[sisenor]

So I shop store brands pretty often but I've never really understood the whole story. I've seen a note on a bottle of something *don't remember what* that said they don't produce store brands. So that means some name brands do produce store brands? Are there also generic factories??

Thanks

 

[Uncle Erik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sisenor /img/forum/go_quote.gif So that means some name brands do produce store brands? Are there also generic factories??

Yes. A lot of in-house products come from the same factories as name brand products. They just put a different label on it before shipping. It's not just with food, either. A lot of clothing is done the same way. High-end premium clothes are made side-by-side with the value brands.

All the marketers know that a lot of people will only buy the "best," so they put a fancy label on and mark it up.

It always pays to try the store brand once for each product. If you don't notice much difference keep buying it.

Oh, and headphones and electronics, too.

You'll find the same drivers across the line with some headphone manufacturers. And some high-end CD players are the same guts (more or less) in a fancier case. It always pays to do your homework. Top end models might win bragging rights, but they're not always much different from less expensive models.

Marketers trade a lot on prestige. People often confuse that with a high price tag. That's why you'll see so many discussions here where people talk about needing a "$1,000 source," as if a thousand bills has a sound signature or build quality. Do your homework. There's more parity between goods than most will admit or would even be comfortable knowing.

 

[sisenor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes. A lot of in-house products come from the same factories as name brand products. They just put a different label on it before shipping. It's not just with food, either. A lot of clothing is done the same way. High-end premium clothes are made side-by-side with the value brands. All the marketers know that a lot of people will only buy the "best," so they put a fancy label on and mark it up. It always pays to try the store brand once for each product. If you don't notice much difference keep buying it.

But, why then would there be any difference?

 

[mark2410]

well there always are differences, one example i know of is a whisky distiller when they sell on a cask of their single malt they add one shot of a whisky from one of their other distillerys so it then cannot be labelled as being single origin.

they will always do something even if its small to make sure the products are different

 

[limpidglitch]

Same with L'Oréal/Kérastase, many of the products a near identical, except label, scent and price.

 

[NiceCans]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sisenor /img/forum/go_quote.gif But, why then would there be any difference?

Sometimes when a manufacturer sells a generic/store-brand line they are simply selling off over-runs (stock made in excess of the quantity needed for their brand-name),
other times they are selling 'seconds' (stock that does not quite meet Quality Control standards for the brand-name, but is still perfectly fine to use/consume . . . i.e.- the whole cashews go in the name-brand can, the broken pieces go in the generic cans).

 

[darkangel9685]

ahh something i know a little about

store brands, as explained above, is simply extra product or product that didn't make QC standards of the name brand.

Example, a box of Kraft Mac & cheese and a box of store brand. Both are exactly the same! I seen it, I know

Most ofthe big food companies provide store label products, with the notable excepion being Frito-Lay/Pepsi

I'll post more later, gotta go to work

 

[Uncle Erik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sisenor /img/forum/go_quote.gif But, why then would there be any difference?

Because some people will pay more for the exact same thing.

It's not spare capacity, stuff that didn't meet QC, etc., it's exactly the same thing in most cases.

Again, people will pay more for the same exact thing.

Manufacturers don't just go after the high end or low end. They want the entire end. They know that "value" packaging won't even be considered by some people because it's too "cheap" or they assume that only "defective" or "low quality" product goes into the store/off brands.

Look, there just isn't that much QC on a bottle of ketchup or something like that. It's the same thing. They just have two different sets of bottles. One bottle for people who pay for "the best" and another that they can sell for a price the low-end consumers will pay.

You have no idea how much this happens. Most of the "luxury" market is a total fabrication, only designed to separate people from as much money as possible.

Don't think it's any different with audio, either. A lot of what's out there is a $300 design in a $3,000 box.

 

[Drag0n]

Like Shanling.... You can get the same exact CD Player in another brand.
Its the same player. I cant remember the name now...ummm, whatever, but its the same player. If i remember ill edit this...lol.

