# Brand name or generic food?



## slyfox (Nov 18, 2007)

Do you mostly eat brand name or generic food?


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## pita (Jan 17, 2004)

Most things I'll buy generic, but there are some items with no decent generic substitute.


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## VCL XI (Jan 19, 2004)

Generic, even if it's gag-worthy because I'm a cheapo. When I was buying my own food, the apartment looked like a set from _Repo Man_.


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## bezoomny (Feb 10, 2007)

It depends. Certain things are better generic than others (Kroger cheese is like the best ever, own-brand oatmeal is really just fine). Other things I have an emotional attachment to the label (my cereal - Cracklin' Oat Bran is dead expensive but I buy anyway because it's the cereal my grandmama would give me when we stayed at her house).


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

Almost all the food I buy is generic. People often look down on generics, but where do you think they come from? They're made by the same companies that make the brand names, with the only difference being what name is put on the package. I'd rather not pay extra for a brand name when a generic is equally good in most cases.

I only buy brands when they're on sale for less than the generic or it's only of the few products where the generic version actually isn't as good as the brand.


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## copper (Nov 10, 2003)

I will buy both generic and brand name. If the brand name is on sale and is cheaper then generic I will buy it. I look out for the buys.


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## Fairyxo (Jan 28, 2009)

Brand names like Heinz and the like every, single time. It is very rare that I willl like something that isn't branded, and believe me, i've had my fair share of generics in the past and most were horrible.


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## shyvr6 (Feb 18, 2008)

I found myself buying a lot more generic items lately since they are a little cheaper.


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## WineKitty (Nov 26, 2004)

Both. Depends on the item and price. Kroger brands are actually very good and in most cases indistinguishable from the brand name.


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## OneIsALonelyNumber (Mar 28, 2005)

I voted brand name but I should have voted both... I buy a lot of Kroger stuff too.

In general, if it's a choice between a brand name and Acme generic, I'll buy the brand name, for two reasons. First, the brand name has something to lose if the product get contaminated with metal fillings or salmonella, so I would hope the brand name would be safer. Second, I would hope the brand name would be a higher quality. I remember buying generic canned vegetables, once... never again


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## Freedom2010 (Jan 29, 2009)

Mostly brand name. I'm a pretty picky eater.


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## nubly (Nov 2, 2006)

both. i buy my groceries at wal-mart. i'll usually choose the generic brands


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## slyfox (Nov 18, 2007)

Both. If I see a generic subsitute, I'll usually try it. There are some generics I don't like the taste of. I've not been a big fan of generic soups, for example. Kroger brand is the most common generic that I eat.


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## fauxhawk (Oct 26, 2008)

I've never experimented with generic foods before. The places I shop don't even sell them.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

I actually go to a grocery store that has their own distribution center. They have different brand names for the many products they sell. Of course they are all under one company, but I save a TON of money.

They have a box of Honey Bunches of Oats Wannabe :lol that would go for $4.29 a box. At this store, called Aldi, I get an additional ounce or two and only pay $1.89. It is stuff like that where everything adds up.

I can get a box of chicken (big pieces with a LOT of meat) for $4.49, where it would cost $6.99 for a name brand where the chicken is smaller. I think it is the lack of a middleman.


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## hyacinth_dragon (Dec 28, 2008)

I buy whatever looks good at the Copps across the street.


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## Amocholes (Nov 5, 2003)

I buy very little processed food. What I do buy is usually the store brand.


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## copper (Nov 10, 2003)

millenniumman75 said:


> IThey have a box of Honey Bunches of Oats Wannabe :lol that would go for $4.29 a box. At this store, called Aldi, I get an additional ounce or two and only pay $1.89. It is stuff like that where everything adds up.


Aldi's does have a version of that cereal. I love that cereal. I wish we had an Aldi's up here. The closes Aldi's is down toward Green Bay right over the border, but it is a three hour drive to get there. They never get any stores that I want here, like the Steve and Berry store in the mall, which ended up closing anyways. That use to be where the Kmart was.


