Other than the basics like flour, sugar, pasta, etc, I prefer certain name brands of food items. And I find that cleaning and laundry products are not as effective when they are a generic brand.

I've been washing my face with Cetaphil gentle cleanser for about thirty years. I've actually found many generics to be BETTER than the original.

I am not a fan of generic detergents.

I tend to buy brands.

I will try generics and I'd say it's a toss up as to whether they are "close to" equal or not. I agree with you about the swiffer pads. I have tried the store brand (actually more than one) and the name brand is way superior. I had mentioned in another post that the Swiffer Pet one is outstanding and I don't even think there are store brands for that one. Well worth the $.

I find that some store brands for food items such as dairy in particular are interchangeable with the name brands.

I usually buy a brand name, but I have tried some store brands that are fine. Publix for example has their organic line, Greenwise. I like the English abreakfast tea.

At least you tried it, it could have been a winner.

I've developed brand loyalty for some items, but certainly not for every product. I'm almost always willing to give a cheaper product a try. I'm thinking of my favorite discount grocery store, which specializes in buying up pallets of over-runs or about-to-expire products. I read the label and try one can or box, and if it passes muster I'll buy more. Saves a little bit of money but the downside is once the particular pallet is gone, you might never see that product again. So for me it's more about the adventure of discovering something new than about saving money on a generic.

This is true of most 'generics' Annie. They are made by the same companies as their named brands but money on advertising isn't imposed on the products so they are less expensive. It is rare I am sorry I purchased a generic brand. The worst offender was butter YEARS ago. I haven't tried it again. so maybe there have been improvements. There are levels of 'unbranded' products. There's the store brand and then for somethings there's a product under that in price and ugly packaging. I don't often venture that far down but the times I have I can't say I've noticed a quality difference. There are just somethings that can't be ruined it seems. I LOVE generic canned beans like black beans/kidney etc. When I am making dips and salsa the smaller beans really work better for snackers, staying on the chips etc. we have found.

I do a lot of my shopping at Aldi which has few 'name brands' so by default I buy generics there. I rarely buy beef or pork because we raise our own beef and buy whole or half hogs from a local farmer.

There are few name brands that I'm loyal to with the exception of alcohol although like Annie said many of Kirkland branded liquor is made by the same distilleries as are name brands. I can't tell any difference between Crown Royal and the Kirkland brand Canadian whiskey except in price.

I only use brand name laundry detergent, but not always the same brand. For fruit juices, name brands are best, cost twice as much, but...OK.

I don't like generic canned vegetables.

It just depends on the product. I bought some wet generic swifter refills and didn't like them, but tried another generic brand and do like them. Laundry detergent, fabric softener, dishwasher detergent is name brand. I bought the generic dishwasher detergent from Aldi's one time in a pinch and it didn't clean the tea stains from my glasses. . My go to general cleaning product is a generic, Awesome from the dollar tree. The past 2 years I've had a hard time finding cleaning or liquid hand soap products without anti-viral/bacteria properties and had to use generic. It was hit or miss, mostly hit. Food - I'm loyal to certain products others I've found I prefer the generic.

I agree it depends on the product. In general I will buy brand names though, because in general I can see, feel, or taste the difference.

I am grateful to have reached the point in my life where I can buy brand name toilet paper. :)

For most products I stick to brand names and they tend to be items that I've used for years and are reliably consistent - Bounty, Hellman's, Heinz, Tide, Dawn, Prego, OTC medicines, EEVO, certain favorite soups etc.

DH always buys the drug store brand of aspirin or antibiotic cream.

I would probably try more store or generic products but often lack consistency - The ingredients may change in an effort to keep the price lower which may change the taste or quality.

Oddly, I just switched from Bounty to Kirkland for paper towels. The Bounty rolls feel less densley packed and I have to change the roll more often.

Whole Foods used to have some WFM branded boxed cookies I liked, but that seems to no longer be the case.

For cleaning supplies, I stick to brands. Method, Persil, Bon Ami are my go-tos.

I buy Kirkland Ibuprofen. But most other OTCs are brand names.

In the food department, flour, butter, eggs, milk, usually branded, except in Austin. All the brand name milk available here is ultra pasteurized, so I buy the store brand.

For spices I buy in bulk from the grocer, or go to Penzey's. I cannot stand the expense/quality ratio of McCormicks and their ilk.

Like many of you, I have learned that the branded product is oftentimes better than the store brand. The exception to that, for us anyways, is that Kirkland products are often quite excellent as a general rule. Kirkland Vodka!

We also really like the Aldi brands; their dairy products are so delicious.

Sparkle paper towels and bounty napkins FINELY brought back prints. Yea. I don't care what they cost or if they don't work as well or do work as well. I'm so sick of the white paper towels and napkins. I hope they bring back the holiday prints.

I'm fine with generic vodka but won't touch generic gin. I prefer Cointreau or Grand Marnier to Triple Sec for orange liqueur.

Kevin will buy Canadian Club whiskey but prefers Tullamore D.E.W. Irish whiskey, which I only use when I make an Irish whiskey pie. I think you can use either to make Irish coffee, if you happen to drink coffee.

