Don’t Waste Your Money on These 3 Unreliable Generic Food Brands
Written by
Crystal Mayer
Edited by
Ashleigh Ray
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Many money experts tout the value of buying generic brands. Savvy shoppers know that many store brands contain the same ingredients as the name brand but cost a fraction of the price. Unfortunately, not all generic food brands are created equal. In some instances, generic brands aren’t worth the added savings, or the product is hard to come by.
For instance, the Kirkland brand is one of the most beloved and highly-rated store brands across the country. Unfortunately, it is exclusively sold at Costco since it’s their private label. Therefore, if you do not have a Costco membership, you won’t be able to snag Kirkland products. Some Kirkland items are available through Amazon or another third party, but you will pay substantially more for the goods.
In other cases, the generic brand doesn’t measure up to its name-brand counterpart, and it may be worth the extra money to get the real stuff. GOBankingRates asked Gary Gray, the co-founder at CouponChief, to provide insight on which generic food brands you shouldn’t waste your money on. Here are the three off-brand products he said weren’t worth the savings.
Great Value Soy Sauce
While Gray is a fan of many generic brands, including Kirkland, he recommended shoppers avoid the soy sauce from Great Value.
“The Great Value soy sauce from Walmart just doesn’t taste right,” said Gray. “It’s supposed to be a cheaper alternative to the name-brand soy sauces, but it just doesn’t have the same flavor.”
You could buy a bottle of Walmart brand soy sauce for $1.58, or you could splurge for taste and value and go for the Kikkoman brand that’s just $2 more.
“It’s just not worth saving that dollar or two to get the off-brand soy sauce,” warned Gray. “The Kikkoman tastes so much better, so it’s worth spending a little extra.”
Golden Flake Chips
Another off-brand product Gray said to stay away from is the Golden Flake brand.
“Nothing beats a good bag of Doritos but out of curiosity, I tried the Golden Flake brand as a cheaper alternative,” recalled Gray. “As expected, they just didn’t measure up. They didn’t have the same crunch or flavor as Doritos.”
At Dollar General, the difference in price is minimal — you’ll pay $4.50 for a 9.25-ounce bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos and $3.25 for a 7.5-ounce bag of the Golden Flake version.
Off-Brand Ketchup
Finally, Gray said shoppers should stick with Heinz ketchup and not be tempted by off-brand alternatives. The taste simply is not the same.
He noted, “I made the mistake of buying the cheaper Hunts ketchup from Dollar Tree once, thinking I could save a few bucks. But it tasted horrible — watery and bland… [It’s] just another example of why some condiments are just worth paying a little more to get the good stuff.”
A 14-ounce bottle of Hunts Ketchup from Dollar Tree will run you the standard $1.25 that most items are priced at. If you’re looking for better value, Gray recommends sticking with Heinz, which will cost a bit more — Walmart currently lists a 14-ounce bottle for $3.98.
What To Look for in Generic Brands
It’s important to remember that not all generic brands are bad. In many cases, you can save a bundle by switching to a name-brand alternative.
However, some generic brands just won’t measure up. If you are thinking of swapping to an off-brand label, you will want to take a number of things into consideration before adding the product to your cart.
Check the Ingredients
There are countless generic brands on the market that share the same exact ingredients as their more expensive counterparts. These store brands or private labels are often offered for a discount since they don’t pay for advertising and marketing.
It has even been shown that some generic products are manufactured by the same company that makes name-brand goods, just with a different label. Checking the ingredients is a good way to tell whether you are getting a bargain or not.
Check the Quantity
Next, you should see if there is a difference in quantity between the generic and the name brand. In some cases, the savings may be related to a reduced size or amount.
If these two things check out, then it is definitely worth trying the lower-priced item. However, if you are used to a specific product, you might have to adjust your taste expectations, at least slightly.
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