What generic/store brand items are better/just as good as the name brand? - Alternatively, are there things you should buy name brand?

Metro/Food Basics "Selection" brand hot sauce is the best generic, non-specific, medium low heat hot sauce I've ever tasted. It's practically identical to the hot sauce that used to come in the packets that KFC Canada sold with Hot Wings and I wouldn't be surprised if it came from the same supplier.

I also slightly prefer the Selection pizza pouches to name brand McCain Pizza Pockets and their mini-pizzas to name brand Dr. Oetker Giuseppe (formerly McCain Deep and Delicious).
 
Most cereals for sure. Generic corn flakes and rice krispies taste just as good as the real deal.

Popcorn for sure, most grocery store microwave popcorn is just as good as the name brands.

Peanut Butter, especially Great Value or Market Pantry.

Finally, Walgreens has really damn good jerky, better than the name brands. Especially the bacon jerky.
 
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Store brand Monster Ultra from Kaufland (belongs to Lidl).
Comes in nice big bottles that cost less than a single can of Monster and let's you mow laws in the morning like the real thing.
 
Jif peanut butter. Even if I'm on a tight budget I gotta get it.

The only other kind I liked simply ceased to exist one day. Kroger had this store brand 'healthy' peanut butter my dad started buying because it was 'healthy'. At first I figured it was gonna be awful but lo and behold it was goddamn delicious. We got addicted to the stuff. It was cheaper than all the name brands so we'd end up buying 2-3 jars at a time.
Then one day it just..changed. Same labeling, sams name but the flavor was off.

Sad times.
 
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When I worked for a large supermarket their in-house database told you who produced their own brand products. 80% of their products came from the same factory as the branded products but charged at least 1/3 less. From cereal to dog food it was pretty much all the same stuff. The main things there wasn't a direct alternative for was stuff like Nutella and Kellogg's Corn Flakes.

Kirkland's premium vodka is exactly the same as Grey Goose but a lot cheaper.
 
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The off-brand goldfish crackers that are shaped like whales. The dollar store has huge boxes of em. I love those delicious little cheesy shits

Also, by law (in America and Canada anyways) generic medications, both over the counter and prescription have to have the same ingredients/made the same way as the name-brand so they are literally the same.
 
Benton's cookies at Aldi are the shit and are cheaper than buying girl scout cookies.🥰
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When I'm home, I buy the Aldi ground coffee and its as good as more expensive shit, as it its 100% pure maple syrup. And basmati rice. And beans in cans and often fresh veggies too; and frozen veggies - comes from Belgium where you just get radioactivity, unlike the frozen stuff from China where you get heavy metals and irrigation from human sewage. Aldi icecream is to my taste as good as expensive stuff. And rolled oats. But TBH - once its past the back of the mouth it does not matter too much. But I always buy honey from a friendly beekeeper up the road. I tend to eat pretty simply.
 
Kroger stuff is good, I've noticed (their barbeque sauce is tasty) but I'm with everyone else - most cereal, pastas, sodas (except for Dr. Pepper, that's irreplaceable to me), OTC are more or less the same, just cheaper.

You guys are talking about this Fizzicist stuff and now I wanna try it.
 
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The Gay Banana said:
When I worked for a large supermarket their in-house database told you who produced their own brand products. 80% of their products came from the same factory as the branded products but charged at least 1/3 less. From cereal to dog food it was pretty much all the same stuff. The main things there wasn't a direct alternative for was stuff like Nutella and Kellogg's Corn Flakes.

Kirkland's premium vodka is exactly the same as Grey Goose but a lot cheaper.
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One thing I do know is that the food at the corner store (the kind with the various meat deals and SNAP/WIC signs and no credit cards taken in a bad 'hood) is fucking terrible. I got a can of corned beef hash there and when I opened it, I immediately put it down the garbage disposal, it's like the fat rose to the top and festered.

Recently I thought, hey, stewed tomatoes are pretty hard to fuck up and I need a can or two for a recipe so let's take a walk. Got each can for a dollar and discovered that they must use reject tomatoes because quite a few were yellow/unripe. I think I've learned my lesson on off-off-brands smh
 
Kroger's Cola Time pop is pretty good. I usually get generic brand food as long as they don't have a bunch of extra sodium.

Ivory soap bars are great, why would you get expensive Dove soap when Ivory is 77c for 2 bars?

I have heard Hobby Lobby's generic paintbrushes are good. I haven't needed any new brushes though, but I don't see much difference between CraftSmart brushes and Liquitex Basics brand.
 
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