I buy frozen vegetables rather than canned, and I don't pay attention to whether I buy generic or name brand frozen vegetables.

I avoid generic ink for my fountain pens and tend to buy the most expensive inks, as I can notice the difference. A bottle of ink lasts me a long time anyway.

I tend to always buy brand names. Occasionally i will buy frozen store brand vegetables for use in veg soups though and cannot tell a difference. Publix has some decent quality. Same with their sour cream and cream cheese if I am mixing it with something else.

I am also a converted Kirkland paper towel fan.

I buy several Kirkland/Costco products and find those good. It can be a little hit and miss on some of the others. When we were Fred Meyer shopping for my mother every week (familiar packaging was important to her) I'd begun buying their frozen microwavable bag vegetables. Their peas (Kroger) for $1 were really very good! Cream, half and half, cream cheese too and I'll buy Safeways store brand in those also.

I'm somewhat brand faithful when it comes to cleaning and laundry. I think what I'm finding is I'm willing to sometimes try the generic - occasionally I'm disappointed. We did discover though when quickly throwing together hot food following family clam digging at SILs beach house...the generic 'texas toast' cheese toasts were every bit as good as the name brand and much more budget friendly when serving several.

I absolutely buy everything dairy Kroger brand. But that's because the Kroger dairy is located a county away, and everything is super fresh.

Other than that it just depends. Name brand is not better at everything. Although sometimes there's no replacement. I cannot name a better dish detergent that's gets rid of oily things than Dawn. It's also great oil spot cleaner for clothes.

Kirkland paper towels here, too. We also like their 2% milk, but not their eggs. (Who started the myth that brown shell eggs are superior to white shells?) As for alcohol...have you ever tasted Kirkland whiskey? They can't think that anyone's going to buy that twice, even if they've stopped stocking Jack Daniel's. The gin is OK in a long drink, but not a martini. I buy only Tide granular, but not in Costco bulk. I buy Kleenex, not Kirkland tissues. Bon Ami is my only 'scouring' product.

I only buy Salonpas brand 4% lidocaine pain patches, even if I do get them from Amazon.

We use few Swiffer-type products (landfill), but grocery store brand is fine. I'll dust, then use the same 'cloth' for the floor. <cheap-cheap>

I'm llso happy to be 'rich enough' to buy better toilet paper; Northern 3-ply quilted 'mega' rolls here. (Not that I'm happy to spend a dollar a roll!)

Something to be aware of is that companies that make generics might use different standards for those than their name brands. It is the same across the board with manufacturing companies. If they have competing brands the cheaper ones are more cheaply made most of the time.

I do not use generic laundry products or dishwashing products. They definitely have less of the operative ingredients so are not as effective. I tried Kirkland laundry detergent but decided I might as well leave out the detergent and just use water for all the effect it had. My clothes don't tend to be very dirty.

I prefer certain food brands for taste, I don't find generics to be inferior in quality usually, just different. I buy very little packaged food however. I am a scratch cook. I dont find that flour brands matter or sugar or such. I buy Clabber Girl baking powder because my Grannie did but I dont find the competing brands to be any different when I cant find it. It just makes me think of her anytime I need to use some. I don't use throwaway dusting or floor cleaning products. I use cotton cloths that I wash or fabric dusting cloths.

I spend as little as possible for single use throw-away items like paper towels (I use those rarely anyway), paper napkins, facial tissues. I have found that some name brand toilet tissue is not worth the money - practically dissolving on my fingers - I found a brand at Aldi that I like, or else I buy Scott (not from Sam's Club though, that was markedly inferior to the purportedly same Scott paper from the grocery!).

I also use washable cloths on my Swiffer mop, with a spray wood floor cleaner or vinegar water.

I buy store brand frozen vegetables and don't find lesser quality than the big names. I did think that the "no-brand" green beans can have more stems and be too mature/tougher though.

I agree about store brand dairy. I used to only buy a name brand non-fat or low-fat sour cream, for better taste and texture, but Kroger has improved theirs so now I buy their version.

I prefer Coca-Cola, but with it running $3+ per 2 liter bottle, I am content with Kroger's brand - it doesn't taste the same, but it satisfies the cola craving, and I actually prefer it to Pepsi.

I will almost always buy the Kirkland brand. We don’t get their liquor here. I quit buying their toilet paper when they changed. During the pandemic I started buying a lot of HEB brands, we like a lot of them better.

I mostly buy brand names but I do buy Aldi and Trader Joe's products. My husband likes their cereals better than the famous brands.

Like some others have said it depends on the item. I don’t mind Walmarts equate generic brands like for Excedrin, but I usually buy name brand foods.

I noticed for years that most plain graham crackers are taste nothing like they used to. Nabisco products seem to be especially bad now. I recently discovered Walmart's Great Value gingersnaps. So bought a box of their graham crackers to try. Took me straight back to snack time in kindergarten. I find a lot of Walmart products to be better than the name brands. Sunnyside Farms is an off brand that supplies products to Raley's/Nob Hill/Lucky's. Their dairy products are really good. The cottage cheese is outstanding and the ice cream beats Nestle's (Dreyers) by a mile. Safeway has good sliced sourdough, as well as other bread products.

