Avoid Being a Name Brand Snob

I think we have all been guilty of this at some point or another…buying a name brand product over a generic one even though the generic product is a lot cheaper. Everyone has their own reasons as to why they do it. Possibly, they feel that they have brand loyalty to a certain name brand…or maybe they just feel that the name brand product is simply better than the generic one. 

Personally, I can only think of one product that I am a name brand snob about. I’ve been a ketchup lover my entire life and I have tried all different brands of ketchup growing up. I have to admit that I am a Heinz Ketchup snob. I will pay more just for that name brand product. I feel that the ketchup that Heinz makes is just better than other ketchup brands. 

Man, I love my Heinz.

Being a name brand snob for one or two products isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It becomes a problem when every single product you buy is a name brand. Those name brand companies can charge more than generic companies because they are brand names. If you want to be sure you won’t be cheated by buying a generic item, check the ingredients of both the generic and brand name products. Chances are they are the exact same. 

 Some examples of generic products at Wal-Mart.

One way that I recommend avoiding the opportunity of being seduced by brand names is by shopping at stores that offer entire lines of their own, generic products. Even though I am not a huge fan of Wal-Mart, I must admit- they have a huge selection of their generic (Great-Value) products. If you are like me and want to avoid Wal-Mart at all costs, check out a store like Aldi. They don’t carry any name brand products at all.

I feel that buying name brand products is a habit that shoppers get into. As with any habit, it won’t be easy to quit, but I know if you really want to pinch those pennies- you have to go for those generic products.