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House brand product
 

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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC

1/10/13 10:21 AM

House brand product

I'm always a bit leery of house brand products. No, not about their safety. Not even too much about their quality, which are usually not too bad considering they usually cost a tiny bit less. It's the idea a retail store competing directly (in price) against the brand name they're carrying... many product even have packaging closely resembling the brand name one, and usually placed on the shelf RIGHT NEXT to the brand name product they undercut!

On principle, I really don't like that very last part! If only because I've bought a couple of them by mistake due to the direct imitation of packaging!!! What I never quite understand is the reaction of the brand owner. Or the lack of reaction, that is. For years and years, many of my favorite brand name products sit next to their store brand imitator on the shelf...

But this week, I notice something even worse. One obscure item had been discontinued from one of the store chain. In its place are now store brand item, AT THE SAME PRICE as the brand name item it used to cost!!! So I guess once they succeeded in driving the brand name under, the store can price at the same price. So whatever "saving" the store brand used to offer, is now no more.

Granted, most of these are "commodity" kind of items I'm talking about, toilet paper, soap, cosmetics etc, where the difference between different brand are small to immaterial, and to a large degree PERSONAL. But if this trend continues to its eventuality, there will be no brands but store brands. And no difference to suit personal preferences.

Anyone care about it enough to comment?

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sandiway
Joined: 15 Dec 2003
Posts: 4902
Location: back in Tucson

1/10/13 10:48 AM

vote with your feet

Hi April,

You can just vote with your feet if the store doesn't give you choices. I'm sure some other store will be happy to carry that name brand you so desire.

Sandiway

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Wheels
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 1160
Location: Needham, MA

1/10/13 11:16 AM

Main vs Store Brands

I have no problem buying store/generic brands if the quality is there, but not all the time the quality/taste is there. The generic brands are typically much less expensive, but sometimes not. In some instances, I think the generic brand is better than the main brands as far as taste or function.

Also, I don't think the store/generic brands go on sale as much as the main brands. When the main brands are on sale, they are typically less expensive.

Main brands will never go away. Too much goes into advertising for them. Also, main brands pay for shelf space, which is a revenue for the store chain.

Also you claim that the store brand is an "imitator" of the main brand. Realize that many of the main main brands are made in the same manufacturing plant as the store brand, on the same line, with the same raw materials. The packaging may be different as and the QC. For example a Main brand may not allow its product to go out with a crooked label or something like that, whereas the store brand may be a little more lenient.

I really don't understand what your gripe is. If you, and others, keep choosing to buy the main brands, they will keep being made.

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Andy M-S
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3377
Location: Hamden (greater New Haven) CT

1/10/13 11:43 AM

I miss generics.

I mean REAL generics. When I was in college there was a co-op grocery store that I used to go to that had everything in plain white packages with a dark blue or black bar and the name of the product printed in uppercase sans-serif bold. I bought lots of pasta and soup and cheese that way and it was great. But I think my favorite package, though not product, was a can of BEER.

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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC

1/10/13 1:24 PM


quote:
Hi April,

You can just vote with your feet if the store doesn't give you choices. I'm sure some other store will be happy to carry that name brand you so desire.


Sandiway, I did. But it took some digging around to find another chain that carries the "real thing".

This time, it works for me since there're more than one chain in NYC. But where my other house in the sticks, there's only 1 store in 20 mile radius!


quote:
I really don't understand what your gripe is. If you, and others, keep choosing to buy the main brands, they will keep being made.

You already know exactly what my grip is: we'll have to keep buying main brands or they'll go away! (and the house brand will then be just as expensive as the name brand)

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sandiway
Joined: 15 Dec 2003
Posts: 4902
Location: back in Tucson

1/10/13 2:34 PM

re: there's only 1 store in 20 mile radius!

Sounds like you are in Walmart Supercenter territory!

Sandiway

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JohnC
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 1939
Location: Glastonbury, Ct

1/10/13 3:19 PM

Generics

Brand-name products won't disappear. Advertising works, people have brand loyalty, etc.

Andy, I miss those "generic" things, too. "BEER" is amusing.

