Let it be said once and for all that when it comes to ketchup, no restaurant should mess around with anything but Heinz. Sure, it's all well and good to have premium house-made ketchup but if some people don't want that (and they won't) you better have that classic awkward-pouring glass bottle ready just in case.
There are only a few other food basics that merit such loyalty. Hershey's chocolate syrup, Oreo cookies, Tabasco, Frank's Red Hot Sauce and Sriracha, for instance. Yet in categories where there's no one correct product people still buy name brands over store brands. Is it worth it to spend the extra 50 cents on Jolly Green Giant spinach versus the grocery store's brand?
The financial Web site The Street looked into the question and came up with a surprising conclusion: As the difference in quality between name brands and store brands has declined, the social stigma of buying the cheaper store brand has all but disappeared.
Name brands may be contributing to their own demise by also
producing the cheap store brands in their factories.
Alcoa,In other words, there's nothe maker of Reynolds Wrap Aluminum foil, produces store brand foil.
McCormick produces herbs and spices without its signature label, and
Birds Eye, known for its frozen vegetables, produces a number of frozen
and canned vegetable products.
reason to pay extra for the above products and the savings are no
laughing matter. Store-brand health-and-beauty products are often more
than 50 percent less expensive than the category leader. In the tight-margin
food industry, store brands are still 25 percent cheaper.
Sometimes,
though, there are big differences (such as with Heinz Ketchup and
Hershey's syrup). When in doubt, check the ingredient list:
Store brands that emphasize value may contain cheaper ingredients,(Image via Flickr: Whiskeyboytx)and even when national brands manufacture a different type of product
to be sold as a store brand, they make it to the store's own
specifications, which could mean a change in ingredients.
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coscto kirkland brand won many tests in consumer reports in food and other categories. I have my car and home insurance through costco, buy tires, contacts, electronics,food,and because of my executive membership I get a 2% rebate which covers the cost of said membership and more.aldi is also good and they kicked walmart's ass in europe
Basically, all of your big stores are going to be the ones with the best quality store brands because the store itself is a viable brand. WalMart, Target, Costco, Kroger, Safeway, etc. are all going to demand high quality product to put their store brand label on.
Best Choice sucks because AWG has minimal focus on developing their store brand due to so many different chains of stores pulling from their warehouses. None of those chains are going to help pitch in for the development, so I'm sure AWG doesn't see the point.
You're right about Costco. I just wouldn't make enough purchases to justify a membership.
Target's store brands are usually really good too. They always have something interesting to try.
Store brands like Always Save or Best Choice can be pretty crappy depending on what you're buying. (Best Choice frozen fruit is the pits, for example) But macaroni is macaroni no matter who makes it.
Shop at Aldi, however, and you'll see almost no brands you've ever seen before. Most of it is pretty good stuff, too - I've had almost nothing there I didn't like, including their ketchup. (it's almost as good as Heinz and way cheaper)
Another good place for store brands is Costco. If they have a store brand, it's every bit as high quality as the brand names and costs about a third as much or even less. For less than a 48-pack of Claritin costs at the drug store, you can buy a bottle of 300 at Costco.
As someone else mentioned, it's not unheard of for the brand name manufacturer to also make the off-brand stuff, so in some cases the only difference is the name - literally.
It's always worth a try - just make sure you only buy one the first time you try something. You can stock up if you like it.
Yes, Josh! Last night the bartender at Harlings mixed my Skyy Cherry with Always Save diet cola... it's definitely not the same.
I just can't buy store brand sodas. No matter what, I can't see myself with a can of generic soda rather than a Coke or Sprite.
I'm fine with store brand products in lots of cases...beans, broths, pizza sauce, etc...
The one time I found a store brand that just wasn't worth the savings was when I tried buying pizza dough in a can that was store brand instead of the Pilsbury I usually got. I saved over $1.50, but the dough cooked into a hard, inedible crust for the delicious pizza I planned to eat for dinner. I wound up having to eat tuna salad instead that night. I was pretty peeved about it.
Holla on the Hellman's (or "Best Foods" as it is in most stores outside the midwest).
I despise mayonnaise but I have often heard it said that there is no substitute for Hellman's.
One of the main brands to not deviate from is Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce.
Most of the time, you will find that the brand manufacturer that is also producing the store brand is the number 2 or 3 brand in the category. It makes sense to get into the store brand because while you may cannibalize some of your own business, you're taking more business away from your toughest competition who has the higher selling label.
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