Kellen gets a lesson on brand names
Last night Kellen learned a little lesson about brand names. We were getting ready to watch a movie and the kids asked for popcorn. We went out to the kitchen. I went to the cupboard and grabbed a bag of the Aldi popcorn. Kellen grabbed a bad of Trail's End popcorn. We received a large box of this as a gift and I had put it up until we finished what we already had in the cupboard.
He really wanted the Trail's End, so I let him get one out. This is what we were holding.
Kellen took the outer wrapping off the Trail's End popcorn, and I thought, "That is interesting." I took the outer wrapping off the Aldi bag. This is what we saw.
"How can this be?" says Kellen, "They are the same bag!" I explained to him that often manufacturers and processors make the same product for different companies. They just use different packaging according to what each company wants. When you pay more for the product, you are paying for the packaging and the name.
I am not sure how much the Trail's End popcorn was since we received it as a gift. I can tell you the Aldi box of six bags was $1.39. It is good popcorn, no matter how much you pay for it!
This example is a little different. In this case, because Trail's End is a fundraiser, I have no problem with it being more expensive. Just know you are paying for packaging, a name, and a good cause; not better popcorn! But what about other brands? Are they really different from the store brands or are they the same thing in a different package? Save yourself some money, buy the store brand!
If you still aren't convinced, maybe you should conduct your own blind taste test. Buy the brand and the generic. Have someone else (bet the kids would love to do this) open the container. Look at and taste both products. Are they the same? If not, which is really better? Then have the other person tell you which was the name brand and which was the store brand. I'd love to hear your results.
17 comments:
I've often wondered if you could compare ingredient lists on name brand/off brand products and determine if they were the exact same thing! :)
I sometimes will buy the name brand for the container, and then refill with cheap stuff. I mean, popcorn kernels are popcorn kernels, whether I pay $3 for a jar or 88 cents for a bag!
But usually I just buy the store brand. Pay attention though, it's not always cheaper - Glad brand plastic wrap is less expensive than Sam's Choice, for example. Always look at that unit price!
Mama Says
You are kidding! I can't believe that I've bought that for so many years. It is good popcorn, not worth extra expense...definitely sad that I have over paid for it for so many years ....*sigh*.
Thanks for sharing,
Tracy
What a great lesson! There are a few brand names I feel are better; but for the most part, we buy generics. I bet your son won't forget this lesson since he saw it for himself!
Tracy,
Don't feel sad about it, just think of the extra cost as a donation. :) the Boy Scouts are a good cause!
I think that happens a lot! There are many store brands which are the same as the name brands just repackaged. It's quite a 'sticker shock' when you compare prices!!
This happened when we lived in Al.We live in Tn. now. Our boys were going to school & we went on a field trip with the kids to the wonder bread company in Montgomery Al. We saw how the bread was made then went on to where it was put in the bags some went in wonder bags,some in winn-dixie &piggly wiggley. Another Mom that went along said she could not wait to get home to tell her husband what she had seen cause he would not let her buy any thing but wonder bread & now she could tell him it was all the same bread.Mabel
I'm not very brand loyal. If it's cheaper, I'll usually buy that. I clip coupons, but I make sure that the price with coupon is cheaper than the store brand. Occasionally it is, but more often than not the store brand is still cheaper. I need to show this to Matthew. I buy Trail's end popcorn from his friend every year. He'll love this comparison. I will still buy from Noah just to support his troop, though. We have a popcorn farm right next door to us and they have GREAT, cheap, real popcorn! That's my favorite.
Hi,
It definately looks like they are exactly the same. I've run accross this situation lots of times.
Years ago I took a tour of a Country Fresh plant and found that they put the same milk, sour cream, ice cream, etc in tons of differently labled containers! Imagine my surprise when I started checking packages at the grocery store! Two weeks ago I was happy to find out the Meijer brand q tips were the same as the Qtip brand! Happy Savings!
Trixie
We are definitely Aldi shoppers and I have heard (from former employees there) that it is the exact same stuff as their brand name counterparts.
I can't believe that the shipping was that alike though- you can't even tell those two apart.
Did you guys taste test both then?