On a trip to Scotland, I bought house-brand (the term there is "own brand") single-malt whisky at a co-op supermarket chain. Wasn't bad.

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PLee
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 3712
Location: Brooklyn, NY

1/10/13 3:26 PM

Generics


quote:
On a trip to Scotland, I bought house-brand (the term there is "own brand") single-malt whisky at a co-op supermarket chain. Wasn't bad.


And Marks & Spencer Food Halls carry individual glasses of red and white wine. Not bad.

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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC

1/10/13 3:38 PM


quote:
re: there's only 1 store in 20 mile radius!

Sounds like you are in Walmart Supercenter territory!

Surprisingly, there aren't any Walmart superstores either. It's just not many stores, period!

There're 2 big cluster of shopping places (mall + big box stores) within about 20 miles of me (30 miles from one mall to the other). And in each mall, there's only 1 store of each kind.

(I take it back. The Danbury mall have just about all the chain stores there is in the northeast. Still, it's a good 20 miles from the house. The "local" store is much smaller and only 1 of each type, no competition)

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sandiway
Joined: 15 Dec 2003
Posts: 4902
Location: back in Tucson

1/10/13 3:42 PM

internet groceries?

April,

I haven't (since I have 6 supermarkets within 10 mins of me here out in the desert plus one Chinese supermarket within 20 mins) but have you tried internet groceries?

Sandiway

P.S. Actually, scratch one, the Whole Foods is closed for renovation...

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daddy-o
Joined: 12 Apr 2004
Posts: 3307
Location: Springfield

1/10/13 4:41 PM

Whole Foods = whole check

Don't get me wrong, it's a nice store.

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dddd
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3345
Location: NorCal

1/10/13 5:23 PM

I look for our supermarket's premium house brands (Private Selection, Primo taglio, etc) which are seemingly every bit as good as traditional premium brands of things like frozen dinners, snacks, trail mix, etc.

As far as the stores substituting premium brands for same cost generic items, this could be a price-creep strategy over the long term, with the premium brands reappearing later at higher prices. That's what I would be keeping an eye on. There have been price increases in many categories of food products, not to mention cleaning products and other energy-intensive items like rubbing alcohol.

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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC

1/10/13 5:49 PM

Internet grocery???

You've got to be kidding!

Yes, I can do paper towel by internet, I suppose. Although I suspect the shipping cost wipe out any price advantage. I've been using Costco for bulk items that I don't care too much about (since it doesn't carry too many brands at all).

As for food items, I've gone the other way. I buy from local producers for anything that's available (and in season). There're several Trader Joe's, all of them 10 miles away, that will do for food items (oddly enough, all Trader Joe's are NOT in big malls). Whole Food is not at all convenient for me so I don't. (plus it's seriously pricy, on top of the seriously long drive)


quote:
As far as the stores substituting premium brands for same cost generic items, this could be a price-creep strategy over the long term, with the premium brands reappearing later at higher prices. That's what I would be keeping an eye on. There have been price increases in many categories of food products, not to mention cleaning products and other energy-intensive items like rubbing alcohol.

I can understand price INCREASE. But I'm really not sure those two are related.

With many items, I really don't have a preference to name vs store brand. But I'm having a hard time buying something that CLEARLY PRETENDING to be something else, in order to save a few pennies!

What I don't quite get is the name brands turning a blind eye to store brands pretending to be the same by having packaging that looks almost like the name brand. I mean they look nearly identical if not for the printed name of the brand...

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daddy-o
Joined: 12 Apr 2004
Posts: 3307
Location: Springfield

1/10/13 7:29 PM


quote:
name brands turning a blind eye to store brands pretending to be the same

It stinks to be fooled by a knockoff in a moment's inattention but it's also doubtful that - if they could - a name brand's law firm would let something like that pass without at least attempting to inflict some damage on the offending brand. So maybe they can't do anything about it. Consumer commodity manufacturers, like insurance companies, are hard driven to pursue and hold every dime.

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Dave B
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 4511
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

1/10/13 7:57 PM


quote:
On a trip to Scotland, I bought house-brand (the term there is "own brand") single-malt whisky at a co-op supermarket chain. Wasn't bad.

