I am talking about both groceries and medications.
Do you buy generic brands?
- Thread starter Miss Chicken
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Sure, as long as there's little difference in quality or anything.
Case in point, Marcal paper goods here in Paterson, NJ make Marcal paper towels in their factory, they also make the store brand (Shop Rite).
The only difference is the price.
Case in point, Marcal paper goods here in Paterson, NJ make Marcal paper towels in their factory, they also make the store brand (Shop Rite).
The only difference is the price.
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As much as possible. Sometimes the name brands are cheaper when they're on sale and I'll buy those, but most of the time it's the generic brands, and they've always been just as good.
Yep.
I always buy generic medications. I know private companies are the drive behind many pharmaceutical researches, but honestly, they can do it without my money (and I also prefer to support public research).
As for groceries, I usually buy fresh products. Now, I have some specific brand's stuff I like, but mostly I buy local if possible.
I always buy generic medications. I know private companies are the drive behind many pharmaceutical researches, but honestly, they can do it without my money (and I also prefer to support public research).
As for groceries, I usually buy fresh products. Now, I have some specific brand's stuff I like, but mostly I buy local if possible.
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Once in a great while I'll shop at our local Meijer, and they have their Meijer brand cheese flavored tortilla chips which just knock the stuffing out of any other tortilla chip, including Doritos. They're fantastic and you get twice the amount for half the price. My medications are generic, except for two of them, since they're too new to have generic versions. The price difference between them is pure insanity, too.
For certain products I buy generic, and for others I buy name brand (for some reason, I'm thinking specifically of Heinz ketchup here, but I know there are other things as well)
I found that to be one of the hardest things about grocery shopping when I was living in Europe - I didn't know which generic brands would taste alright, and which ones wouldn't!
I found that to be one of the hardest things about grocery shopping when I was living in Europe - I didn't know which generic brands would taste alright, and which ones wouldn't!
There are few name brands that I buy. Most of the time, I buy the generic because it's as good or better than the name brand.
A case in point is in salsa. Ortega salsa in a 16oz bottle runs about $2.75 here. The store brand, which you buy from the deli section, is $2.00 and sold fresh.
A case in point is in salsa. Ortega salsa in a 16oz bottle runs about $2.75 here. The store brand, which you buy from the deli section, is $2.00 and sold fresh.
Well, I have a friend who's epileptic, and he has a pretty bad case of it, having been operated on a number of times. His medication is very expensive. He had found some good medication that worked for him, but for awhile, he started getting really bad attacks of epilepsy and nobody could figure out why. Turns out that the pharmacy switched him to a generic version of the same thing because his government disability program wasn't willing to pay for the more expensive version, but they did it without telling him. Long story short, when he figured out that was the problem, they had no choice but to switch him back to the expensive stuff.
I buy lots of generic stuff. Pretty much all my household items are generic: paper towels, TP, light bulbs, foil, storage bags, etc. I do buy some generic foods, but mostly "as is" stuff like snacks, cereal, that sort of thing.
I refuse to buy anything I'm going to cook with generic. I can tell the difference!
I am curious to know how carefully those who say they buy generic drugs read the labels. In a lot of generic drugs the active ingredients (type and amounts) are not the same. I know, for example, most generic ibuprofen is different than Advil--the recipes are altered such that they have less of a precentage of the main active ingredient in which case, it's necessary to take more of it (negating the savings in the long run) and it also ends up being worse for you.
Another really bad example is Excedrin. The generic stuff is almost (at least any I've seen) 10x worse for you.
Dude! Make your own!
I refuse to buy anything I'm going to cook with generic. I can tell the difference!
I am curious to know how carefully those who say they buy generic drugs read the labels. In a lot of generic drugs the active ingredients (type and amounts) are not the same. I know, for example, most generic ibuprofen is different than Advil--the recipes are altered such that they have less of a precentage of the main active ingredient in which case, it's necessary to take more of it (negating the savings in the long run) and it also ends up being worse for you.
Another really bad example is Excedrin. The generic stuff is almost (at least any I've seen) 10x worse for you.
Dude! Make your own!
