How brand loyal are you?

[greentea]

When you go shopping for stuff that you need to use on a regular basis, how brand loyal are you when you shop? Do you always get the same laundry detergent no matter what the price may be, or do you switch depending on which brand is on sale when you need to resupply? Are there certain products that you refuse to change no matter what the price?

I'm trying to less brand loyal, but I find that I have unconsciously been pretty brand loyal to more products than I'd imagined. This is especially true with certain food s where I've grown accustomed to the taste. I only drink Coke (I can't stand Pepsi), although I'm trying to cut down. I rarely change cereals from the four or five I regularly buy. have you ever investigated your loyalty to brands when shopping?

[sake123]

I'm not brand loyal when it comes to buying stuff at the store, but I am brand loyal when it comes to food. There are only certain chain restaurants I'll go to eat at. I'll only eat Wendys or Carls Jr when it comes to fast food burgers.

[marvholly]

Totally NOT bran loyal.

I shop a lot at Aldi for basics, almost all house labels.
I eat pasta 2x/week & stock up on whatever brand is on sale, especially if I have a coupon.
Laundey detergent is all basically the same: water, tween 80 (surfactant), coloring & smell are the main differences in brands.
A LOT of food items are required to meet minimal federal standards: milk, cream cheese, cottage cheese, ice cream, orange juice.......Brand does NOT matter.

I am brand loyal on nail polish because I have found certain ones last longer on my nails and/or do not damage my nails. It is mostly the $$ ones like essie & OPI but I can use Cover girl & Revlon which I do find on sale and sometimes with a coupon.

[snafu]

No, Nada, Never! I discovered making my own laundry detergent gave me a better product so I guess to that extent. Like MarvHolly said, so many items must meet gov't standard there is no difference except advertising and packaging. So many house brands are the same product by the same manufacturer just different package. I buy a lower grade if I'm going to use it as part of something,,,canned pineapple comes o mind by the time it's a sauce you can't tell what brand.

I won't buy Benjamin Moore paint because there is nothing in it that makes it better, they spend a lot in promotion. Ypi can take a BM paint chip to any paint store and have the color duplicated.

[disneysteve]

I think it really varies from product to product. There are some things for which I'll only buy a particular brand. There are other things for which I really don't care. And there are even some things for which I'll only buy a particular store brand that I actually like better than the brand name version.

For as many things as possible, I buy the store brands. Most are just as good, if not better, than the equivalent national brands while also significantly cheaper.

[rennigade]

Im not really brand loyal. We have a grocery store where they sell nearly expired items at a cheap price...so they're always getting new inventory. I personally like trying new things/different brands.

[frugalredhead]

I'm only brand loyal on a handful of things. The store brand dish soap where I usually shopis awful, it comes out like water so you wind up using far more of it. My store brand raisin bran is also horrible, so I stick to kelloggs and only get it when I have coupons. Most other products I buy whatever is cheapest.

[HappySaver]

Snafu, that's not true at all about paint. I'm not saying BM is better or worse than other paint brands, but there is a definite difference in the consistency of different paints, how they roll on the walls, whether they drip, how they look when they dry, etc.

[disneysteve]

I buy a lower grade if I'm going to use it as part of something,,,canned pineapple comes o mind by the time it's a sauce you can't tell what brand.

The one thing to watch out for here is ingredients and nutrition, and it isn't always the brand name that is better.

I buy the individual fruit cups to take to work. The national brand is often packed in sugar syrup while our store brand (Wegman's) is packed in natural juice. So it's both cheaper and better for you. Or I will occasionally buy Chex Mix for a party. The store brand has a lot less sodium than the brand name so I buy the generic and actually like it better.

The flipside can also be true. The cheaper brand may have more artificial stuff, more sugar, more sodium, etc.

You just need to read the labels.

[marvholly]

just remembered something I AM brand loyal on: toothpaste. I only use either Crest Pro Health or Colgate Total.

[Chris73]

I definitely am brand loyal to Colgate Total. I will use other toothpaste if I can get a really great price. I do feel somewhat disappointed when I use it though.

Almost all of the store brand items I've purchased have been just as good if not better than name brand. The only exception may be some cereals such as Kroger toasted oats. Cheerios is definitely better in my opinion. I am not a huge fan of Walmart, but their double raisin bran is very good - better than Kellogg's. All of the Malt-O-Meal cereals have been fantastic as well. I recently bought 11-12 oz Malt-O-Meal frosted shredded wheat on sale for 69 cents each!

I buy store brands of all over-the-counter medications. They are federally regulated, so why pay more for the same medicine? I do compare active ingredients though.

[MKKShah]

Not loyal at all. Although in some cases I purchase products of the same brand, but that is not due to brand loyalty. Just that the specific brand delivers consistently. North Face winter jackets, Toyota/Honda Automobiles, Southwest flight tickets are some example.