Shopping, shop brand or big name?

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I just thought I'd ask :D

I used to buy branded stuff but have slowly shifted to just about all shop or name you've never heard of brands.

I think the first to go was some of the big name tinned and bottled stuff and cleaning products which have largely been replaced with shop branded goods.

Next was toiletries. I think the first to go was the branded deodorant as the shop brand seemed just as good and is much cheaper. Next was the shower gel and about that time Gillette came out with that awful and arguably sexist and racist ad so I thought I'd ditch all Gillette branded goods so it was replaced with shop brand shaving gel and a Harry's razor which is at the mo my only expensive name brand thing.

Man smelly wise I never used to buy it as I used to get some for birthday and Christmas so that was enough but I baulked at spending £80 a bottle and bought some made in China stuff which smells ok to me and everyone else who cares but it's eau de toilet rather than the stronger stuff so needs topping up if necessary. When this runs out I might get some UK made smelly which is about half the price of that £80 famous name advertise on tv stuff.

Switching has saved me quite a bit.

Anyone else shifted their buying habits to ease the cost of living?
 
We stopped processed dog food in favour of raw. My main shopping direction is now to shop in local independent stores wherever possible even if not the cheapest, because in most cases cheap means something has been left out or done badly - eg slave labour, less beans more watery sauce, etc. I have no idea about mens grooming stuff, I buy mine from an independent chemists near here that sell a nice range of bits and pieces, plus Body Shop (although I'm becoming disenamoured of the latter).
 
lindsay said:
We stopped processed dog food in favour of raw. My main shopping direction is now to shop in local independent stores wherever possible even if not the cheapest, because in most cases cheap means something has been left out or done badly - eg slave labour, less beans more watery sauce, etc. I have no idea about mens grooming stuff, I buy mine from an independent chemists near here that sell a nice range of bits and pieces, plus Body Shop (although I'm becoming disenamoured of the latter).
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We used to use a lot of stuff from the Body Shop but these days much less since they shifted a lot of production away from the UK and overseas. Given the choice I like to buy made in the UK as it keeps people employed and keeps the tax rolling in to pay for the NHS, teachers, police and other things we rather like to have.

I recently bought Mrs WW a gift basket of toiletries from a UK company and I have to say they're superb.
 
I stopped buying Gillette products years ago. I now use an Edwin Jagger razor with Feather razor blades, which works out at about £7.50 a year for the blades, and Geo F Trumper shaving cream.
 
L320Rio said:
I stopped buying Gillette products years ago. I now use an Edwin Jagger razor with Feather razor blades, which works out at about £7.50 a year for the blades, and Geo F Trumper shaving cream.
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HOW MUCH??????

Well done you :D

I think I want these.
 
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L320Rio said:
I stopped buying Gillette products years ago. I now use an Edwin Jagger razor with Feather razor blades, which works out at about £7.50 a year for the blades, and Geo F Trumper shaving cream.
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Had to look up that razor and it's blades.

Yikes, talk about taking me back in time :runaway:

My father had one of that exact style and I used that razor back then....50 odd years ago! IIRC I shifted away from it because it was useless when 'cutting in' around my beard & moustache and surmise (though my facial hair has changed over the years) that I would find the same issue today.

However, for a full & clean shaven face it would be fine ;)
 
L320Rio said:
Edwin Jagger razor with Feather razor blades,
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Blimey that takes me back.
( don't grab across the top to unscrew the head, I learned that very quickly and at a young age :D )


There are somethings I won't compromise on, having tried alternatives.
Heinz Baked Beans & Tom sauce, Daddies brown sauce.
And maybe a few other things that escape me for now.

But by and large I tend to buy "own brands" of most things when shopping.
 
Many things just do not taste the same. Heinz ketchup and HP for example smash the cheaper ones. Same with Diet Coke.

Experience has shown me that buying say Tesco washing up may be cheaper per bottle, but you need to use less of Fairy.
 
cambsno said:
Many things just do not taste the same. Heinz ketchup and HP for example smash the cheaper ones. Same with Diet Coke.

Experience has shown me that buying say Tesco washing up may be cheaper per bottle, but you need to use less of Fairy.
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ASDA started to do a washing up liquid which is even cheaper than their usual own brand one and it's good. It's often out of stock so I tend to try and keep a spare in stock just in case I can't get any for a couple of weeks.

I've just bought a large bottle of tomato ketchup from an asian shop in town and it's massive. The taste is different to Heinz but I will probably buy it again for that difference. I often buy Crucials but I've never seen their tomato ketchup in any shop. I do buy their barbeque, Mint and others.
 
I buy the shop's own brand at least once and in most cases will stick with it thereafter - there have been some crap ones though.

I can't understand why people pay (often four or five times the price) for a brand name. There are differences, but it's easy to get used to a change in most cases.
 
cambsno said:
Many things just do not taste the same. Heinz ketchup and HP for example smash the cheaper ones. Same with Diet Coke.

Experience has shown me that buying say Tesco washing up may be cheaper per bottle, but you need to use less of Fairy.
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Exactly my experience, we did the Aldi/Lidl experiment and the whole lot went in the bin, their clover (lover) was runnier and was basically margarine. Their cornflakes were thinner and more crumbs than flakes,

We have a salad cream at work that has a green tint to it, it doesnt taste like Heinze, that said they use a Vegan mayo and thats perfectly fine, I like it more than normal mayo but then I only eat it when its in something already.
 