Food-wise, yeah, generic all the way.
Toilet paper, I hate store brands. They suck. I always get Angel Soft. It's not worth chapping your ass with cheap TP.
As far as pills go, I hardly ever have to take any. I'll take a generic if it's suitable but I know that's not always the case.
Toilet paper, I hate store brands. They suck. I always get Angel Soft. It's not worth chapping your ass with cheap TP.
As far as pills go, I hardly ever have to take any. I'll take a generic if it's suitable but I know that's not always the case.
For the most part I'll do it only when it's obvious the quality is the same or better. I should point out that I rarely find that to be the case with most foods, save those that are prepared (to echo CorporalClegg's point). Often, much of the prepared stuff (we're talking processed foods here, like cereals and stuff like that, along with non-food items) comes from the same manufacturers.
When it comes to stuff where the quality actually matters, usually the case in unprepared foods (meats, cheeses, certain veggies, I could go on), I find that this is one of the things that separates the brands. Most off-brand stuff is, while not bad necessarily (thought often), just basic. It's what I imagine replicator food to taste like.
For the most part, food is still relatively cheap in the West and, unless you're really struggling, the extra $.50US to $2US is hardly a savings that justifies putting crap into your pantry or mouth IMO.
As for medicine, I never take a generic version of anything, including OTC's, unless I've checked their ingredients and reviews on their effectiveness.
When it comes to stuff where the quality actually matters, usually the case in unprepared foods (meats, cheeses, certain veggies, I could go on), I find that this is one of the things that separates the brands. Most off-brand stuff is, while not bad necessarily (thought often), just basic. It's what I imagine replicator food to taste like.
For the most part, food is still relatively cheap in the West and, unless you're really struggling, the extra $.50US to $2US is hardly a savings that justifies putting crap into your pantry or mouth IMO.
As for medicine, I never take a generic version of anything, including OTC's, unless I've checked their ingredients and reviews on their effectiveness.
Yeah, I buy generic whenever possible as long as there's no discernible difference in taste or quality.
As far as OTC medications go, frequently the generics are made by the same companies (or their subsidiaries) that make the name brands, so people who think they're paying for better quality or "safer" medicines are often mistaken. I would try to explain that to people when I used to work in a pharmacy, but they would insist on buying the name brand anyway to give them a bit of extra comfort.
As far as OTC medications go, frequently the generics are made by the same companies (or their subsidiaries) that make the name brands, so people who think they're paying for better quality or "safer" medicines are often mistaken. I would try to explain that to people when I used to work in a pharmacy, but they would insist on buying the name brand anyway to give them a bit of extra comfort.
I mostly buy generics, unless the name brand is noticeably better. For Cheerios, I only buy name brand because the knockoffs taste like sawdust. (Although I don't usually buy cold cereal these days.) For most other things, the generic is just as good or better.
When the name brand is on sale, I'll buy that, though, since it ends up being cheaper than the generic.
When the name brand is on sale, I'll buy that, though, since it ends up being cheaper than the generic.
All the time. In fact, I prefer to!
Depends on the product. For over-the-counter medications, I always buy the store brand. 200 mg ibuprofen tablets are the same whether the package carries the name Advil or Motrin or the house brand. Same for motion-sickness pills, anti-doo-doo pills, contact lens solutions, whatever. Besides drugs, many generic items are perfect imitations of more expensive products. For example, CVS drugstores sell their own version of Dove bath soap. It looks like Dove, smells like Dove, gets you just as clean as Dove, for two-thirds the price.
For some food products like canned items and processed meats, the superior quality of name-brand stuff is worth the higher cost.
For some food products like canned items and processed meats, the superior quality of name-brand stuff is worth the higher cost.
I don't know where you've been shopping, but Ralphs markets here in California have excellent store-brand toilet paper.
Can someone explain the whole 'clipping coupons' thing to me - where do you get the coupons from etc Here we get coupons for fast food places placed in our mailbox but that is about it.
Coupons come in newspaper ads, direct-mail marketing pieces, flyers that are posted door-to-door, and on the back of store receipts. Don't they have any of that stuff in Tasmania?
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