Do you have to buy well known brands of products or are you happy with supermarket/chemist home brands?

Perhaps you do like me and buy whatever is on BOGOF or with a good price reduction.

Shops like Aldi are brilliant in my opinion and the goods they sell are just as good as the big names but some people wouldn't be seen dead in there.

Are you a snob when it comes to shopping?

Hmm.... it's a good question. Like you, I tend to buy whatever the store has on offer. The only brand name item that I buy on a regular basis would have to be beer. I've never really taken to own brand beers and prefer the stronger, continental largers like Groslch, Stella or whatever else is cheap and doesn't taste just like fizzy brown water.

So, apart from beer, I can't really think of any other products that I only buy 'branded' versions of. Ah, apart from Ribena, PG Tips and some good coffee - so far that's all drinks... lol

On a related note, I don't tend to buy the lowest price, ultimate value meat because I always get concerned about why it's so cheap. I normally tend to buy 'middle of the road' meat - but I don't mean stuff people have knocked down with their cars... boom boom :P

I'm very much like the post already made, I'll buy anything if it's on offer.

I tend to like to get the slightly damaged stuff that a supermarket sells cheaply also.

I don't have brand loyalty to anyone, really, except maybe mattesons smoked sausages, perfect for after the pub, slap a semi-heated oen between 2 slabs of bread and i'm happy.

Wilf

It depends what it is I'm buying. I only like brand-name crisps such as Seabrook and Walkers, but if it's something like soap or washing-up liquid I don't really care as long as it's not the
ACME-type brand.

Electrical goods: I like to buy a recognised brand such as Panansonic, but if there is an irresistable offer on something, I'll go for it. I insist on Branston pickle and Cunningham's piccalilli, and I like adidas sportswear.

When it comes to beer, I am a Stella Artois and San Miguel snob.

Lovely stuff.

I'm not that way inclined at all... I just buy whatever I need and is cheap, such as low fat pizzas and other stuff.

The only branded items I buy are for bread and drinks, everything else I buy are store brand.

Own brand goods never taste as good as those made by the established brand names. In most cases it is worth paying that tiny bit extra to get the extra quality and taste.

electrical goods just has to be Sony.

Batteries HAVE to be duracell. They seriously do last the longest, its not just marketing crap. I have tried several brands of batteries to run things like my walkman, mp3 player, remote controls, etc, and duracell beats them all by a long shot. Credit where credits due, and in my experience duracell are the best by far.

Best batteries ive found so far are either Rechargables (remember, normal batteries are only 600mhA, recharge are upto 2000!) or Panasonic PowerMax3's

Wipe nearly all the duracells all over the floor (bar the Duracell M3's which are the same price/power)

regarding supermarkets, places like Sainsburys/Waitrose own brand stuff is made in the same place as the "branded stuff" so is generally as good quality (esp. Sainsburys Taste the Difference stuff! :thumbsup: )

CocaCola/Pepsi only, supermarket stuff is usually ok, and lets not even think about rolacola :lol:

Electricals: Sony, Panasonic, Bush, Awia (latter two rebrand goods mainly!)

Beer: i dont drink :P

Bread: HAS to be hovis or warbertons, everything else is Vinegar bread! [puke]

Concerning brand cola, i actually prefer sainsbury's home brand cola to coca cola / pepsi. It just is so lovely, and cheaper than the rest.

Still, i don't buy from sainsbury's unless i'm in the town centre, and then it's usually washing up liquid and food colouring (don't ask!).

Wilf

Originally posted by BrainThrust
Still, i don't buy from sainsbury's unless i'm in the town centre, and then it's usually washing up liquid and food colouring (don't ask!).

Don't have to ask as I know the awful truth MUWAHAHAHAH *evil*

One new years resolution was to save money and I have as a result discovered the pleasure that is the lo-price shops own white-label-with-blue-stripes range of products. Some are dire such as watered down shampoos and washing liquids, but others such as Sainsburys Chilli Con Carne are great. Their Chicken Curry is a bit weird but the chicken inside is good. Canned mushy peas at 11p a time aren't bad.

Have also bought rice and pasta other than Tilda and Buitoni, but some products I always buy brand name e.g. Birds Custard and Heinz Beans, and drinks as described by others.

You take your chances with the home brand stuff.

As already mentioned quite a lot of it is made by the named brands and re-packaged so it tastes great. Sometimes you get items that are not so good but you just have to remember not to get them again in the future. I'd have to say that the Sainsburys economy tomato sauce and salad cream (about 30p) are fantastic.

