Consumer Reports Says Store Brands Are Equivalent to Name Brands

Most people assume that when you buy store brands of household products, you’ll be saving money but sacrificing on quality. But that assumption is not always true, according to tests done by Consumer Reports. Consumer Reports is published by Consumers Union, an expert, independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to give consumers information and tools that will empower them protect themselves and their families. In tests detailed in its August issue, the magazine describes the procedures and brands tested to compare store brands with more familiar names seen in ads on television and in magazines, such as Puff tissues, Bounty paper towels, and Ziploc plastic bags. The heavy-hitting brand names were pitted against lower cost store brands such as Wal-Mart, Great Value, Equate, and Kirkland Signature brands, and the results may surprise you.

One test was conducted on paper towels, with various products soaked in water for the same amount of time. Each towel was weighed to see how much water it would hold, and then a special machine was used to measure the amount of force required to tear a towel. "Bounty paper towels were slightly stronger than the store brands, but we found one store brand that was nearly as strong, absorbed just as fast, and cost 42% less," said Tod Marks, a spokesman for Consumer Reports. The winning store brand was Kirkland Signature paper towels from Costco. The tests conducted on plastic food storage bags resulted in similar findings. "Ziploc's food storage bags were easy to open and close and they were puncture-resistant, but so were Wal-Mart's slider food storage bags, which cost about half as much," Marks said.

Facial tissues were compared by evaluating softness and durability. Panelists ran their hands along the surface of each tissue and then crumpled them up to see how pliable they were. The test showed that although some of the store brands were as soft as Kleenex and Puffs, none of them were as strong. But if softness is the primary factor driving choice of tissues, store brand tissues can hold their own against name brands. In conducting their ratings report, Consumer Reports experts tested a total of 65 grocery products in six categories—paper towels, tissues, plastic bags, peaches, yogurt, and French fries. Some of the store brand winners that topped the charts were Costco's Kirkland Signature laundry detergent, Kroger's 4-cheese pizza, and Wal-Mart peanut butter. All of the tests showed that while not every store brand can outperform a top name-brand product, many of them come awfully close. And since store brands can save you as much as 50 percent or more, they are worth trying.

Because of the increasing competition among store brands and name brands, consumers are starting to try store brands because of tightening budgets and rising costs. Even in a society obsessed with name brands and designer labels, sometimes the bottom line is the bottom dollar, particularly if there isn’t enough difference between products to justify paying almost double the price. And nowadays just about every major supermarket and drug store chain has its own store brand. Wal-Mart sells all kinds of food products from canned vegetables to coffee carrying their Great Value label, and their Equate line offers everything from mouthwash to saline solution. Costco makes more than 200 products that carry the Kirkland Signature label. Other store brands, such as Private Selection and Family Value, are carried by a variety of stores. So there are hundreds of choices available for consumers who are willing to experiment in order to save money on items they use regularly. Instead of buying name brands, Consumer Reports says you can save hundreds of dollars a year if you buy store brands. Just think—if you’re willing to use a tissue that might tear a little more easily than you’re used to, then you can treat yourself to leather upholstery in your new Cadillac. Sounds like a winning tradeoff, doesn’t it?