there.
Hard to believe there is anyone in the world over 12 that doesn't understand that!
Ignore her and do what YOU need to do to provide as well as you can for YOUR family. And the next time her kids try to mooch a Target Market Pantry Fruit Snack from you, make sure she knows that they ate them! LOL

7 moms found this helpful

I buy many many store brands. Oftentimes they are made in the same plant in the same way as national brands. Sometimes though the taste is not the same-for example my kids hate generic target chickadees-they only eat Pep Farm Goldfish.

One place I can't get my head around though is the Aldi store. For some reason the packaging on their foods gives me the creeps. I would rather buy a regular generic from a store.

3 moms found this helpful

I buy Safeway and CVS brand items.
SAME thing/ingredients.

3 moms found this helpful

Some generics and stores brands aren't the same, but there are a ton of high quality, low cost store/generic brands out there.

Target's private label Archer Farms has some great products and I like many of their Up and Up too.

I prefere the name brand in some products, butit is few and far between.

Your neighbor sounds a little snobby and misinformed...you might want to create some distance. It doesn't sound like someone I'd want to foster much of a relationship with.

3 moms found this helpful

I shop at Walmart and buy the "Great Value" brand of everything except cereal. So far, that is the only thing that I can tell a difference on. It sounds like your neighbor is a bit stuck up.

3 moms found this helpful

We shop at Super Target and buy almost all of our non-food items generic. Many of our foods are generic as well, but I don't like generic cereal. Sometimes the Target bread is stale as well, although other times it's great, and it is a whole lot cheaper. I also prefer Viva paper towels. They are ridiculously expensive, but I love them. :)

3 moms found this helpful

Certain things I personally will buy brand name, but generally I buy generic. Usually you are paying the extra for the packaging. For example - I knew someone who worked at a canning company ( like canned veggies and stuff) and they would be processing the same can but just change the labels.

You need to do what you need to do for your family :-)

3 moms found this helpful

I love store brands! In lots of cases they are made by the same factories that make the name brand stuff.
There are some things that I won't substitute, but that's just a matter of taste. There are also some store brands that I prefer over others.

I think your friend sounds like an awfully big snob.

3 moms found this helpful

For some things it's hard to tell between generic and brand name. You just have to give it a try and judge for yourself. There are some things I just won't buy generic- ketchup, soda, bread, and peanut butter are a few. But other things I do buy generic. I love the Target brand formula for my daughter and she did the best on that brand than any other brand we tried. I also like the Target brand Claritin for my son. So it depends. If you find something you like, then it will definitely save you some money!

3 moms found this helpful

Im sorry but your neighbor should refrain from giving back handed advise. in my experience, target had decent brand products. walgreens and cvs arent bad either, and did you know when they did the recall on the childrens motren, the store brands werent recalled?
you trying to save money to better provide for your family isnt cheap. im sorry but for your neighbor to imply that, that was kinda rude and if it came to me giving my son what he needs by going with out a name brand for myself then theres no question in my mind.

3 moms found this helpful

Yep. Although it depends on what it is.
Ex. certain house brand foods like mac n cheese are not as good as Kraft. And Target and Shoppers pop tarts are in my opinion not as good as the Brand. I buy Cascade packs vs. generic just cuz I like the ease of the packs.

Other things like cereals, ice cream, fabric softner, detergent, bread, water, noodles, certain sodas are just as good as the brand.

My sister took over the shopping from my Mom and buys mostly house brand stuff. During one trip to Harris Teeter grocery store she spent $90. and SAVED almost $90.

I also shop at the Dollar Store. The have some brand names there. They also have a mouthwash for $1 that is the same ingredients as Listerine.
They also have an amazing vanilla ice cream! A whole quart for $1.

2 moms found this helpful

wow. your neighbor sounds really judgmental and snotty! i would have had a hard time seeing the good intentions in that. maybe she's under the impression that you are "better" than generic, too...thereby not actually meaning to insult YOU...just the rest of us lol.

my only advice is try it and see. some things will be just the same, some will be different. what you are willing to get "cheaper" of is up to you. no, they're not usually exact. but then again, the price is almost ALWAYS significantly less. i am surprised there is anyone in this world who only buys name brand, to be honest. there's no reason to! it doesn't make much sense to insist on spending more money just for the sake of having "the brand" on the label.

2 moms found this helpful

Okay...how do you get "store brand oranges"? I can see how an inexpensive store like aldi or Save-a-lot might get fruit in that's older or something. But fruit is fruit right?

Anyway, we use generic things all the time and I rarely have an issue with it. I am fussy about yogurt and don't seem to find any off brands I like. I like A&E mostly.

2 moms found this helpful

it depends on what it is. like I don't buy store brand whipped creme because I think redi whip tastes better.
For the most part they are the same, for medications (tylenol,motrin, allergy meds) I buy generic if they have it , read the ingredients its the same thing.
Sometimes the generic is better than the name brand stuff. like the archer farms salsa at target is the best I've ever tasted.