I always go for home brands, BOGOF, and reduced counter stuff. Have to have Stones/Boddingtons bitter though and PG Tips teabags.... <yummy>.

Originally posted by Hippy
You take your chances with the home brand stuff.

As already mentioned quite a lot of it is made by the named brands and re-packaged so it tastes great.

Asda's own brands are made by the branded names and are cheap but not nasty!

Originally posted by spook1210
electrical goods just has to be Sony.

Games consoles it has to be Microsoft... Xbox has better games than the Sony monstrosity.

Might sound a bit fanboyish that but meh, I likes what I like :D

Originally posted by Mo
Do you have to buy well known brands of products or are you happy with supermarket/chemist home brands?

Perhaps you do like me and buy whatever is on BOGOF or with a good price reduction.

Shops like Aldi are brilliant in my opinion and the goods they sell are just as good as the big names but some people wouldn't be seen dead in there.

Are you a snob when it comes to shopping?

me... nah.. wotevers on offer.. and cheap.. i am student living off baked beans and toast.. hehehe..

I am a brand snob, but I love a bargain!!!

Food wise, I don't have control because I live with my parents and they buy the food, but I am always sure to point out BOGOF offers which usually feature on well known brands. (morrisons is great for offers)

I'm funny with my skincare, I used to try loads of different facial/body products, but found nothing worked for me... So I decided to buy from Virgin Vie and have stayed loyal to them since discovering their products do work! :)

I tend to be supermarket loyal rather than brand loyal

I like the co-op and safeway

But I do try to buy Fairtrade when I can - I only buy Fairtrade tea and coffee for instance (why does that not surprise you? ;) )

But alcohol has to be right, it has to be the brand I like LOL.

I like longlife bread because I eat so little of it, so I like the silver foil kind, but I dont care what brand

I do buy supermarket own brands often. I dont think my palate is sophisticated enough to tell the difference, perhaps because I havent educated it.

I think my overall answer is that I do like to budget in general and where I cant see the difference in quality I go for own brands but when it is one of the few things I care about, I stay with what I know I like, however much it costs.

- would never go to M&S food hall because I couldnt foil it

Heinz Ketchup
Hellmans Mayonaisse
Branston Pickle
HP brown sauce
Hendersons Relish (NOT worcester sauce or any other filfth)

I dont do it to be loyal to the brand, I just think it's the best stuff.
Anything else doesnt taste right.

As a rule yes. There is certain brands that I will stick too and will not deviate from them.

Some very good posts in this thread!

Originally posted by Mo
Aldi ... some people wouldn't be seen dead in there.


Not always - the Aldi at Meadowhall is actually full of posh people who are probably too tight to shop anywhere else ;)

Originally posted by t020
Own brand goods never taste as good as those made by the established brand names. In most cases it is worth paying that tiny bit extra to get the extra quality and taste.

True to an extent - I compared the garlic bread at my local sonofabitchfield. The premium version had a purple foil wrapper, a high butter content and real garlic. The peasant version had a plastic see through wrapper, margarine and garlic puree.

Yes there is a price difference, but in this case the premium item cost twice as much.


The baked beans from sonofoabitchfield are good, but I would not trust own brand bread from anywhere - not at 40p a loaf.

And nothing beats a PG cuppa, with a little splash of cardimom extract and sweetened milk ... mmmmmmmm!

Originally posted by t020
Own brand goods never taste as good as those made by the established brand names. In most cases it is worth paying that tiny bit extra to get the extra quality and taste.

I agree with him, which is a surprise :)

I love Aldi, especially as their food can be pretty sophisticated for the price. Their products often win 'taste test' type things.
Geoff, if you like premium beers, try their 'St. Breda' lager (99p/500ml) it's lovely - and deceptively strong!
PS. No, I don't work for Aldi.
I like nice stuff, but my favourite thing is getting nice stuff cheaply!

Sainsburys are definately best for own brand produce.

I normally get own brands for most things. Some things just aren't as good though, such as oven chips, I have to get Aunt Bessies. The cheapo cola (as in Safeway Savers or equivalent) is never up to much either.

I’m with all the brand snobs out there…everything electrical in my pad is Sony – tv, dvd, ps2, hi-fi, 5.1 amp, netMD and so on… Don’t believe in own-brand anything – maybe that’s to do with the packaging, but it just says ‘for poor people only’ to me, but then again I’m just a snob! :P

Agree totally with the Sony thing - love all their stuff. Need a huge WEGA telly when i win the lottery !

