Not sure whether the Oreo-Hydrox argument applies here; it seems more like a knock-off than an off-brand. Plus, it’s obvious that Hydrox are far superior, despite sounding like a disinfectant or a laundry detergent from pre-1950.

quote:

Originally posted by benny6:
JAE-100 M14 chassis versus the Pro-Mag Archangel M1A stock.

Mic drop. The Archangel grip looks like it was left in a hot car too long.

I’ve found that any store or generic brand Cheerios are just gross. Nasty. They all have an off flavor and texture. Gotta have the real Cheerios

quote:

Originally posted by 229DAK:
My wife makes a spicy chicken-cream cheese dip, made with Frank's original hot sauce. It doesn't work with any other hot sauce.

With the news that Kroger has now bought out Albertson’s/Safeway, we now have only Kroger supermarkets here. I haven’t tried a Kroger store brand that I thought was anywhere near comparable to a name brand.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by bald1:
Haven't seen RC Cola in ages.

Just look for the Moon Pies.....Geesh....

Another good one is Coffee Mate powdered coffee creamer, it’s what I’ve used all my life since drinking coffee around age 17/18.

I’ll use cream or half & half when out or buying it from a coffee shop but at home it’s always two spoonfuls of Coffee Mate and no sugar.

The store brands are AWFUL, for some reason no one has been able to replicate Coffee Mate so that’s all I’ll buy.

Bass Pro Redhead brand clothing.
Thinner inferior materials. and sizing off from normal standards or even consistent within the same style if one were to get multiple items of the same style but different colors

Cabela's brand used to be pretty good stuff, but Redhead not so much.

^^^^
Uh-huh

I don't have to worry about food so much as I buy very few prepackaged things and no processed stuff.
Belts though!
Belts from Armour, Beltman, Wilderness, etc are the bomb. Anything from a sporting goods store or 5:11 suck!

quote:

Originally posted by apprentice:
Great Value salsa is better than Pace IMO.

Pace salsa is crap. Any grocer in Texas has a dozen better options.

There is no substitute I have found for my favorite cracker - Tricuits. No store brand is near as good.

quote:

Originally posted by maxdog:
I also like their ice cream. Not a copy of Blue Bell but good. Slightly different flavors mostly. Rocky Road being an exception. Wife likes HEB RR better than the BB. However, the HEB brand of vanilla just ain’t as good as BB homemade vanilla.

Agreed HEB's brand of ice cream is excellent, and better than Blue Bell. I now find Blue Bell to be over-sugary. It is just too heavily sweetened. HEB's brand is not.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
There is no substitute I have found for my favorite cracker - Tricuits. No store brand is near as good.

If you're talking about Triscuits, I agree.

Aldi store brand premium vanilla ice cream is my absolute favorite, Blue Bell and Hagen Daz included. Never tried HEB brand, never been in a HEB store but I will if I get the chance. Publix is coming to Louisville in 2023. Kroger rules right now.

Agree on Triscuits. One of my favorite snacks is triscuits smeared with real butter, a good shake of salt, then under the broiler for about 5 minutes.

I'm satisfied with Rural Kings blue label cheap jeans. I like the carpenter style and they fit and wear as good/maybe better than Carhartts for about 1/2 price.

Chek Cola.

quote:

Originally posted by Aglifter:
So I kinda deal with this stuff, professionally.

Supermarket chains have stopped thinking of their brands as “economy” brands - especially HEB/some of the private chains, and started trying to position them slightly above mid market.

Frankly, grocery store buyers have forced so many brands to go so cheap, that there’s no way to get below the national brands, in price.

(And I mean cheap. Not cost effective, not reasonable. Cheap, shoddy junk which should neither be sold nor eaten, made by broken people without any concept of what good food could be.)

It’s made a space for the chain brands to go up in quality and price, over the national brands.

We desperately need more competition in the grocery space, and in flour milling, but I’m not sure how to get there.

when I started in the grocery biz in 1980, the store brands were considered a low price alternative to the brand names,
the brand names bought shelf space, and would push each other out of stores,


years later, it became the good\better\best sales method,

Winn Dixie and Kroger had an economy or Good brand,
better was the regular store brand, and best was the premium label,

often priced the same as national brands, and often better,



thing is, most big chains are part of a bigger corporation, not just the name on the door, but company owned Dairy (which often produce gallon bottled water), soft drink plants, (which also may be contracted out with slight changes to the recipe) or just simply boxed or made by a company and a contracted label tossed on them,


plastic bags as an example, often made by one plant and contracted for a quantity, then when that run was done, load another label and runs some more,


I recall plenty of paper towels, sandwich bags, etc all coming in thru the company warehouse that had another , competing , store brand on the packaging,

Sweet n low. All the other pink knock offs just taste different