Shopping Habits and Own Brands

Narj

Narj

Narj

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Joined
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Has anyone who started buying supermarket own-brands in the past couple of years reverted to buying the big brands now that inflation is supposedly dropping?

I found good own-brand alternatives for pretty much everything apart from mayonnaise when prices went crazy and I don't see myself going back what with the cost savings.

I no longer buy anything Heinz because I perceive them as a greedy, profiteering scumbag company now. It's not like I can't afford it - it's just the principle of it. Heinz Tomato soup - £1.70 a can - I mean, what the actual hell? Alternatives between 50-70p are just as good IMO.

I've noticed that even M&S, Co-Op and Waitrose do reasonably priced own brand stuff.

I'd love to see some data on consumer habits when it comes to this - it's definitely being monitored what with all the loyalty scheme cards.

It'd be interesting to see what peoples' best alternatives are for popular items now. I was told that some Polish ketchup (google suggests maybe Pudliszki) is a good shout but need to drag myself to the Polski Sklep to get some. :)
 
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I shop at Lidl and buy their own brands, which are pretty good. I think taste-wise it's largely what you get used to.

I did sometimes buy some Heinz products and I did notice some pretty hefty rises on them, so I don't buy them anymore.
 
I buy some brands if I like them, other times store own.
Sometimes the store own is far better than the branded. Sainsbury's mayo, far better than that Hellman's wallpaper paste rubbish.
 
Instant coffee I buy branded, even though it costs a fair bit more, as own brand stuff has always been terrible. And branded cereals.

But, generally, I'll take the cheaper option so long as it isn't too much worse than the branded one.
 
There's only a few branded things I'm willing to die on the hill for.

Kellog's Crunchy Nut
If I can't go to my local coffee roasters then Union or Lavazza beans will do the trick.
Certain Ice Creams.
Skin care and hair stuff.

Probably a few other biases that I have but for the most part I don't care for brands. I'm sure the branded tinned tomatos are nice but are they that much nicer than the store version? Not to my basic palate
 
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Narj said:
Has anyone who started buying supermarket own-brands in the past couple of years reverted to buying the big brands now that inflation is supposedly dropping?
Click to expand...
inflations "dropping" but it's still positive inflation so eats away savings etc and things still get more expensive


Big brands priced them self out of the market pretty much, they are also boring these days.

Supermarkets nearly everything they sell from the big brands is still the same as 20+ years ago..

Remember in the 90s when there used to be something new fairly often... new chocolate bars, new cereals, new yoghurts etc....

Capitalism gets pretty boring when competition dies
 
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Most of the time I just buy non branded items as the price difference is just so big. If I see something discounted then I might buy a branded item. At the end of the day it's what I think is worth my money and with age I just seem to get more stingy :D
 
arknor said:
inflations "dropping" but it's still positive inflation
Click to expand...
Yeah, it doesn't mean prices are dropping, it just means they are rising more slowly. So any price differentials between branded and own-brand products will most likely be about the same. I suppose it might give the brands more margin for offers, etc.
 
Narj said:
Has anyone who started buying supermarket own-brands in the past couple of years reverted to buying the big brands now that inflation is supposedly dropping?

I found good own-brand alternatives for pretty much everything apart from mayonnaise when prices went crazy and I don't see myself going back what with the cost savings.

I no longer buy anything Heinz because I perceive them as a greedy, profiteering scumbag company now. It's not like I can't afford it - it's just the principle of it. Heinz Tomato soup - £1.70 a can - I mean, what the actual hell? Alternatives between 50-70p are just as good IMO.

I've noticed that even M&S, Co-Op and Waitrose do reasonably priced own brand stuff.

I'd love to see some data on consumer habits when it comes to this - it's definitely being monitored what with all the loyalty scheme cards.

It'd be interesting to see what peoples' best alternatives are for popular items now. I was told that some Polish ketchup (google suggests maybe Pudliszki) is a good shout but need to drag myself to the Polski Sklep to get some. :)
Click to expand...
Bit much to call Heinz greedy profiteering scumbags. They sell ketchup. It's not like they are an electric company with a monopoly or something. It's a free market, always has been and hopefully always will be. We are lucky to have choice in this country and can buy what we want.
 
dl8860 said:
Bit much to call Heinz greedy profiteering scumbags. They sell ketchup. It's not like they are an electric company with a monopoly or something. It's a free market, always has been and hopefully always will be. We are lucky to have choice in this country and can buy what we want.
Click to expand...
Hey it's not just me thinking that! ;)

www.grocerygazette.co.uk

Heinz and Unilever fail to justify profit rises as brands grilled over 'greedflation'

Kraft Heinz and Unilever struggled to explain why their profits have jumped in recent years, as MPs accused major brands of "gauging, greedflation and profiteering".
www.grocerygazette.co.uk www.grocerygazette.co.uk

Junglist said:
There's only a few branded things I'm willing to die on the hill for.

Kellog's Crunchy Nut
If I can't go to my local coffee roasters then Union or Lavazza beans will do the trick.
Certain Ice Creams.
Skin care and hair stuff.

Probably a few other biases that I have but for the most part I don't care for brands. I'm sure the branded tinned tomatos are nice but are they that much nicer than the store version? Not to my basic palate
Click to expand...
Fair point with Crunchy Nut. Own brand Fruit & Fibre is fine though, although I add my own raspberries, strawberries and/or bananas. :)
 
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Junglist said:
There's only a few branded things I'm willing to die on the hill for.

Kellog's Crunchy Nut
If I can't go to my local coffee roasters then Union or Lavazza beans will do the trick.
Certain Ice Creams.
Skin care and hair stuff.

Probably a few other biases that I have but for the most part I don't care for brands. I'm sure the branded tinned tomatos are nice but are they that much nicer than the store version? Not to my basic palate
Click to expand...
Mutti tomatoes though are *chefs kiss*!
 
There were very few branded things I bought in the first place.

Unless I've tried non-branded and disliked it, I stick to the cheapest option.
 
I'd say it's about 50/50, depends on the product. My local is an asda and some of their own brand stuff is terrible, so the upgrade is worth it.
I actively avoid Heinz, all of their products taste awful, and their tins don't stack.
Toiletries I'll go out of my way to get my usual products, for medical reasons I don't want to be trying new stuff.
Inflation generally didn't affect my behaviour, but one thing I boycotted was Lloyd Grossman Pasta Sauce, that guy tripled his prices, greedy mofo.
 
I Always do for bang for buck. Most times brand/unbranded the taste is just "different".
I don't go for the bargain bucket value range as sometimes that is naff.

My main example here is Kellogs rice crispies vs tesco rice snaps. I think they are 3x the price. They are absolutely not 3x better. I mean it's rice!

I think my shopping is 95pc unbranded.

Its tough though as it meant I was already at lowest I'd go when inflation spiked. Ie, couldn't lower my base costs.
 
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