What generic product do you buy that works as good or better than the name brand?

[calypso*a*go-go]

Another Costco "Kirkland Signature" lover here! I buy all their "branded" merchandise and find it to be comparable (if not superior) to the competition for a much lower price.

 

[Catrin]

Now that I am very much into "Coupons and Stockpiling" I find I buy even LESS Generics than I used to! If I wait for an item to be ON SALE with a coupon, I buy multiple.

I always usually buy Store Brand Aspirins, Cough and Cold Items and Vitamins.
I buy Store Brand Cookies, AppleSauce, Apple Juice, Sandwich Bags, etc. Unless the Brand Name has a better deal.

I still will not buy a substitute for Heinz Ketchup, Progresso Soups, Diet Coke or Skippy Peanut Butter!!

Do you know that sometimes the STORE BRANDS are manufactured by the BRAND NAME? For example, our Store Brand Batteries are Energizer! Plus, the stores make more PROFIT from store brands, because they are paying less... and no advertizing costs!
Catrin

 

[ticktock]

Catrin what store sells Energizer batteries under their label?

 

[MayMom]

Catrin - me too! Me too! I want to know which store brand batteries are Energizer!!!!!!

 

[Catrin]

"Smart Living" batteries - sold at Stop&Shop and Giant (and I think Tops markets as well) Supermarkets are manufactured by Energizer!

Catrin

 

[azgal81]

Ummmmmm everything! I hardly ever buy the name brand anymore especially with food. Store brand works just the same and it's cheaper (although not always so you have to make sure the name brand isn't on sale)!

 

[WeluvDisney2]

The Walmart baby wipes are great. Very thick and soft, and less than $2 a pack! They come in a purple package. I think they are called White Cloud or something like that.

 

[IDoDis]

I go to albertsons, food world, or winn dixie once a week to take advantage of great sale prices combined with coupons and good meat specials (sorry, I won't buy non-frozen meat from wal-mart) and then whatever I need that wasn't offered on sale somewhere else I get in generic format at Walmart. I pick the store with the best deals and make one stop, coupons in hand, on the way home from work. Some weeks I just skip this all together and go straight to walmart. I also know that you can price challenge at walmart but I think its just easier to go directly to the store offering the best deals.

Actually, it's very easy to price match at Wal-Mart. The checkers at the Wal-Mart where I shop are so used to it that they will automatically price match on popular items like Milk, Soda & fruit without me even asking. When I do price match, I just tell them, this is $$ at ___, this is on sale for $$, this is $$, etc. They rarely question me or ask to see the ad. They just take my word for it. I don't even bring the ads with me. I scan them ahead of time and remember what I need & the price. Many of the cashiers keep the other store ads at their registers, just in case. It's so easy to knock $15 off my grocery bill by price matching and I don't waste gas driving around. The downside is that Wal-Mart doesn't carry everything one may need, especially in the fruit section. Their fresh meats have really improved over the last couple of years, but again, if you are looking for something a little out of the ordinary, they may not have it.

 

[IDoDis]

Another interesting thing about grocery stores are that they are designed to get you to buy more than you need. Notice how the milk is always at the far end of the store? Lots of people make a visit only for milk, but it's never right by the entry. If you only need milk, you have to pass tons of other food that you'll probably end up picking up as you head way back to the milk aisle.

Also, the next time you are grocery shopping, take notice of how the cereal aisle is organized. The kiddie sugar cereals are all at eye level so that as the kids walk by or are sitting in the cart, they can see their stuff and say, "Buy me that!." The healthy cereals are at the top (out of kid view but plain view for adults) and many of the store brands are on the very bottom because these spaces in the stores are less expensive. The manufacturers have to pay for where their stuff is placed in the store. If they have an endcap, it costs that manufacturer extra, as does the cost for a middle shelf vs a bottom or top shelf.

 

[Ava31]

I'm a fan of Target brand diapers. When my DD (6) was a baby, her little bottom broke out when I used the big brands, and Target was the only brand that didn't bother her. I've tried other store brands but none of the other ones come close.

