Recently, the economic news about stronger than expected retail sales, has given many a glimmer of hope! As shoppers however, we seem to be constantly looking for smart ways to save money.
If you were going to switch brands from a national brand to a less expensive brand, would you be more likely to do this for household products like paper towels/detergent or personal care products like face cream and deodorant?
We’d like to hear what you think!
More likely to replace a brand name household product (e.g., paper towlels) with a generic version (87.3%)
More likely to replace a brand name personal care product (e.g., face cream) with a generic version (12.7%)
I replaced the brand name paper products that I buy on a regular basis (paper towels, bath tissue, facial tissue) with the Green Wise brand from Publix Supermarkets a few years ago. They are made from recycled paper using a chlorine-free bleaching process so it is better for the environment and produces paper with no dioxins (a carcinogen). The prices are comparable to the moderately priced brand names, I get healthier products in my home, and it helps the environment: how much better can it get?!
I think a lot depends on what the items are. Some personal care products in the generic version are okay.
I would rather change my household products than my personal care products, but I think that higher end cosmetic companies are getting away with "price fixing" by never discounting at the cosmetic counter. We should be ticked off about that!
There are some things I'm just not willing to give up; I would pay a little more to have the deodorant, make-up, etc. that I like, rather than swap for a generic.
I would choose paper towels or paper products to replace, you have to be careful of what you are putting on your body, especially sensitive areas.
I could change my paper towel but not my face cream.
I would definitely replace household products first. I am much more sensitive to personal care items. Generic paper towels aren't going to make my face break out like a generic face wash might.
I would brand name household products before personal products because I buy many generic brand products and have had more luck with things like lotion and body wash than toilet paper and papertowels. The secret is to find the RIGHT generic brands, but paper generics don't seem to do the trick for me.
I could buy generic in either but if I could keep one name brand it would be the cosmetics etc.
I've recently changed to the Dollar Store variety on paper towels. They are strong, do not leave streaks and a great buy. I still purchase higher priced paper towels though in smaller volume. Switched to Ivory soap at $.97 for 3 bars instead of a most costly soap I was using at $7.50 per bar.