2 moms found this helpful

I buy many Target brand items... including milk, shredded cheese, butter, frozen veggies, paper products... we are all still alive & not poor & not once has anyone ever called me cheap.

Some things I don't buy Target brand... like coffee, but I am a Starbucks snob that way.

My kids & I "test" products, if we like generic, we continue to use it.

2 moms found this helpful

Your friend is ridiculous. She is trying to advertise that she is better than everyone by paying extra for a label! In many cases it's the same exact thing. I buy store brands on MOST things. My sister always laughs when she looks in my pantry or food storage drawer. she says it's like an advertisment for Walmart. I say, try things and see if you like them. If not, don't try them again. If there are things where you are particular about the brand, chances are, you wouldn't like store brand. Buy the brand you LIKE!

For me, I buy name brand tampons & laundry detergent, and I did not like store brand mandarin oranges. But, I ONLY like Kroger brand cottage cheese. I liked Target brand diapers, and they were SO much cheaper.

2 moms found this helpful

I used to be a snob about shopping Aldi's until a friend said JUST TRY IT!

OMG, I'm addicted to a LOT of their stuff. They have THE BEST CHOCOLATE EVER. I have a soft spot for the sweet and sour chicken dinner--yum!

I'm all about saving money and spend on things that REALLY matter like bills and things for my son.

1 mom found this helpful

I think your neighbor needs to stop competing with the Jone's. Why should she care what strangers in the grocery store "think" of her. I buy a lot of store brand stuff. If it's cheaper than the name brand with a coupon, I opt for store brand. There are some things I will not do store brand on because we have tried it and prefer the name brand. There is no substitute for Heintz Ketchup and Hellman's Mayo. We've used many target brand products and are quite happy with them. I say use what works for your family. If your family tries the product and doesn't care for it then don't buy that generic again. However if you see no difference in the product then why pay twice as much for the packaging? According to your neighbors logic you are paying for other people's opinions of you....Now that's just silly :)

1 mom found this helpful

I almost always buy generic. Most of the time they are the same, or close enough. Very rarely, I find a generic that is inferior to the name brand. Then I just don't buy it again.

Buy generic.

1 mom found this helpful

I buy generic everything! I also use Target's contact solution, and so far my eyes aren't burning out of my head. Generics are almost the exact same- look at the ingredients if you are sketchy about something. I would say your neighbor is a bit overboard. To each their own =)

1 mom found this helpful

I love generic brands, and to be honest probably buy them more than the real stuff. That is why they are there for, so us who like to save a dollar or two can get them. And you tell your neighbor they are definitely the same, check the ingredients and labels. They are same, same. I cant think of anything that I wouldnt buy generic.

1 mom found this helpful

I buy mostly store brand stuff. There are some things that I won't buy generic - ketsup, paper towels. That is only because I tried the generic and didn't like it as much as the name brand. You are not broadcasting to the world that you are cheap by buying generic, you are saying - I'm refuse to spend more money for the label!!! I bet your friend has super duper expensive pocket books, jeans and accessories too! LOL

1 mom found this helpful

I am not a food snob so I will always try a generic brand and if I don't like it, Oh well!! I just go back to using my original brand. Most things are the same and I totally agree that most of the time you are just paying for expensive packaging and it is the same stuff in the box. I worked for Aldi for years and found out that we were selling brand goods in different packaging and this was from someone high up. Have to say though there are a couple of things I have tried but have always gone back to the brand name, like a certain ketchup and a certain brand of cornflakes. :-)

1 mom found this helpful

Yes I agree with you and the other mommas on here! We buy a fair amount of generic stuff, but it depends. I think you just have to experiment and find out what you like and don't like. Almost every generic I've bought at Target I really like. Their food brand (Archer Farms) is also very good and high quality stuff. I won't buy generic Ritz or Cheerios b/c I really do like the "real" stuff better on those, but I do buy generic oatmeal, pastas, soups, whatever. Do some experimenting and find out what works for you! Ignore your friend, she's just hasn't seen the light yet!