 

[mommy*RN]

I admit I didn't read through all the posts so forgive me if this is a repeat, but my two choices are Tylenol and/or Ibuprofen and Infant Gas Drops! Name brand pain relievers are so expenseive and you can usually get a "off" brand for 1/2 the price. The gas drops are even crazier...$10 for an ounce of Mylicon vs. $3 for an ounce of Walmart brand...yeesh! It's no contest!

My other best bet...Tasteeo's (sp?), cheaper version of Cheerio's but still the same darn thing!

The other big expensive item I found for cheap (and it worked) was Dollar Tree pregnancy tests! When I was trying to get pg with DD my cycles were all screwed up and I was constantly missing my period. I was investing big $$$ into pg tests that were all coming up NEGATIVE. I read a post on the babycenter about these and bought $10 worth...these were the tests I found out I was pg with DD using.

Hope these aren't repeats...

 

[disneysteve]

Another interesting thing about grocery stores are that they are designed to get you to buy more than you need. Notice how the milk is always at the far end of the store? Lots of people make a visit only for milk, but it's never right by the entry

Wegmans' has a case right up front by the registers with milk, butter, eggs, etc. They know that many shoppers are just running in for those items so they put them right up front so you don't need to go through the whole store if that's all you need.

 

[Nolcrest]

My teens LOVE Walmart's Great Value brand of Italian Salad Dressing. They are very disappointed when I buy other popular brands.

 

[southernbella]

Sorry if I repeat-

Walmart- their brand Rice-a-Roni- .66 vs $1.25 for name brand
baby wipes
creme of anything soups- they taste the same & always are at least .30 cheaper.


Walgreens-diapers- plus they run BOGOF sales all thime, so even more savings.


Sbella

 

[AuroraBorealis]

The Wal-mart version of Sudafed works (IMO) 1000% times better than actual Sudafed. The sames goes for the Wal-Mart versions of ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and naproxen (aka Aleve)

I love Wal-Mart Salsa, especially the black bean/white corn salsa. I think it is called Sam's Choice??? I like Honey Taste-O's better than Honey Nut Cheerios.

The Target version of Ziploc bags are great. I also like Target paper towels and napkins. I like the Costco brand (Kirkland Signature) of toilet paper.

I always buy store-brand canned or frozen veggies unless the name brand is on sale for less. In fact, I will always buy the store-brand of food. If I don't like it, I can always try the name brand next time.

 

[Disney29]

Wegmans Laundry detergant is better then Tide! I had to see for myself and now everyone I know uses it.

Wegmans Vodka sauce beat Emerils in a taste test. It was done for a segment on the Today Show which never aired.

 

[englishteacha]

I do my shopping at Walmart and Save-a-Lot. I pretty much only buy generic products. Save-a-Lot only carries "their" brand of food, and everything I've bought there I've liked. Their spaghetti sauces are excellent, as are their meatballs. The price is less than half of the name brands. I buy some name-brand cereal and some name brand soda, but everything else is generic or the least expensive brand I can find.
I found that the new SunBurst concentrated liquid laundry detergent works really well. It's less than $2 for 40 loads, and the large bottle is even less per load. It works great on my husband's clothes. He's pretty hard on his clothing, and his stuff comes out clean and smelling great.

 

[angwill]

I know someone who hauls frozen fish. All of both Walmart and Aldi's frozen fish is packaged at Gordon's and comes off the same production line but it cost less to buy the generic. Another thing I prefer is Walmart ground beef. They must go through it faster than a regular grocery store because at Walmart it is all red and fresh at the regular grocery chain near me it is brown and gross under the outer layer of red fresh meat and that just grosses me out.

 

[ticktock]

angwill the red on ground meat at the grocery store is dye. Blood oxidizes very quickly so they add dye to the meat to make it look the way people think it should. It is just another marketing gimic. Ask your butcher.

 

[marshallandcartersmo]

angwill the red on ground meat at the grocery store is dye. Blood oxidizes very quickly so they add dye to the meat to make it look the way people think it should. It is just another marketing gimic. Ask your butcher.

AH!!! Is that true?!?!?!?