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Store Brands Get a Thumbs Up!

By Donna L Montaldo, About.com GuideJuly 18, 2005

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Consumer Reports magazine senior editor, Tod Marks, gave store brands the thumbs up on ABC’s Good Morning America program. Marks did not disclose all of the brands tested but he did offer a sampling of the results in six major groups where the store brand was tested against the more expensive national brand. All but one of the store brands beat out the national brands in the test.

The complete list of all the brands tested can be found in the current issue of Consumer Reports magazine. Marks did disclose a few of the winners listed below:

Yogurts: Winners: Stop and Shop and A&P brands.

Plastic Food Bags: Tie: Ziploc and the Wal-Mart store brand.

Paper Towels: Tie: Bounty and Kirkland Store brand.

Facial Tissue: Winner: Puffs.

Store brands have improved over the last decade and for good reason. Many of the products are made by the same companies which make the national brands. The difference in many of the products is more package design than actual product performance or product taste.

If you have been reluctant to try store brands you may want to consider Consumer Reports findings and do some experimenting on your own. The savings in what you spend on your weekly groceries will be greatly improved.

Peter Berlinski, editor of Private Label magazine, told Consumer Reports that he "estimates that consumers can generally expect 15 to 20 percent average savings across all categories on store brands vs. national brands sold at supermarkets; 25 to 30 percent at drugstores; and as much as 50 percent at mass-merchandise stores."

More: Store vs. name brands