1 mom found this helpful

There ARE big differences in some generics, and I won't touch them. Others work just fine, with no problem. Just try things out and see how you like them. The good thing is they are cheap enough to deal with an experiment, lol. They are not all the same though, just because they are packaged in the same place. It's the same with some wines as well. One brand name pays more and gets the top batch, then a generic will get what's left of that batch. For example, I love rotel tomatoes....and a few times buying the Walmart brand, I've found stems and bits in it that I've never seen in rotels. I've had that experience with green beans as well, here and there, but if a vegetable is going to be a main part of the meal, it's going to be fresh or frozen, not canned.....if it's just part of a dish, I don't mind it too much because I will strain them and rinse anyway. I do buy the generic rotels UNLESS I'm making chili (then I get the "chili fixin" rotels, because it is NOT the same in the generic). Another thing I've noticed is that when making a casserole: if I use name brand cream of chicken or cream of mushroom, the amount of liquid is as the recipe calls for. But if I use store brand, it's actually not as "thick" and I use just slightly less liquid. I am perfectly happy using store brand cream of whatever for a casserole generally (or one brand name cream of chicken and one generic cream of mushroom is better), I can adjust to my taste and the bulk of the flavor is coming from the meat and vegetables I'm putting into the casserole. However, if it's just for soup or soup over rice (like when you'd sick and don't want to eat "real" food), then generic cream of anything is disgusting....just good as a base for food, not by itself.
I buy walmart's brand of dry pasta, cream of whatever, shredded cheese, milk, and basic medicines. But I had a lot of problems trying to get the generic of a blood thinner to work (I was all over the place), but once I just moved to the brand name of coumadin, everything settled out right. My aunt works at a cardiologist's office and said that is a common problem for her patients, so even though most medicines are just fine as generic, occasionally, you need the real thing. I buy large packs of chicken or beef and put a pound each in smaller generic ziplock, bags, then put the small bags in one big brand name ziplock freezer bag. (I want the meat separated and don't think that's a brand name kind of job, but don't want anything to leak or get freezer burn, hence the gallon size bag to store the smaller ones in. I put like 4 qt size bags in 1 gallon). I like my brands for papertowels, toilet paper, toothpaste, poptarts (the others burn, or crumble), peanutbutter, and ketchup. And our laundry detergent: it's cheap, but we use that same brand all the time because it's one we know won't cause a rash on my neck (I'm "sensitive", lol....Tide makes me look like I have hickies!)
It's pretty hard for me to get offended, but.....I don't think I'd like someone saying I was advertising that I myself am cheap. She may be a cow, or maybe she was just giving her weird version of friendly advice like you said, who knows? But we live very well, don't do without anything we really need, we're not in debt to anything but our house, but...yeah, I use coupons and generic. And I'm not embarassed about it at all. I guarantee she'd like my cooking even though a lot of it's generic. :P

1 mom found this helpful

I buy generic on alot of stuff ! About the only things I don't buy generic are washsoap and mayonaise. That's just because I don't like them as well. In this economy I think any way anyone can save money is smart and wise.

1 mom found this helpful

It just depends on what the item is.
For instance I am not a huge Mayo fan....but when I do buy it it has to be best foods, not generic. When I buy ketchup I buy whatever is on sale or generic or whatever.
Same with laundry detergent, I refuse to buy anything else but Tide (just my preference). I recently have been buying Great Value (walmart generic) resealable plastic bags, and to me there are just as good as Ziploc and half the price.
I can tell you the Target brand worked great for my head cold recently, and I couldn't believe how cheap it was.
Those are just a few examples of what I buy. If I buy generic and it works for me, then I will continue to buy it. I don't think it's being "cheap" at all, I think it's being smart so you can apply your money elsewhere.

1 mom found this helpful

I don't generally by generic food items. I can often taste a difference, but you may want to buy them to see if you notice a difference. I buy generic Tylenol and when my son was using formula we used the Target formula. I also use the Target saline solution.

1 mom found this helpful

I buy whatever works. Sometimes it has to be generic and sometimes name brand. If I can't tell the difference between products then I will go store brand.

1 mom found this helpful

I love generic or store brands and normally pick them over big name brands. I do always compare labels, especially on over-the-counter medicines - but have never noticed any difference in effectiveness. For food stuff I buy the store brands (Target, Walmart etc.) and, other than canned peas, don't notice a difference.

Check Target's website for on-line coupons that reduce the price of their store brands even more.

Happy Shopping!
God Bless

1 mom found this helpful

I agree with some of the Mom's that said it just depends upon the product. I can tell you that most things are basically the same ...especially otc medicines...vitamins...things like that are governed by the fda and have to meet certain standards.
Canned fruits, veggies, the generic is basically the same as the brand name ( with the exception of Creamed Corn...generic is more cream and no corn..lol). I think most cleaning home cleaning products are comparable whether they are generic or brand name.
I would just give things a try...buy one and see what you think. The only difference is if the brand is on sale and I have a great coupon...I go for the brand if it ends up being cheaper than generic.

1 mom found this helpful

Target brand all the way! I buy their toilet paper and paper towel. It does depend on the item, but I do buy a lot of generic and I am not cheap by any means. It also depends what store that I buy the 'store brand' from. There is one grocery store here on the East Coast (wegmans) that is awesome and I have very little hesitation to buy generic. However, if it were one of the not as nice grocery stores, I probably wouldn't be so quick to buy as much as I do. But again, there are certain things that I wouldn't even consider going generic on. So although it does depend on the item, I think you friend is misinformed and wasting a lot of money with that frame of mind.

1 mom found this helpful