Generic vs. Name

[Lace Neil Singer]

I buy a couple of things from the local supermarket's economy brand; they're exactly the same, tastewise, as the generic save that they're packaged in cheapo packaging. For example the cheddar. I'm not paying out a couple of quid for fancy packaging, cuz that's not the part I'm eating. XD

[Ginger Tea]

Knock off Dr Pepper's might not be rife over here then, mind you since moving I've found my outlets limited to the main three supermarkets and they normally do brand name and store brand little to no inbetween and store brand seems to be limited to cola lemonade and one or both of orange and cherryade, depending on store.
I recall Lidl and Aldi (iir we have one of those if I don't mind almost going off the map to get to it) used to have alot of generic/forign versions of drinks, sometimes the german biscuits were better, well those 'traditional' german ones we used to glue to thin card houses at christmas when we lived there for a bit were a must buy and tasted 10 times better once you let the air get to them, ginger biccies are ace a few days after you open them, nice and soft and not as spicy, although I normally dunk mine in coffee so I don't have to worry bout the hardness of them.

[muses_nightmare]

I stick to a few brand names my conditioner (I don't generally use shampoo) is tresemme, and I always buy the extra strength advil gel caps for my migraines.

I'm not generally picky otherwise though. I can't drink colas or well, anything with caffeine so those are a non issue (though my bf really only likes Coke). We will buy store brand pop in other flavours, safeway brand grapefruit pop is pretty awesome, their rootbeer is good too (I used to really like Barqs, but well, caffeine).

Body washes and such I'll try anything so long as it smells good, I don't generally have reactions to that type of stuff though. I do really like the softsoap Grapefruit scented body wash, it smells amazing.

I also found that the wal-mart brand of bath and body products that mimic The Body Shop are actually pretty decent, and they have one that smells exactly like the satsuma lotion I loved from The Body Shop for a heck of a lot cheaper.

[Rapscallion]

I tried SLS-free shampoo and didn't like it because my hair didn't feel clean. To each their own.

SLS is a very effective cleaning agent - it's very good at stripping away excess oils on the skin and in the hair. It's probably fairly useful on dishes as well, to help get rid of grease there, but I've not done any research into this.

Rapscallion

[Greenday]

Okay but barring random allergies, it's the exact same thing for most people.

[linguist]

So basically because they look different, they are different? I don't buy that. One is just made to look pretty and is advertised the hell out of it. The other is just a plain pill with the exact same active ingredients.

that's true for the active ingredient, but often it's the difference in inactive ingredients that causes problems. for example, my mom had a pretty serious allergic reaction a few years ago after taking a store-brand acetominophen. it turns out she was allergic to one of the colorings they used. she does not have this problem with tylenol, however, so she always buys tylenol just to be certain that she won't have the same reaction again.

[Greenday]

Actually, not so with most drugs. There are fillers, colorants, and coatings and other ingredients that don't get listed on the labels for drugs that can have different effects on people. In some cases, the generic will cause problems that the brand doesn't, and sometimes it's the other way around. I don't have problems with colorants or other fillers, so as long as the active ingredients are identical, I always go with the generic.

So basically because they look different, they are different? I don't buy that. One is just made to look pretty and is advertised the hell out of it. The other is just a plain pill with the exact same active ingredients. So when I go to get a pain med and I have to choose between Tylenol and Acetominophin, I'm taking the latter because in the end, same chemical doing the same thing except Tylenol is priced higher.

[AdminAssistant]

I tried SLS-free shampoo and didn't like it because my hair didn't feel clean. To each their own.

I have a bit of brand-name bias, but I am buying more store brands these days. Things like ibuprofen, most canned/frozen foods, and such. Unless it's something in particular, like the Green Giant broccoli/rice/cheese steam in a bag thing, which isn't available in generic. (SO good, btw.) And I find that there's rarely a significant price difference between some things. I do buy better quality toilet paper, because that actually saves money (and our hineys!)

[BlaqueKatt]

I always thought the suds were the main part of the soap. good, thick oily suds. Get a big wad of it on the sponge before I go scrubbing away at the next dish.

heck I actually don't even use dish soap to wash my dishes(except for greasey pans), I use one of these and plain water-gets them just as clean.

[HYHYBT]

I did just *have* to buy the generic/store brand Dr Pepper once, solely for the name: that store called it "Dr Bob." Like Rowlf in Veterinarian's Hospital. It wasn't bad, but by the time I was through the pack I was ready for the "real" stuff again.

[Andara Bledin]

It's not the stuff on the water but the stuff in the water that's important.

^-.-^

[DrFaroohk]

As mentioned, suds are useless. Who cares how much sudsing action you get as long as the soap makes it easier to get the dishes cleaned? I actually use a store-brand dish soap (Kroger), and it is way too overactive in the suds department. Thankfully, it's also a decent soap.

I always thought the suds were the main part of the soap. good, thick oily suds. Get a big wad of it on the sponge before I go scrubbing away at the next dish. I just like suds I guess. I hate the way the water feels after a few loads when it's lost its soapiness.

[IDrinkaRum]

The only reason I stopped buying the Dollar Store brand dishwasher detergent is because it's in a powder, and I was always over-filling the little cup thing. (Now I use Finish).

I also use generic (Dollar Store) dish-washing detergent (for those things that I don't want to/can't put into the dishwasher).

Generic deodorant.

As for name brands? I cannot use the following name brands:

1. Irish Spring soap
2. Suave body lotion

I'm allergic to both products. I get hives. And I hate getting itchy, red hives. Yuck.

I buy store/generic "Tylenol", frozen veggies/foods, soup mixes, what-have-you. I don't think there's much difference between the name/generic brands for a lot of things. But maybe I'm weird?

[Andara Bledin]

Mind you are there generics for Tizer Irn Bru and Dr Pepper?

Dr Pepper is probably the most-copied cola in the world, actually.

Fake Dr Pepper Land (hit the right arrow at the bottom right to veiw the gallery, which only shows 3 cans at a time)

An image of a guy who collects Dr Pepper knock offs

^-.-^

[ExRetailDrone]

Some good things to buy generic (in my experience):

Batteries

I have purchased generic batteries before, and will probably never do so again. The length of time they lasted in the same device compared to a name brand was laughable. Perhaps I chose a very poor generic, but I'd rather not waste the money to try another generic when I know that the name brand I buy works for a nice length of time.