Would it bother you to have grocery label soda at a party?

[scrapquitler]

Usually if I am having a party, I buy the Lemon/Lime, Ginger Ale, Orange, and Root Beer flavors in the store brand and then Coke/Diet Coke in the name brand (the Pepsi people are just out of luck at my house!)

If I am a guest and there are store brands, I'm not going to drink a Cola. I'm picky about my Diet Coke (and don't even drink Diet Pepsi if that's the only option). I think most people are much pickier about the cola/diet cola than the other flavors. So if you don't have Diet Coke, I'm just going to drink something else (likely Ginger Ale, water, etc). If you only had the store brand Cola and no other choices, then I'd be drinking water, but most hosts offer some variety.

 

[CPanther95]

If any guests are true soda snobs, they're welcome to BYOB -- bring your own brand.

I'm definitely a soda snob, but it wouldn't prevent me from having a good time. Just like I don't expect a host to make the perfect burger the exact way I may prefer it.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Usually if I am having a party, I buy the Lemon/Lime, Ginger Ale, Orange, and Root Beer flavors in the store brand and then Coke/Diet Coke in the name brand (the Pepsi people are just out of luck at my house!)

If I am a guest and there are store brands, I'm not going to drink a Cola. I'm picky about my Diet Coke (and don't even drink Diet Pepsi if that's the only option). I think most people are much pickier about the cola/diet cola than the other flavors. So if you don't have Diet Coke, I'm just going to drink something else (likely Ginger Ale, water, etc). If you only had the store brand Cola and no other choices, then I'd be drinking water, but most hosts offer some variety.

Actually, I'm more of a root beer snob than a Coke/Pepsi snob. But as you say, if the host doesn't have what I like, I'll drink water.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

Them's practically fightin' words here in Canada. We're a French's family thankyouverymuch.
http://calgaryherald.com/storyline/...-frenchs-quest-to-become-canadas-ketchup-king

I thought you guys just put maple syrup on everything.

 

[nkereina]

No. If people are that picky about the soda brand, they will find something else to drink if you have a variety. I prefer Pepsi over Coke, but will still drink Coke at a restaurant (or WDW!) if that's all they have. Store brand soda is the same for me.

 

[Wendy31]

OP, as you can see from this thread, you're never going to please all the people all the time.

If you have Coke, there are going to be some people who want Pepsi or Coke Zero. If you have Sprite, there are going to be some people who prefer Sierra Mist. People tend to be brand-specific when it comes to most Coke/Pepsi products.

Therefore, when I'm having a get-together, I normally serve Coke, Sprite, Iced Tea (sweet & unsweet), Lemonade, & Water. Sometimes, I'll also get some Diet Cokes. (And, even then, there are people who prefer Coke Zero or Caffeine Free Diet Coke...)

It's hard to determine what each guest is going to want to drink, so we don't usually buy a huge variety. If you get root beer, there's going to be someone who wanted ginger ale instead. If you get Dr. Pepper, there's going to be someone who wanted Diet Dr. Pepper or Mountain Dew. If you get orange soda, someone will ask where the Cherry Coke is. And it's just too much trying to decide how much of each "flavor" to get. LOL!

Plus, we don't typically drink cokes (or sodas, pop, whatever... we're in the south, so, down here, it's all coke) in our house, so I don't want a lot of leftover cokes after a party.

So I just go w/ the basics - Coke, Sprite, Iced Tea, Lemonade, or Water. However, I do purchase the name-brand Coke & Sprite. To me, there is a noticeable difference in taste between an actual Coke & a store-brand cola.

But, back to the original question, no, it wouldn't really bother me if I went to a party & there were only store-brand cokes available - as long as water was available as well.

 

[Bluestars]

It wouldn't bother me at all. A host should be able to serve whatever they want since it's their party. If I hosted a party, I would probably buy name brand unless I was certain the store brand tasted very good.

 

[gotomu212]

What is this party for? If this was an extended family big party it wouldn't phase me. If this was a party for my sons friends I wouldn't because kids can be weird (and mean) about that and the savings isn't worth the embarrassment. I also wouldn't do it for a work function (in the same way I wouldn't bring anything off brand to a work thing).