 

[beerguy0]

I've had mixed experience with store brands. Sometimes they are the same as a name brand, but more often they are not. I rarely buy them, just because it's such a crapshoot. Example: I have dry skin in the winter, so I usually use a light moisturizer. I once tried a store brand that was supposed to be exactly the same as the name brand (right down to the packaging). I broke out in red bumps after using it one time. Obviously, they were not the same product, even though the ingredient list was identical.

Our local supermarket chain (Wegman's) is increasingly replacing name brands with their store brand. Some of it's OK, (they have some pretty good pasta sauces) but much of the rest is crap. My wife buys their stuff sometimes, but we usually wind up not liking it and going back to the name brand. Some store brand stuff, like ketchup, just doesn't taste as good as Heinz or Hunt's.

It's also interesting how men and women differ in their shopping habits. Men tend to be brand-loyal, while women tend to be more value-oriented. For instance, I like certain brands of tomato products for cooking. My wife usually buys whatever is cheaper, unless I specify that I want Muir Glen tomatoes for my salsa. And yes, there is a difference.

 

[krmathis]

I buy quite a lot of store grands as well.
Simply because most of it is up there, or at least really close, quality wise with generic brands, for often down to or below 1/2 the price.

 

[mr_baseball_08]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes. A lot of in-house products come from the same factories as name brand products. They just put a different label on it before shipping. It's not just with food, either. A lot of clothing is done the same way. High-end premium clothes are made side-by-side with the value brands.

I'm going to go ahead and just disagree a bit on this one. I'm not sure if Gap jeans are made in the same factory as Walmart Wrangler's but I can sure as hell tell you the two fit a lot differently! Same for Ralph Lauren polo shirts vs. Saddle Creek polo shirts. You can buy both at Belk/JC Penney/etc but for my body type, Polo fits perfectly where the Saddle Creek doesn't fit well at all.

My experience may be different from others, but when it comes to clothing, food, computer parts, etc, I buy what fits best, tastes best, and works best. More often than not, these things are usually "name brand." If I have to pay more for a product that suits me better, than so be it. I don't see the point in sacrificing quality of life to save an extra couple of bucks that I'm not going to be able to take with me after all is said and done.

 

[tintin47]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sisenor /img/forum/go_quote.gif So I shop store brands pretty often but I've never really understood the whole story. I've seen a note on a bottle of something *don't remember what* that said they don't produce store brands. So that means some name brands do produce store brands? Are there also generic factories?? Thanks

You are thinking of listerine. It is just another attempt to make their brand name stand out.

 

[craiglester]

For most foods, I can't tell a diffence.. so it makes sense to buy the strore brand I guess.

For other stuff.. it can vary tremendously. I never skimp on anything I want to last more than a year. Electronics, I get the best I can afford, but I always research first.
Generally the in store brands for TVs etc aren't that great, they're like old stock, or older generations of tech.

But tinned tomatoes.. eh save a few pennies, save up for some nice headphones.

 

[darkangel9685]

we carry 3 types (labels) of store brands - America's Choice, Hartford Reserve, and Health Pride/Savings Plus

Hartford Reserve is positioned as the "premium" offering. These are exact duplicates of say, Planter's Nuts and Eight O' Clock coffee. Pricey, usually priced just under the national brands.

America's Choice is the most common. Usually about .50 - $1.00 (sometimes more) cheaper than the nationals. the ingredient list can be identical, but more often than not it isn't, using cheaper goods and chemicals than the nationals. Seriously! A can of pringles has about 6 or 7 ingredients, while the America's Choice version has about 25! Scary!

Health Pride (HBC items) and Savings Plus (everything else) are just crap. Dirt cheap, prob didn't pass QC for the nationals or something.

I'm in charge of pricing all this crap, and you wouldn't believe the price margin on private label vs nationals....