I had some friends over for St Patty's day, and we made up a bag of Orville, and ate it all. Then we popped a bag of the Aldi's and started in on it. About two handfuls in, I looked up and said to everyone "This just isn't as good, is it?" Sadly, everyone agreed - the Orville Redenbacher's was much, much tastier. The Aldi's seemed much more stale, even though they were purchased not too far apart.
I hate how we get "hooked" on brand names just because that's what we always had! One day my regular soup in a can was just way too overpriced and I grabbed some no name brand that was ridiculously on sale. I was shocked at just how great it tasted! Now I'm much more willing to try off brands and you no longer see those fancy labels throughout my pantry :)
Here's the deal, having read this I understand it's cheaper, but The Boy Scout of AMERICA is worth it. What you fail to see is popcorn sales it divided into thirds. 1/3 goes to the scouts actually pack to pay for running it fees, 1/3 goes to the district there in, which aids boys that can't afford camp and what not, then 1/3 is given to national which aids better much anything else boy scout, including donations to devastated areas and things of this nature. So does it cost more DUH but in the long run it worth the extra few bucks once you know what your actually contributing to.
Scout Leader and parent
joylynn
Back when I was a starving college student, my roommate was from an affluent family. We often pooled our resources to purchase groceries. After my first solo trip to the grocery store I came home with generic/store brands and he flipped out - insisting that we only choose brand names... a luxury that I couldn't afford. He soon made the next shopping trip and came home with his favorites... but I was ready for him. I had saved some of the packaging from my purchases. When he went out I switched the products. That evening as he snacked on graham crackers he commented on how much better the Nabisco brand tasted... not realizing he was enjoying Kroger brand from the previous week's purchase. I never told him about the switch.. a stunt that I repeated numerous times later.
I have also found on at least one occasion that auto parts stores charge differently for the same part depending on the make of the car. I needed a fan belt for an older Audi... and got one price.. but when I asked for the Volkswagen equivalent (same engine) I got a substantially different price. A tune-up on my old Mercedes Benz 6 cylinder was going to be outrageous ($200 for the spark plug wire kit alone). VWs used the same type.. so I bought two sets of 4 cylinder wires for less than $80 and everything worked out just fine. Pays to know stuff.
My version of this is the "Great blind beer test"...Ask a couple of test subjects what beer they like best and remember this for later.
You get clear plastic cups or glasses and number them with a sharpie pen...about 8 per person....and the facilitator of the experiment pours a cup of 8 different beers for each test subject, but don't let them see you doing it. Use common beers like Pabst, Bud, Busch, Hamms, Miller, Icehouse, Red Dog. Keep track of which number goes to which beer. Now, bring the tray full of cups to the table, have each test subject try beer #1, #2, #3, etc. When they have finished, ask which beer they like best. To date, no one has picked the so-called "favorite" that they told you in the beginning. The moral of the test is "you have not been buying the best tasting beer, you have been buying the label,the commercial with the girl with big boobs, or the Clydsdale horses". Now that you have made a blind test, you can buy your new favorite beer. For most guys, this will be a shock that they cannot identify thier favorite.
I am not really a name brand buyer.I do like REAL CocalCola.I prefer Kraft Mayo,but will buy SaveALot brand too.As far as canned goods,I buy the cheapest I can.I watched something on DIscovery Channel.Hows its made.Creamed corn is all the same.I one time bought 4 diffrent jars of Peanut butter to decide what brand I liked best.I had jif,peter pan,skippy and Walmart brand. The jif and walmart were identical!But personally I prefered the skippy.I gave the other opend jars to my friends...they didnt mind that one teeny spoon was missing.Int he recent snow we had,I did the popcorn test myself.I prefer Pop Weaver!At Walmart you can get a box od 8 for 2 bucks.No Orville Reddinbockers for us!Oh,BTW,Trails end is a Boy Socut fundraiser Popcorn.I didnt read all the comments,so I dint know if anyone mentioned this...
We read labels a lot. If the ingredients list is the same - the same ingredients and in the same order - then we are reasonably sure that the products will taste the same. We then buy some of each brand and I serve them, without anyone else knowing which I have served, on two different occasions. We continue to buy the one that everyone liked the best. Often it is the off brand that we continue to purchase. A little savings in many places can go a long way.
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