Smart Spending moves to WordPress. Come see our new home
Come along with Mr. Cheapskatin’ as Smart Spending changes addresses. This move won’t cost you a cent.
The latest entry might help you find air fares for spring break and summer travel that won’t leave a hole in the ol’ piggy bank.
Bookmark our new site (http://blogs.ajc.com/smart-spending-blog/) and be sure to sign up for the RSS feed.
Home > Smart Spending > Archives > 2008 > November > 10
Monday, November 10, 2008
(Store) Branded For Life: Going Generic
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For years, decades even, I would reach past the store-brand green beans in the canned vegetable aisle and flip the name-brand option into my cart. The price gap was never much more than a quarter, so why take a chance on an item for which I’d never seen a TV ad?
When Mr. Cheapskatin’ started to take over my soul, I took a flier on the cheaper stuff. You could have knocked me over with a kitchen aroma when I found the difference in taste was negligible.
Sure, it’s green beans, not something whose savoriness we really care about. So I tested various goodies with name recognition and compared them to what once were commonly called generics.
Some (beans, orange juice, frozen chicken) passed my taste test, others didn’t. (Pizza out of a box is bad enough; the store-brand, to me, is indistinguishable in texture from its container.)
What are your favorite and must-avoid foods that carry store brands?
I have found a greater contrast with products such as paper towels and napkins. For me, the store brands tear more easily or soak up less liquids.
Packaging of cheaper goods can be a pain. Some items seem more challenging to open.
Are you a fan of non-edible store brands? If so, whaddaya like most?
The mega-groceries are increasingly rolling out more of their own offerings. Publix has 2,300 choices, Winn-Dixie 1,500.
By some estimates, between 33 and 40 percent of shoppers give it a regular go on the so-called generics. An Information Resources Inc. study determined that about 30 percent considered high-income swallowed their pride and grabbed store brands in the year’s second quarter, up from 20 percent during the first.
The web abounds with one man’s (or woman’s) opinion on best-to-buy and best-to-avoid store brands. Here are [two]:(http://www.squidoo.com/bestgeneric) and (http://notmadeofmoney.com/blog/2007/05/saving-money-by-buying-store-brands-7-products-that-work-for-us.html best/worst).
Others pitch tips on how to decide.
How do you determine whether to sample a store brand? How often do you switch permanently? I think back to all of those quarters I would have saved by chowing down on store-brand green beans. They would have paid for a lot of desserts to wash out the veggies’ taste.
Read other money saving tips at Your Money
.JPG)
-1.JPG)
Services »
