The generic just doesn't cut it.

[IndyColtsFan]

You have to be careful with trash bags. Sometimes the generics are really terrible and puncture easily, so I typically go with a brand name unless I'm at Sam's Club because their brand is fine.

Foil is another. My wife bought some off-brand aluminum foil and it was terrible.

 

[waggy]

i try generic's all the time. most times it is as good as name brand. some stuff is just god awful though.

a good portion is just rebadged name brand stuff.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Refried beans. Generic brands and even many major national brands smell like dog food. They don't really taste that bad but they don't taste that good either. I tried Full Circle (organic) ones one time and I was sold on them for life. They're just so much better than most.

I thought it may have been because the Full Circle ones are vegetarian but I tried Preferida's vegetarian refried beans and they were just as nasty as their traditional ones.

 

[DrPizza]

Berkley Powerbait...rainbow with glitter in it. The fish will accept nothing less.

Try Yamamoto Senkos. (They're certainly not a generic either.) Those and the powerbait are all I'll use. Never a generic.

Dishwasher detergent. We tried a generic once and had to throw it away, it couldn't clean worth crap.

We used a generic one that stained the inside of our "stainless steel" dishwasher (not to mention all of our glasses) with a sort of white film. My wife commented the other day that the name brand finally cleaned up the inside. "No, I spent half an hour scrubbing the inside."

i try generic's all the time. most times it is as good as name brand. some stuff is just god awful though.

a good portion is just rebadged name brand stuff.

Agreed. A ton of things are identical to the name brand and ARE identical. There are some things though that make you wonder, wtf is the difference between the name brand and the generic brand. i.e. sugar. Sugar is sugar, isn't it? What could be different between the Domino brand for $3 and the generic brand for $1.70? Also, baking soda and baking powder.

 

[Gillbot]

Errr...for a lot of major brand name companies, the incremental unit cost of each additional item is sold for the same mark-up as their actual items, so they have no problem packaging the same (or similar) item for less for chain X considering it's going into the same pocket for the same profit margin. I've yet to see the quality standards as a reason for generic packaging...link?

what?

I'm talking about what i've seen with my own eyes.

 

[TwiceOver]

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.

Store brand sucks.

 

[nageov3t]

Agreed. A ton of things are identical to the name brand and ARE identical. There are some things though that make you wonder, wtf is the difference between the name brand and the generic brand. i.e. sugar. Sugar is sugar, isn't it? What could be different between the Domino brand for $3 and the generic brand for $1.70? Also, baking soda and baking powder.

I've never seen a Cook's Illustrated / America's Test Kitchen granulated sugar tasting test, so I can only assume they're all the same. hah.

I felt the same way about flour until CI/ATK proved otherwise to my satisfaction.

for spices, there are definitely major differences between generic and brand-name. whether or not you notice them just depends on your palate and preferences.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Agreed. A ton of things are identical to the name brand and ARE identical. There are some things though that make you wonder, wtf is the difference between the name brand and the generic brand. i.e. sugar. Sugar is sugar, isn't it? What could be different between the Domino brand for $3 and the generic brand for $1.70? Also, baking soda and baking powder.

Medicine for instance. Walgreen's brand medicine is exactly the same as Tylenol/Advil or whatever. You just look at the active ingredients list.

Hell I saw a couple weeks ago that pretty much all variants of Exedrin are exactly the same - caffeine + a pain reliever (either acetaminophen + aspirin or just acetaminophen). All they change is the directions on the side (and the price).

 

[BurnItDwn]

Hot dogs. Need good natural casing 100% beef dogs, cheaper pork dogs with crappy skin = yucky!

 

[tk149]

I bought Target's generic liquid soap (compare with Dial!) once. Smelled terrible.

Still haven't found a generic pop that tastes like Coke Zero.

 

[Ns1]

Hot dogs. Need good natural casing 100% beef dogs, cheaper pork dogs with crappy skin = yucky!

a huge % of store bought dogs are not natural casing...brand name included.

 

[waggy]

a huge % of store bought dogs are not natural casing...brand name included.

yep. wich is why i prefer to buy my dogs from the local butcher.

though Nathans and Hebrew national are good

 

[Evadman]

Hot dogs. Need good natural casing 100% beef dogs, cheaper pork dogs with crappy skin = yucky!

:confused; hot dogs don't have casings.

 

[OutHouse]

:confused; hot dogs don't have casings.

lol

go to your local butcher/meat market and you will find them.

 

[Ns1]

:confused; hot dogs don't have casings.

no casings on hot dogs is basically standard for consumers

for foodies and hot dog aficionados, it's natural casing dogs or nothing at all

Vienna Natural Casing Hot Dog Pack
The same premium beef dogs Chicagoans have loved for more than 100 years, with extra snap to the bite, thanks to our Sheep natural casings. The way sausages used to be!

Includes:

# 30 Natural Casing Hot Dogs


Price includes 2 day shipping
Price: $89.99

goddamn $3/hot dog!

 

[CallMeJoe]

...Foil is another. My wife bought some off-brand aluminum foil and it was terrible.

Only the finest for blanghorst's chapeaus!

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Only the finest for blanghorst's chapeaus!

Hey, I need it to protect me from the craziness that occurs in P&N. :awe:

 

[CallMeJoe]

Back OT, the one generic I cannot abide is coffee.

 

[Meghan54]

Medicine for instance. Walgreen's brand medicine is exactly the same as Tylenol/Advil or whatever. You just look at the active ingredients list.

Hell I saw a couple weeks ago that pretty much all variants of Exedrin are exactly the same - caffeine + a pain reliever (either acetaminophen + aspirin or just acetaminophen). All they change is the directions on the side (and the price).

There's more to a med than just the active ingredient....binders, release agents, etc.

WalMart generic Prilosec is nowhere as effective as the real Prilosec.

Aspirin.....who cares? Same with acetaminophen.

 

[Chaotic42]

For household type stuff:

-Soda
-Garbage bags
-Peanut Butter
-Jam/Jelly/Preserves
-Bread
-Red beans, black-eye peas, and most any Southern food
-Laundry detergent

 

[soulcougher73]

Poptarts and Heinz ketchup. All the other ketchups seem runny to me.

 

[techs]

There's more to a med than just the active ingredient....binders, release agents, etc.

WalMart generic Prilosec is nowhere as effective as the real Prilosec.

Aspirin.....who cares? Same with acetaminophen.

Hmm. I have been using the Walmart generic Prilosec for a few years now. It's been so long since I had the name brand that I can't compare it to the generic.
Seems to work, though. I take it only when I know I will be overeating (picnics, parties,et c) the next day.

You would think that there would be improvements over time on the generic, as the manufactures learn how to better make it.

 

[AtlantaBob]

Hellmann's Mayo

Yeup. And Coca Cola.

 

[DT4K]

There's more to a med than just the active ingredient....binders, release agents, etc.

WalMart generic Prilosec is nowhere as effective as the real Prilosec.

Aspirin.....who cares? Same with acetaminophen.

There is no difference in the effectiveness. It's the same exact drug and all of the "inactive" ingredients are called "inactive" for a reason.

 

[rudeguy]

midget polish