'Name brands' vs. 'Store brands' - what do you buy ?

[+ Alabastrine]

I remember those, too. There was some difference in quality between the branded and no-name black and white cans, but it wasn't a huge divide. So there was a ton of value with the no-name or store-branded ones. Occasionally a few weren't exactly "great" but they were "passable".

[+ Just Chuck]

It's clothing instead of food. But, I've been really happy with some staple clothing items in the "Amazon Essentials" line.  I've picked up some heavyweight t-shirts from them that are super high quality.  The cotton is extremely thick, soft, and smooth.  

[maninsoma]

9 hours ago, Alabastrine said:

I was a dirt-poor college student once, and store-branded products were all I could afford. Depending on the store I was pleasantly surprised with the quality. It also opened my eyes to how overpriced some name brands are. To this day I'm happy with store-brand rice crispies and corn flakes, and found a few store-brand products that are far superior to major brand ones. There are occasional brand-name items that I haven't found store-brand dupes for, so I tend to buy a mix of store and name brand items. Costco's Kirkland stuff is passable, but the best "store brands" I've found so far are HEB, Kroger and Wegman's.

Cereal has to be one of the most ridiculously priced categories in grocery stores.  Even the store brands tend to be overpriced for what they are, but the name brands are absolutely ridiculously priced.  Why should a product that's basically processed wheat, corn, oats or rice cost $8 or more per pound when the cost of the grain is so much less?  At any rate, eating oats is much more healthful and one can get Bob's Red Mill for at least 50% less $$$ at a grocery store (and save even more money at Costco).

[maninsoma]

8 hours ago, JamesB said:

I still remember the "generic" or "no-name" brand trend from the 1980s. Supermarkets and stores offered unbranded, budget-friendly items that came in plain, minimalist packaging, usually just white labels with black text naming the product, like "Beer," "Corn," or "Soap." Surprisingly, some of those products were actually pretty good.

Your post reminds me of the quirky film "Repo Man" which has a lot to recommend it, especially a scene where a very becoming Emilio Estevez is wearing tighty whities.  (Scroll to around 1:30 in the attached video to see him remove his pants.)  At any rate, generic food and drink products like the ones you mention play a prominent roll in several scenes in the movie.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrRN5UZm2Cg

 

 

[+ poolboy48220]

10 hours ago, JamesB said:

I still remember the "generic" or "no-name" brand trend from the 1980s. Supermarkets and stores offered unbranded, budget-friendly items that came in plain, minimalist packaging, usually just white labels with black text naming the product, like "Beer," "Corn," or "Soap." Surprisingly, some of those products were actually pretty good.

True, but the "no-brand" beer was awful. I was into home brewing at the time and I'd buy it just for the bottles, it was cheaper than buying new bottles. I tried it and it had an odd smell than I was finally able to identify as mushrooms. I poured the rest of the case out. 

[samhexum]

3 hours ago, Just Chuck said:

I've been really happy with some staple clothing items in the "Amazon Essentials" line.  I've picked up some heavyweight t-shirts from them that are super high quality.  The cotton is extremely thick, soft, and smooth.