I buy store brands of lots of things, and it wouldn't bother me if I was offered store brands, but I wouldn't serve them at a party to save 75 cents.

 

[CPanther95]

No. If people are that picky about the soda brand, they will find something else to drink if you have a variety. I prefer Pepsi over Coke, but will still drink Coke at a restaurant (or WDW!) if that's all they have. Store brand soda is the same for me.

If Coke ever comes out with Coke with real sugar (not just for Passover), I'll switch back. Always preferred Coke over Pepsi, but the Pepsi with real sugar leap-frogged the Coke with high fructose corn syrup.

 

[MickeySP]

I think this is true, but they make it different from their name brand, they are made to different specifications. At least that is what I have heard.

Nope the milk they put in his name brand warehouse is the same as the ones they put in store bottles. To retool for a different taste is cost prohibitive

Just think the old coke vs Pepsi challenge, a lot of food marketing is perception.

 

[Disneylover99]

I rib my Canadian friends for living in a nation that puts Mayo on fries, they assure me that's a myth and the majority use ketchup. Thought you were going to give me extra ammo.

Eeeew. Definitely a myth. Hold the mayo, but give me some Swiss chalet sauce for my fries please.

 

[shoney]

Depends what kind of beer you are serving

Store brand soda wouldn't bother me.

 

[lila]

Ha! I was also going to comment I would be a lot more interested in the type of beer you are serving than the soda. Seriously though, it's so gracious of someone to host me, I would be very happy with whatever beverages were offered.

 

[Poohforyou]

Nope the milk they put in his name brand warehouse is the same as the ones they put in store bottles. To retool for a different taste is cost prohibitive

Just think the old coke vs Pepsi challenge, a lot of food marketing is perception.

But milk is completely different from soda, ketchup, peanut butter, etc. A manufacturer can't add something to milk or change the fat ratio and keep the labeling the same.

A manufacturer can add more/different flavoring, sugar, carbonation to a soda to package one as a store brand and another as a national brand.

One more thing, I hate the snob reference. Because I don't like something and would politely decline it if offered to me doesn't make me a snob.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Nope the milk they put in his name brand warehouse is the same as the ones they put in store bottles. To retool for a different taste is cost prohibitive

Just think the old coke vs Pepsi challenge, a lot of food marketing is perception.

I took the old challenge and could definitely tell the difference. So could DH.

 

[Rhie]

Would it bother me? No, its your house and your money. I've done it a few times, myself. But, few people drank it, and I won't drink it, so it ended up being a waste of money in the end. It would have been more economical to just get the coke on sale.

And in the Pepsi vs Coke challenge - and in subsequent studies - most people could in fact tell the difference between Pepsi and Coke. It was a problem for Pepsi because most people preferred the Coke.

 

[King Schultz]

I threw a party a couple weeks ago.

Set up a huge sound system and played a lot Beatles, Stones, Springsteen, etc.

I got a ton of food; I got two kegs of Bass Ale; several bottles of rum, vodka, gin, brandy, whiskey, scotch; various mixers, including grocery store brand cola, tonic water, lemon-lime, strawberry, orange, juices. . .


The raged for hours, and I never heard one complaint.


Of course, I didn't invite anyone but my two dogs, and they only drank water, ate Pup-a-ronis and peed on the sound system.

 

[tvguy]

No difference to me. If you bought Coke, the Pepsi fans might be upset, if you bought Pepsi, the Coke fans might be upset. Store brand is perfect. Our preferred brand is always what is cheapest, followed by RC. Although given a choice between Coke and Pepsi for the same price, I would choose Coke.

 

[PollyannaMom]

...If you bought Coke, the Pepsi fans might be upset, if you bought Pepsi, the Coke fans might be upset...

That's true. People aren't going to agree on which name brand is better anyway, so you might as well please your budget!

 

[RedAngie]

So buy both Coke and Pepsi products for your guests; it doesn't have to be one or the other.

No preference between Coke and Pepsi for me, and yes, I can tell the difference. They're both satisfactory. I wait until one or the other is on sale at a great price and then stock up. For Memorial Day weekend, supermarkets had deals on both, so I bought some of each.

Personally I confine my at-home soda consumption to Coke Zero Cherry, Cherry Diet Pepsi, or Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry. Dr. Pepper is distributed by Coke in this area.