I do stick to brand names for mayo (Best Foods), most sausage and deli meat products and laundry products.

I should add specifically, that I have been super pleased with Aldi's brand. Very good quality.

We have always been an only Hellmann's household but after hearing enough suggestions for Aldi's brand mayo ( Burman's) we tried it and we have been buying it ever since. I have also bought some extras to give to my disbelieving family - suggesting they try it and they've all been buying it since.

DH is the mayo fanatic in our household, and he says it's not 100% identical but only when he does a back to back taste test can he discern a difference. Since we don't usually have 2 mayonnaise jars to test, we're happy with the Aldi's Burman brand and hardly ever buy Hellmann's .

Thanks for the heads up wildchild. I switched to Aldi Grahams years ago because Nabisco is 'Dairy'. I no longer feel mild guilt for not buying the name brand I grew up with.

Once I bought off brand wax paper and it was SO thin I stick to name brand for not only wax paper but aluminum foil too. There is a house brand around Chicago area 'Signature Select' that offers low sodium cottage cheese. Only type I will buy now.

what about Crayola Crayons? No other company has the same quality.

Sure - some generics are good, some are horrible. Live and learn. Some store house brands (Kirkland or President's Choice) are as good - or better - than name brands, and others: no so much. You never know until you try. I buy a mix of name brand, off brand, and generic/discount brands. Walmart's house brand makes the absolute best potato chips, but I got some of their house brand mustard once and threw it out as soon as I could replace it with a bottle of French's.

Yes, I agree with TV in that it's a mix. I do have some GV mustard that I just bought and so far, my husband hasn't said it was gross and I know he would say something. There are some generics that I always buy and some name brands that I always buy. I buy the generic Member's Mark TP that's from Sam's Club that we feel like it's the best as far as what we like in a TP. The brand name rolls are now very skinny and we don't like that. Tried generic paper towels and they are terrible! We don't have a Costco so we can't try them...supposed to be good. Brand name coffee all the time! The list is too long to mention. I am open to trying the store brand of things.

I buy generic and store brand items if they're as good or better than name brands. You never know what you're missing if you aren't willing to try new things. There are some brand name items that aren't replaceable. Jif peanut butter is one, because there isn't one I like better and it's made in my hometown and always has been

I agree with Rob333, Kroger has the best dairy products. Their cottage cheese is the only dairy product of theirs that I don't care for, but everything else is very good.

I tend to be resistant to marketing, so I'm not particularly loyal to name brands, but rather look for best value and quality for the lowest price, whatever the brand.

Oh boy! Gingersnaps! We're addicted to Stauffer's SNAPS, a brand I found at Heinen's. They have real ginger, molasses, cinnamon, cloves -- and chili powder and red pepper! No corn syrup or artificial flavoring. (They are a little hard on your front teeth, straight out of the lined bag.)

Actually, the toilet paper/paper towels thing made me smile.......I love and was a regular buyer of Who Gives A Crap (recycled) toilet paper, but I tried their (bamboo) paper towels once and they were atrocious. I didn't even like lining my bird cage with them. It took me forever to use up those rolls in a way that didn't annoy me (they crunched like tissue paper). I highly recommend their toilet paper though -- direct purchase and home delivery, no plastic in the packaging, and they donate 50% of their profits.

Unfortunately, they are no longer delivering Who Gives A Crap to Canada, and I have to use different recycled toilet paper until they fix their supply chain problems.

It makes perfectly good sense that cooked or processed items of a given "type" can have a different process or recipe or flavor that someone likes better. But when comparing identical items, I've never encountered a generic that seemed to be of equal or higher quality than a brand. Which is mostly why I don't bother with them, few seem up to par and the cost savings doesn't matter to me.

Other than a few Kirkland items which receive a fair amount of internet attention being allegedly produced by the same company that makes a major brand type, can anyone cite examples of several Kirkland products that are up to snuff?

My experience with Kirkland items is that many are of lower quality. A quick example is pistachio nuts. They sell their version at an attractive price. When compared to the brand Wonderful that's available in stores, the Kirkland variety my wife has picked up a few times are smaller and less fresh tasting. Bordering on stale.

Right about Walmart's Great Value gingersnaps. They are about 1/3 price of Nabisco too. I buy lots of Aldi brands, no problems. The only thing I really insist on is Heinz ketsup. Others are watery.

RE: Kroger dairy, particularly cheese. When we moved here (Ohio) from San Diego, lots of things tasted noticeably different to us. One big improvement was that I no longer had to buy jugs of filtered drinking water.

However, my DD (8 years old at the time) hated the taste of the milk here, until we got some from Kroger. Cheese was another item - I bought our 3 favorite varieties of store brand cheese from a few stores and had a taste test (with DD and myself) and we agreed - we liked Kroger's best for all 3.

We have a well and a septic system. I only buy Scott brand toilet paper. I prefer Bounty paper towels.