Name brand vs. Generic (food)

[wolf_Q]

Yes, this IS a pointless post. I'm bored again..

What food items do you *insist* you get the name brand vs. generic? Ok maybe some of you always get the name brand...but hey, I'm poor, lol, I get whatever we get...I'm always trying to convince my Mom that sometimes the little extra is worth it for the taste!

Macaroni and Cheese...MUST be Kraft.

Ice Cream...the past 2 things of cheaper ice cream I bought (Meadow Gold Cookie Dough, Western Family Cookies n' Cream) were awful....I opened them and it looked like plain vanilla ice cream. Oh the horror!

Pickles. The cheap kind are always mushy and taste funny. Of course, I guess not many eat pickles as snacks like I do...mmm...baby dills....

Cereal. Actually, 90% of the time we get the generic stuff, but I still insist the real brand tastes better for most.

Miracle Whip...it must have that name written on the bottle, none other!

And there will be others I will name when I'm not tired.....actually, for the majority of grocery items I don't care at all if they are generic.

And the point of this was? Nope, sorry, there wasn't a point.

[Kfamr]

Mac n cheese taste good no matter what. Pickles are always yummy...... Err i dunno what to add!

[jenluckenbach]

Now here's a funny one:
I'll buy any generic, or any brand name I have a coupon for, for the most part it's "Whatever".........BUT........I WILL NOT buy generic cat food !!! go figure.

[DoggiesAreTheBest]

jenluckenbach, I too will not buy generic anything for Drake. But will for Andrew and I.

I will buy anything generic provided that the Nutritional Facts are what I am looking for. If the generic is higher in Fat, Calories, and Sodium, then I will buy the real thing. Items I won't buy generic because I don't like the tast: mayonnaise and pickles.

[joycenalex]

i've found the campbells cream of celery and cream of chicken tastes better then the store brands. kraft mac and cheese of course. generic soap powder is okay, generic kitty litter is fine for us, the cats seem to like it. never generic foods for my furry ones! , me maybe, them never!

[Chinadoll]

Yep...HAS to be Miracle Whip I'll buy whatever is cheapest for catsup, regular mayo, bread, mac & cheese, soap powder etc... Come to think of it, I really don't buy name brand anything except for a few items Miracle Whip, Campbell's Soups, Bush's baked beans, KC Masterpiece barbque sauce, and has to be Green Giant cream corn(all the other kinds just have a different taste). Generic is great for my budget right now, but I never buy generic food for any of the critters. I check out all the nutrition labels for the pet foods....you'd think I'd do the same for myself!

[Logan]

I don't know why, but I don't like to buy generic or store brand at the grocery store. Does that make me arrogant or something? I will buy store brand Ibuprophen and Tylenol and that's medicine!! LOL!! Go figure!!! I would never buy generic pet food.

My new husband is trying to work on me.........he likes to buy store brands and save the money. We'll see how far he gets........so far, no dice!

[All Creatures Great And Small]

Hey, food! A subject with which I am WAY too familiar! I have to agree, generic ice cream is horrible. My daughter YLL is a pickle freak, and they have to be baby dills, and they have to be "Milwaukee" pickles, which is a name brand around here. She doesn't like the nice crispy Claussen ones - go figure. Miracle Whip - definitely. YLL used to be hung up on the Kraft Mac n Cheese, but now she's on a Velveeta shells and cheese thing. (I ate so much mac n cheese when I was a kid, I can't even look at it now.) Bread has to be Home Pride white butter top - the generic bread is too soft and spongy. I don't think I buy any generic foods, really, but I ALWAYS buy the generic for medicines or first aid type stuff. I buy generic shampoo for my husband, but for me, it's gotta be the fancy salon brands - I tried the generic versions but they honestly don't work as well, and they smell funky too. I buy them in the huge refill size, which saves money in the long run (price per oz.).

[DoggiesAreTheBest]

Logan, that doesn't make you arrogant. I used to be the same way and Andrew was like Scott. Andrew worked hard enough and got me to change my shopping ways a bit.

[Adge Gibbs]

Everything is name brand now. When I was at Penn State, I was a broke graphic design student and had to eat off brand or generic food.

There is nothing more gross that Puffed Wheat when you really want Sugar Smacks. My mind won't let me get the store brand stuff because I think I subconsciously convince myself that it tastes worse than the name brand stuff.

My dog on the other hand is strange. I started him on Eukanuba and when he decided he didn't like it, I went to Iams small bites and he loves it. He will only eat Alpo and Mighty Dog wet food, even when the more expensive ones are offered.

[Nomilynn]

I will only buy Kraft Dinner, but it does something really funky to my blood sugars. The cheese mix makes them skyrocket, and to eat a regular size bowl of KD I have to take like 25 units of insulin. So I don't really eat it anymore

I will only buy Miracal Whip as well for salad dressing, and Best Foods for mayo. I think that's a hang up from my mom and dad! Also, for other salad dressings, I will only buy Hidden Valley for ranch and Kraft for other flavours. I would get the more expensive stuff because they are yummy, but I can't afford it. But store brand salad dressing is SO gross.

The best pickles are Bicks baby dills with garlic. While I was in Oregon I couldn't get them (don't sell that brand) and I really dislike the Vlasic and Klassen or whatever they are called. They have a weird taste. Then I had some pickles from Fred Meyer - just their store brand - that were SO GOOD!! I drove all the way out to Fred Meyer (over half hour away) just to buy more They were baby dills.

I refuse to buy Wonder Bread. I don't like the smell of it when the bag is first opened.. can't really explain that though!

As for cat food, I buy what they like. They get Iams because they like it, and the vet said it was fine. For their morning treats they get friskies, but it has to be the kind with chunks of meat with gravy or sauce. They don't like the ground up stuff

Oh I also don't like generic pop. I drink diet Pepsi. everything else tastes too watery (like diet coke) or like root beer (store brands)

[sammi]

My mom was always a "Brand Name" person!!LOL
Some generic products are made by brand name places. It all depends on what it is - I have to have Jiff peanut butter! Example if I want canned corn for a veg at a meal I would want Green Giant Nibblets but if it was corn for a hot dish the store brand will do. I don't like store brand cereal either. But, I have found the generic Graham crackers are much better than the name brand! Werid huh? I try generic products and some are as good if not better than name brands and others are a waste of money. (sometimes the generic has more water added) Many times you are just paying for the name.

[NoahsMommy]

Don't worry Logan...I'm a brand snob too! hee hee

I just brought this up (after seeing this thread) to a co-worker and we discussed this. She buys certain things like pain-relievers, baby formula, crackers and lunch meat.

The only thing that I buy that is the store brand are Von's granola bars. Everything else is a brand name....interesting. I have no idea why either...Actually, I WILL buy anything from Whole Foods (organic, healthy food store) with their store brand on it....I sure am strange!

[NoahsMommy]

Originally posted by wolf_Q
Pickles. Of course, I guess not many eat pickles as snacks like I do...mmm...baby dills....

You aren't the only one! I LOVE dill pickes....the baby ones are the best, I agree.

Do you buy the ones that are refrigerated? Those always taste better to me for some reason.

[Kfamr]

While sitting here eating a lunchable... i realized i ate a generic brand one once, it taste and smelt like bleach! Gross! Never again!

P.S. PICKLES ARE THE BEST! My aunt makes AWESOME dill pickles. Sour pickles are the best!!