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With respect to gas, the only differences between one brand and another or no-name gas is the additives that get put into it. There are relatively few refineries in the US, and all of them refine gasoline to about the same specifications. Some brands do put additives at the terminal (local distribution station) before it is put on the trucks and sent to individual stations. However, especially at the regular unleaded level the differences have virtually no effect.
The gas issue is only partially correct. The gas very easily could be from the same refinery, but the additives will be different. Only Chevron has Techron. That's not to say Techron is any better than other gasoline's additives. It's just different is all.
As far as pain relievers go, the store brand version of Advil is just fine for me. Same exact active drug. Toiletries, whatever is cheapest as long as it meets my minimum requirements. Whatever 2-ply TP is on sale is good enough for me.
I think store brand breads are often superior. Same with milk, etc.
Another thing I noticed was cereals. Store brands just don't quite cut the mustard. Oh, they are OK, but it's obvious they are just poor imitations of the name brands. The texture and flavors just aren't quite right.
For band instruments (clarinets, trumpets, flutes, etc.) wait until the school year ends. The students that quit throughout the year and those who graduated are looking to get whatever they can for it. The worst time to buy a band instrument is right before school starts for the obvious reasons.
As for sodas, I try to stay away, but generic orange and root beer work for me. Not so with Coke or Dr. Pepper.
I agree with the comments about toiletries and soft drinks though, there is a definite inferior quality to the house brand in this case...and not worth it in my opinion.
One thing I found very interesting is that some major brands often repackage their own products into "house brands" to capture different demographics. I don't recall other product's, but I know for sure that Walmart's house brand coffee is just re-packaged Folgers.
If you do a search on said topic you'll probably be sure to find some informative posts on the subject.
Right after 9/11 I did some security work at a terminal, as stated above, this is where the gasoline goes into the trucks from the pipeline. Anyway there were a ton of no name trucks going to ma & pa gas stations, but then there were name brand trucks going to a brand that had "Superior Gasoline." It was all the same stuff.
Store brands are usually the same quality for significantly less money. We get store brands all the time.
Best,
James
But I have determined that for ice cream, name brands are far superior. Give me Breyer's, Homemade brand, or Ben and Jerry's any day over the Kroger brand.
For toiletries like soap and shampoo, I always get the generic if it's available, except in a few circumstances where I really love a particular product (like Herbal Essences shampoo, where they don't have a generic equivalent).
But their prices are so cheap, that I can "splurge" for Breyer's ice cream, which is only $2.94 there.
I don't mind buying clothes from there or Target either. You can usually tell which ones are going to last and which ones are cheap. And for ladies who like to switch up their wardrobe frequently, we don't need jeans that last 3 years.
Tissues, paper towels, soaps, etc. it's easy to go generic and/or bulk to keep costs down. The last time I tried store-brand peanut butter, it was terrible.
As for grocery shopping at Wal-Mart, I'll only buy things there that can't be easily screwed up. Ziploc bags, aluminum foil, etc. Actual food (especially meats & produce) I won't touch - we tried their offerings a couple times, but the quality was horrible. Now I go to a local butcher shop for my meats and get higher-quality stuff at the same or lower prices than the supermarket has.
I buy bread from a local baker and meat from the local butcher. Since the bread is baked everyday I can get a discount for the day old bread (really, it could sit on a shelf for a week, but this guy insists on it being fresh). The butcher also gives discounts for volume (great for a family) and will trim the meat for you (great time saver!).
I've had MUCH better luck with Target clothes versus Wal-mart. The one pair of jeans I bought at Wal-mart lasted about a month, and the Target pair I bought lasted 4 years.
Soups that will be eaten by themselves need to be Campbell's for me, but if they're going into a recipe or casserole, generic is fine.
Milk is always a better buy as a store brand, as is butter. Oils are usually about the same. Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour has to be Hodgson Mills for me.
I think everyone has their "things" that they don't want to take a chance on. Luckily for the generics, pretty much everyone's "things" are different.