Gonna go visit Netto some day this week to check out their stuff - been told they have good Rose, will go pick random selection of items and see what they are like :P

I'd probably say I'm brand orientated. ..Well.. 90% of the time. For food i can get supermarkets own brand.
Electronics has to be sony all the way, can accept Panasonic!
Clothes, is very brand orientated too but I have bought stuff from H&M which isn't really a brand..

Of late ive gone a bit brand consious regarding clothes..

I bought two Jasper Conrad shirts and then two quiksilver shirts (not t's)
Then I bought two no-name pairs of trousers LOL.

In regards to sony; TVs yes, Camcorders/Cameras yes, VHS/DVD yup.. Music device nope! (Apple w00t), Console nope (Nintendo for me ;))

and since my first post: Beer: i dont drink its now "Select belgian beers" ;)

Dont worry folks - liking Sony gear doesnt make you a snob - its not that good. Over priced middle of the road stuff, there are many, many better quality and more exclusive brands. Most self-respecting hi-fi shops dont even stock Sony, and if they do, they view it as a poor relation!

Nothing wrong with 'own brand' goods though - as someone said mostly they are made by the big name brands for the supermarket or whatever - but there are always some things that cant be replicated. I've never had a decent 'Irn-Bru' other than Barrs!:D

Originally posted by floyd77
Dont worry folks - liking Sony gear doesnt make you a snob - its not that good. Over priced middle of the road stuff, there are many, many better quality and more exclusive brands. Most self-respecting hi-fi shops dont even stock Sony, and if they do, they view it as a poor relation!

Nothing wrong with 'own brand' goods though - as someone said mostly they are made by the big name brands for the supermarket or whatever - but there are always some things that cant be replicated. I've never had a decent 'Irn-Bru' other than Barrs!:D

Totally agree there on all points!

Netto in Chesterfield is getting its act together on fruit and veg and their prices are loads cheaper than the "new revamped" Kwik Slave just down the road, and their beers and wines are dollops cheaper than most other places...and no I dont work for them, and has anyone else noticed the "brand" snobs who go into Netto, Aldi, Lidl etc and then put their shopping into M&S or Sainsburys carrier bags so the neighbours dont know where they shop.

Lets see.

I always buy Dentyl Mouthwash, Head and Shoulders Shampoo, Boots Non- Fluoride Toothpaste and Co-op Razors.

Batteries HAVE to be duracell. They seriously do last the longest, its not just marketing crap. I have tried several brands of batteries to run things like my walkman, mp3 player, remote controls, etc, and duracell beats them all by a long shot. Credit where credits due, and in my experience duracell are the best by far.

I tried asda smart price AA batteries for my digital camera and they wont even power it up!

Lets see.

I always buy Dentyl Mouthwash, Head and Shoulders Shampoo, Boots Non- Fluoride Toothpaste and Co-op Razors.

I'm glad to see you gave yourself plenty time to consider your answer to the original question! :)

I am loyal to Bose sound systems, Sony stuff and Stella Artois.

The rest can poke it.

I'm quite brand loyal on some things now I'm thinking about it...

I have to wash my clothes in Surf Small & Mighty... great when its on offer in the Co Op at £3 for the big bottles :) I also have to use Comfort, I won't even use Lenor.

Shampoo, only ever use Herbal Essences. Deodorant has to be Sure.

Coffee has to be Nescafe, and Tetley tea.

I only buy Warburtons bread, Muller Yoghurts, McCain chips, Goodfellas pizza, Ambrosia custard, Anchor squirty cream, HP beans, heinz sauces...

If I can get any of them on offer, all the better!

Never really noticed before, but yes, I guess I am :hihi:

Not at all

Yes and No.

If I've bought 'ABC Brand' items before and they were reliable/were good value for money and I was pleased with them, then I will certainly consider that brand favourably when I'm looking to replace them.

If, however, they were unreliable, poorly made or the customer service I received was poor I won't go near that brand again.

Asda's own brands are made by the branded names and are cheap but not nasty!

As are a lot of them - soap powders are one of the best examples, 90% of the stuff you buy, even own brands, are made by 3 companies.

i always buy branded stuff always tastes and works better than the own brand stuff, i work to have the pleasures in life.

Can't believe this thread was started in 2004!

But in answer to thew question, a bit of both. Wouldn't have non brand soft drinks as they are mostly awful, but anything is usually o.k. don't buy much processed food or ready meals anyway

I'm loyal to Mitchum deodorant, (It's about the only one that doesn't bring me out in an allergic rash! )