What name brand grocery items do you buy over store brand?

[Exterous]

While many store branded foods seem just fine there are a few we try not to buy. My wife swears by Philadelphia cream cheese (although I can't taste the difference) and we both think Kroger pretzels are not nearly as good as Better Made or Rold Gold

 

[Herr Kutz]

REESE'S PUFFS

 

[lxskllr]

None. I have no loyalties to major national brands.

 

[pete6032]

Paper towels and toilet paper

 

[shortylickens]

Macaroni.

And Cheese.

 

[KB]

Macaroni.
And Cheese.

Yep, Kraft is superior. Its something about the cheese sauce.

... we both think Kroger pretzels are not nearly as good as Better Made or Rold Gold

I agree, store brands tend to be stale and with less crispy skin. Wal-Marts brand, last I had it, was worse than Utz and Rold Gold without a doubt.


The only other item is peanut butter. Jif is just creamier.

 

[deustroop]

I only buy national brands cause the store brand (Sobey's) is mostly shite, except for the odd innocuous thing like bottled water. Store branded items are cheaper and I can tell the difference.

 

[Captante]

Do the majority of my shopping at Stop & Shop and while they have higher quality house-brands then most there are a few that still fall short.

For example I only buy Hellman's mayo and while most times I snag whatever brand dark-roast K-cups are on sale, the regular S&S brand makes coffee-water so are no bargain. (Natures Promise S&S organic's are an exception) Also have had a couple bad experiences with store-brand frozen veggies.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Helmann's mayo and Heinz ketchup come to mind. Nothing else that I can think of, in most supermarkets the private label stuff is a big money maker and smart chains keep the quality on their brand extremely high.

 

[nakedfrog]

Cotton swabs and ketchup.

Paper towels and toilet paper

Also these, and tissues.

 

[Kaido]

While many store branded foods seem just fine there are a few we try not to buy. My wife swears by Philadelphia cream cheese (although I can't taste the difference) and we both think Kroger pretzels are not nearly as good as Better Made or Rold Gold

I second Philadelphia cream cheese actually. I make a lot of stuff with cream cheese, including cheesecakes in my Instant Pot, and the store brand doesn't have as good of a texture. iirc I compared ingredients one time & they looked the same, so I don't know if their product creation process is different or what, but the Philadelphia brand always comes out smooth & creamy, so that's what I get.

 

[Kaido]

Helmann's mayo and Heinz ketchup come to mind.

Same here. I've tried making various versions of homemade ketchup...meh. Heinz is still king. I do still make homemade mayo from time to time, just because it's so easy to do, especially if I'm doing something special with it to flavor it (like a ripoff of Shake Shack's chicken sandwich - buttermilk herb mayo), but I still buy a tub of Hellman's for convenience.

 

[brainhulk]

Tillamook ice cream
Kerrygold butter

 

[dullard]

I have a nearly perfect rule-of-thumb.

Single-ingredient: store brand. A canned tomato is a canned tomato is a canned tomato.

Multiple-ingredients: name brand. Name brand ketchup (more ingredients than just a tomato) is not the same as store brand ketchup. That Bag O' Cereal is almost never even close to the taste of the real thing.

 

[Schfifty Five]

Tillamook ice cream
Kerrygold butter

No blue bell where you're at? Every other ice cream sucks compared to Blue Bell, with the exception of Braum's (but still not as good as Blue Bell).

 

[brainhulk]

No blue bell where you're at? Every other ice cream sucks compared to Blue Bell, with the exception of Braum's (but still not as good as Blue Bell).

No blue bell here...

Where can I buy bulk blue bell online?

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

Cheetos, if I want Cheetos nothing compares to them. Everything else tastes like crap.

 

[clamum]

Philly cream cheese. I've tried the Walmart brand and bleh, Philly is wayyyy better.
A1 steak sauce.
Gorilla duct tape over the cheap stuff.

I dunno, that's about it. I buy more brand name stuff but that's because there's no generic option (e.g. Honey Bunches of Oats Strawberry, f'ing epic).

 

[thedarkwolf]

Walmart store brand is shit. Kroger store brand especially when you include their Private Selection brand are just as good as the name brand to me. I do splurge on toilet paper though.

 

[Oyeve]

Hellmans (Best Foods for you west coasters) for mayo, Heinz for ketchup, Scott for TP, Bounty for paper towels, Guldens for spicy brown mustard, Philadelphia for cream cheese. Everything else I can choose whatever's cheaper.

 

[bfun_x1]

Walmart store brand is shit. Kroger store brand especially when you include their Private Selection brand are just as good as the name brand to me. I do splurge on toilet paper though.

I agree with that.

Sams = bad.
Kroger = okay.
Kirkland = pretty darn good.

 

[OutHouse]

No blue bell where you're at? Every other ice cream sucks compared to Blue Bell, with the exception of Braum's (but still not as good as Blue Bell).

if you dont get sick and die from listeria i agree its the best ice cream. store brand ice cream is one item i never buy.

 

[OutHouse]

Walmart store brand is shit. Kroger store brand especially when you include their Private Selection brand are just as good as the name brand to me. I do splurge on toilet paper though.

yes Kroger Private select is good and in some cases higher than national brands.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Reynards cheeses over everything else if I am able to get it.
Door County Coffee over everything else if I am able to get it.
Beer
Liquors
Lillies Hot & Smokey BBQ Sauce
Boetje's mustard
Vienna Beef Hot Dogs or Polish Sausages
Grass Fed Butter (usually Kerrygold is what we find, but anything grass fed appears to taste similar)

 

[nakedfrog]

There's store-brand beer?