Saturday, March 5, 2011

Generic

I'm amused every time I hear a story in the news about how more people are choosing to buy generic-- or "store brand"-- products to save money in leaner times.

The way the reporters talk about store brands, you'd think they'd just discovered something new:
  • "They often cost significantly less than their brand-name counterparts!"
  • "They look almost exactly the same!"
  • "They actually taste ok!"
I've been buying generic since before it was "cool"... or slightly more common than it supposedly is now.  (I am such a trend-setter.)  I can't take the credit, though.  That goes to my store-brand-shopping mother.  I was raised on generic brand-- and I have to say, sometimes the generic tastes even better than the brand name.  Now, that's not to say that I never buy brand names, but most of the time, I'm more than happy with the cheaper store brands.  Whether one brand is better than another is often just a matter of what you're used to.

(I haven't been paying close attention... I wonder if these reporters have blown the lid off the fact that there are also generic brands of other products-- toiletries, for instance.  When will I see the exposé on shampoo or paper napkins?  I'm on the edge of my seat!)