I know that most store brand items are just as good as name brand and are cheaper, but are there some items that you just pay the extra for and buy name brand? I will only buy Clorox bleach. I haven't ever had any bad experiences with store brand bleach but I just always stick with Clorox for some reason. I always buy Pledge for dusting because I think it works better than others I have tried. I don't pay attention to name brands in clothes since I pick most of mine up at consignment and thrift stores. I have noticed that almost all my jeans are Levi's but that is because I found them comfortable. I like certain fragrances and such with health and beauty products but I still tend to buy the cheaper ones. I will only buy Degree deodorant though because I know it works.
Two things spring immediately to mind - Kellog's cornflakes and Tetley teabags. I don't eat cornflakes, but my husband does, and he can tell if he's being served an inferior brand - it can get very embarrassing when we're staying in a hotel! As for tea, I can spot Tetley teabags in the same way that a conoisseur can identify a fine wine. Nothing else will do.
Shoes. You can't cheap on your feet, they take you where you want to go each day. I buy brand name shoes. I posted in another thread about shoes. Besides that I don't care too much about something being brand. We buy Kraft Peanut Butter and I prefer it over a no name brand.
Oh I forgot about Peanut Butter!! My husband is a peanut butter addict and is dead set on Peter Pan. I personally like JIF but I don't really care. If I buy another brand of PB I have to hear him complain about it the whole day or two it takes him to empty the jar. I have to admit that peanut butters do taste a little different by brand. As far as shoes... Yes, I agree with that too. I have bought cheap tennis shoes before and regretted it. I don't care about flip flops or sandals so much but tennis shoes are better if you shell out the big bucks for them.
Now, they don't have to be a brand name for me, but they have to be well made. Since I've bought enough brand name, quality, well made shoes, I think it helps for those moments when I take a chance on a lesser known name. I can tell whether a shoe is constructed properly, how long they will last and what their ultimate purpose should be. Cheap shoes are for a moment in time, not every day use.
Hellman's mayonnaise is what my mom prefers over any generic offbrand, so we always buy that. I prefer name brand tampons/pads. Q-tips and Dove deodorant or preferred, but I'd still buy offbrand of those if I had to or had a coupon for something cheaper.
I would always buy Levi's jeans. I don;t know why buy maybe I got this attitude from my dad. When I was young i never seen him wore jeans that has a different sign on his back pockets. Just that sign by Levis. i just feel good when I am using Levis jeans. It is not the same with shirts. I wear any shirt with or without brands. It is really just the jeans.
Oh my, Tetely teabags are life changing. I also absolutely love them. Got hooked on them while living in the UK, and find a supplier when I am not in the UK. It just tastes so good. The other product I tend to go on brand is chocolate. I love good chocolate and am not willing to compromise on that. But pretty much anything else is good to go - store brand or not, no worries.
Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese. I have tried buying other types of cheeses but Tillamook is the best I have found. It is more expensive but to me it is worth the extra cost.
I don't think there is anything that I wouldn't mind buying generic for as long as it has near the same quality as the brand name. Well I don't think they have generic deodorant but even if they do I will always stick to Old Spice .
I will only buy real Clorox Bleach, and Gain detergent. Maybe its in my head, maybe it isn't, but I really think the generics just don't work as well. I have to use 2 or 3 times as much product to get half the job done. Ugh I hate when that happens. Besides I just really love the way Gain Smells.... the commercial is just oh so dead on right.
OHH I just love Gain. They even came out with a dryer sheet! The last bottle of Gain I bought was the Apple Mango Tango smell... Heavenly. I usually use a powdered detergent that I get from Sears. It is cheap and works really well but I use the Gain on my bedsheets and blankets just so I can smell them while I sleep.
I agree the shoes are something that I don't want to be frugal about. I can't cut back on a lot of things, but please let me have my new shoes. Cheap shoes start to bother me after a while. I will even scale back on food to get those new shoes.
Other than name brand feminine hygiene items, and I've been known to buy store brand if necessary, I am pretty flexible on using store and off brands of other products. I am not that picky. I would prefer to buy name brand of some items like bleach, condiments, personal care items, but I am not too picky.
Brand is only an issue when it comes to occasional, expensive electronics. So when I buy a computer or a television or a console then I care about brand name otherwise what does it matter?
Probably not. I'm trying to think of something where I would opt for the brand instead of the no-name stuff. When I head to the grocery store, I will always choose the cheaper item than the more expensive name brand. I presume the only time I will choose name brand is when it's actually cheaper than the normal stuff, which is hardly ever!
Because I have sensitive skin and have many allergies, I tend to be careful when choosing items that I put on my skin. This includes bath soap and laundry detergent, make-up, lotions and the like. But for everything else, I try to buy whatever is cheaper so long as they give me value for my money. There is no point in buying very cheap if it doesn't even do what its supposed to do.
Toilet paper is one thing that cheap does not work for me. I also do not like generic mayo or peanut butter. I don't like mayo so it has to be top shelf when I have to use it to make potatoe salad or tuna salad. I love peanuts so the peanut butter has to be Jif or Skippy.
Well I have very little in the way of brand loyalty. I used to buy Bounty paper towels only, but I stopped caring, preferring to save. About the only product where I buy a specific brand is Xtra detergent, and that is because it is cheap. That however would not stop me from buying a cheaper store brand.
On every day things like soaps, I don't prefer any name brand or any generic brand, as long as it's a decent quality and cheap to buy. There are certain exceptions though, such as electronics, that I'll buy specific brands.