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## ThisGuyRightHere (Apr 28, 2008)

i have no problem buying generic. if there are both options and the generic is a very similar product then i'll buy the generic. however some generic stuff i cannot handle like some of that 99 cent store turkey or ham for sandwiches. that stuff can be very sketchy.


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## CopadoMexicano (Aug 21, 2004)

I eat both generic and brand name


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## huh (Mar 19, 2007)

I buy whichever is cheapest. Sometimes the stuff I like isn't cheap though. It probably doesn't help that I cannot cook very well.


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## kenny87 (Feb 22, 2009)

sometimes both taste the same, sometimes they taste different and the generic may have its on little unique taste( not necessarily better) that taste pretty good so I say both, really depends on what I am looking at.


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## Cypress (Dec 17, 2008)

Both. I'll try the generic brand of anything, and if I find it tolerable I will purchase it to save money. There are certain things that fail generically though


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## IllusionalFate (Sep 10, 2008)

Boxed foods (cereal/snacks) = always brand name
Milk, juice, and a lot of other drinks = generic most of the time


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## solasum (Nov 17, 2008)

I'm pretty cheap and buy the generic. But Whole Foods has amazing food.... :sigh:


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## Drella (Dec 4, 2004)

I typically purchase brand name items. I bought off brand toaster pastries once, on a whim, and quickly realized how good I had it before (i.e. the week prior, during which I had a box of delicious, decadent s'mores Pop Tarts in my pantry). After the withdrawal finally subsided, I managed to drive myself -shivering and hallucinating, with stomach groaning in despondence- back to the store to buy some real food. And I haven't looked back.


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## Aurora (Feb 27, 2009)

If I had a choice when we go shopping, Id buy the cheapest, but my bf likes what he likes and thats it and then our shopping bill skyrockets. grr.


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## rumjungle (Feb 13, 2009)

I get most of the generic brands from Aldi's..they seem to be just as good quality wise. Only concession I make is for Nescafe instant coffee sachets...have yet to try a generic brand that actually tastes good.


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## Hot Chocolate (Sep 29, 2008)

Both. But most of the times is brand.


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## ncislover (Mar 8, 2009)

whoever said that brands and generics are the same...um no. a great deal of them are not....i have experimented...dollar general cookies do not NOT NOT compare to Keebler....same with cereal and mac and cheese.


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## copper (Nov 10, 2003)

ncislover said:


> whoever said that brands and generics are the same...um no. a great deal of them are not....i have experimented...dollar general cookies do not NOT NOT compare to Keebler....same with cereal and mac and cheese.


Generic cookies are disgusting. They got that distinct shortening taste.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

I frquently a shop that has its own distributor. No middleman means cheaper prices.


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## Iced Soul (Jan 28, 2009)

Both. I'll buy generic items if they taste pretty much the same and are cheaper. A lot of items I just can't buy generic, like Cheerios, Ocean Spray Cranberry juice, and the like. Just because I've grown up with it, it tastes better a lot of the time, and I think any other brand just isn't right.
Generic cheese, it tastes like oil or plastic and a lot of time won't melt no matter what you do. It's like super cheese.
Generic crackers sometimes taste like paper.
Generic cookies taste funny, like they were made with cheap ingredients.


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## Phibes (Mar 8, 2009)

yeah, it really depends what food you're getting. I find that some generic brands taste better than the more expensive brand names but on the flip-side, sometimes the cheapo generics taste bad.
When it comes to sultanas for instance, it's pretty safe to assume that the generic ones will be just as good as brand named sultanas because after all, they're just sultanas  

I buy both =]


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## Shauna The Dead (Jun 16, 2005)

both, probably half and half


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## ericj (Jun 20, 2007)

I don't even know what all is generic or name brand anymore (no TV and not reading the ads in the mail will do that to you)... As I recall, most of the stuff at the store I go to is name brand, but there are some items that I really couldn't say with certainty is one or the other. Beyond that, this store stocks very few items where you have more than one choice.

I eat so little at home that most of my food comes from mass distributors used by the shops I frequent.

I'll guess "both", though.


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