Well, considering that in Scotland, there is a distillery about every 5 miles, it's not that difficult for almost any shop to have their "own brand".

I was in a restaurant outside of Bristol, England a few years ago and the bar had a printed list of 125 (yes 125) different single malts available. The bartender had a map of the shelves to show him where any particular bottle was located. There was even one single malt named "Sheep Dip".

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JohnC
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 1939
Location: Glastonbury, Ct

1/10/13 10:53 PM

Actually, there are fewer than 100 active distilleries in Scotland. But most of them make more than one whisky.

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Dave B
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 4511
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

1/11/13 6:13 AM


quote:
Actually, there are fewer than 100 active distilleries in Scotland. But most of them make more than one whisky.

It seemed like a lot more. But as you said, like distilleries here, many of them make more than one brand.

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JohnC
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 1939
Location: Glastonbury, Ct

1/11/13 12:16 PM


quote:
It seemed like a lot more. But as you said, like distilleries here, many of them make more than one brand.


I'm sure there are areas where you can drive a long way and see a distillery every few miles. Many of them are concentrated.

Did you visit any of them? I toured one and really enjoyed it. They lifted the cover off the fermenting vats and let us stick our heads in and sniff. Amazingly complex smells. Even at that early stage it's apparent why the whiskys have so much character.

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Evan Marks
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 1652
Location: NYC

1/11/13 5:20 PM


quote:
There was even one single malt named "Sheep Dip".
Tried it. Tastes like Scotch.

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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5094
Location: Nashua, NH

1/12/13 11:48 AM

What I find more objectionable...

...is deceptive, shrinking packages. Classic examples are "half-gallon" ice cream containers that shrank to "1.75 quarts", then again to "1.5 quarts", while attempting to conceal the change. Perhaps it's been this way for a while and I didn't notice it, but "half-gallon" cartons of orange juice have shrunk to 59 ounces. I guess that's as small as they could make them without an obvious visible difference. It's the deception that pisses me off. I wonder if there would be a market for a brand of "Honest Food" where everything is in traditional-sized packages?

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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC

1/12/13 12:34 PM


quote:
Perhaps it's been this way for a while and I didn't notice it

Well, until you mentioned it, I haven't even notice any such "size shrunk" myself!

I'm a bit baffled. Usually, the cost of most of these stuff is in the distribution: transport cost and mark-up of middleman (ok, retailers). So, shrinking the size really doesn't reduce the cost, nor increase the profit margin...

Unless, of course, they figured out that since there's less milk and orange juice in the bottle, people had to go out and buy another one sooner! So they end up selling more bottles. Who knows.

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Brian Kelly
Joined: 12 Jan 2004
Posts: 653
Location: Gig Harbor, WA

1/12/13 12:37 PM


quote:
I wonder if there would be a market for a brand of "Honest Food" where everything is in traditional-sized packages?


There's still at least one company that is marketing this way

http://www.bluebell.com/the_little_creamery/still_a_half_gallon.html

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Dave B
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 4511
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

1/12/13 5:20 PM


quote:
I wonder if there would be a market for a brand of "Honest Food" where everything is in traditional-sized packages?

One of the most egregious examples of this was when the liquor industry went from half-gallon (64 oz) bottles to 1.75L (59.2 oz) at about the same price. Since the US public was pretty much unaware of metric sizes they didn't realize that raised the price by 8.1%. An honest approach would have been to use 2L (67.6 oz) bottles and raise the price by the 5.6% difference.

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daddy-o
Joined: 12 Apr 2004
Posts: 3307
Location: Springfield

1/12/13 6:19 PM

I was under age (under 18) at the time, but my parents and grandparents kept stocked bars. My grandfather was in the sand and gravel business and absolutely refused any move toward the metric system as an unnecessary cost and very bad for business. When the 1.75 liters came around for some reason it was hailed as a positive step, even though the engliah ounces were there plain as today. Go figure.

Around the same time he fought against the dump truck covers to decrease the number of flying rocks and chipped windshields. It took me years to realize that it was sand and gravel vs automobile insurers. Go Geico! Sorry Pop!

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