Cobra said:
Blimey that takes me back.
( don't grab across the top to unscrew the head, I learned that very quickly and at a young age :D )


There are somethings I won't compromise on, having tried alternatives.
Heinz Baked Beans & Tom sauce, Daddies brown sauce.
And maybe a few other things that escape me for now.

But by and large I tend to buy "own brands" of most things when shopping.
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Heinz baked beans for me,too. On toast or with bacon/sausage/ eggs and whatever. Someone suggested I try Branston's. I did. There's no comparison. Like you, I'd never buy another brand.

Re tom sauce I read a Which ? report on this subject a long time ago and they did a test and Sainburys own brand easily came top. I thought I bettter check to see if there's been another test since and there has. March this year.

"Our panel of more than 100 ketchup-lovers blind-tasted tomato sauce from Heinz, as well as nine own-labels, including Sainsbury's, Tesco, Aldi, Lidl and more.
Heinz triumphed, taking the top spot in our taste test - but it's also by far the most expensive.And while our supermarket sauces didn't quite match the flavour of our branded Best Buy, some of the cheaper own labels still came exceptionally close

Heinz came out on top with an 80% approval rating. £2.30 for 460g (50p per 100g) Next was Waitrose with 78% (70p for 470g ..15p per 100g) then Sainsburys at 77%. (60p for 460g...13p per 100g)

As I like to go the extra mile...lol.. You do have a Sainsburys in Witan Gate if you haven't tried theirs.

Btw. Have you made any of that ice cream yet ? :D
 
L320Rio said:
I stopped buying Gillette products years ago. I now use an Edwin Jagger razor with Feather razor blades, which works out at about £7.50 a year for the blades, and Geo F Trumper shaving cream.
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In July 2021 I happen to come across an offer (online) by Wilkinson's Sword Hydro 3 blades, which I use. They were reduced to 9p a blade in packs of eight. One blade lasts me 5 weeks. The price was so low I thought they were running down stock due to pending discontinuation but I see they're still available in packs of eight..now £1.37 a blade. I worked it out. I bought enough to last 4 years :D I even bought two packs each with a razor and that worked out at 11p a blade.
 
L320Rio said:
I stopped buying Gillette products years ago. I now use an Edwin Jagger razor with Feather razor blades, which works out at about £7.50 a year for the blades, and Geo F Trumper shaving cream.
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Are the feather blades any good? Looking for a different blade for my safety razor.
 
JohnC6 said:
We have an Aldi..two infact and they're very good..as long as you choose carefully. Lidl's washing maching tablets are cheap compared with the big names but a Which?review had them at a 'best buy'. https://www.lidl.co.uk/p/w5/w5-all-in-1-dishwasher-tablets/p903
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I guess we do also get a lot from Costco, but like you say it's knowing what to buy where to get the best deal.
Washing powder is usually places like B&M or Costco when it's on offer.
 
I did buy non gillette blades, ripped my face to shreds so resign myself to gillette - luckily i only shave about twice a week!
 
Used to use Gillette but I found objectionable the thought of my money subsidising the lifestyle of whichever already overpaid footballer they currently employ to advertise their product. Grudgingly I’ll admit they make the best blades but a recent long stay in hospital made me realise I can cope perfectly well using an electric razor.


We were recently given a free sample of costco‘s washing powder. My misses was pleasantly surprised and swears it bought the whites up better than the Bold we’ve always previously bought from Costco. I did say to her I’m surprised you doubted the Costco product. I’ve yet to find a product carrying the Kirkland label that is anything other then very good. I suspect that from now on Fairy, Bold, Dettol, Finish, Cillit Bang and so forth will become less noticeable in our household.
 
We use Lidl for a lot of stuff but probably not that much alternatives to the big brands. Heinz ketchup, saisons vinegar and HP (definitely not Daddies) brown sauce. Their salad, veg, milk eggs etc are decent and staples like pasta, rice etc are fine.
 
Craig1912 said:
We use Lidl for a lot of stuff but probably not that much alternatives to the big brands. Heinz ketchup, saisons vinegar and HP (definitely not Daddies) brown sauce. Their salad, veg, milk eggs etc are decent and staples like pasta, rice etc are fine.
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Rice and pasta are very expensive in any supermarket if you ask me. You should look for a wholesaler nearby and if you can of course buy rice in 20kg sacks. Keep mine in the garage and 20kg lasts about 6 months.
Same with lentils, barley, chic peas that sort of thing. We eat far less things like potatoes these days and opt for long shelf life alternatives.
 
We tend to normally use Aldi,Lidl, and farm foods though we did pop into a Asda superstore last week can still see the look of shock on the wife’s face when the bill was £100 plus .. ..
As for razors I currently use a pack of throwaway Gillette ones that were on offer at £3.79 for 12 .. both our freezers are stacked to capacity . Not ever turned my nose up at the wife’s cooking either .. and sometimes get cancelled take away meals brought home by the lad who’s a restaurant manager .. .
 
L320Rio said:
I stopped buying Gillette products years ago. I now use an Edwin Jagger razor with Feather razor blades, which works out at about £7.50 a year for the blades, and Geo F Trumper shaving cream.
Click to expand...

What a blast from the past, remember my dad used those when I was a young lad, tried them once then the Bic ones and after sticking toilet roll all over my face never again.
 
JohnC6 said:
Someone suggested I try Branston's.
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So did / have I, not for me :(
JohnC6 said:
You do have a Sainsburys in Witan Gate if you haven't tried theirs.
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I know where sainsburys is, and that is far too close to CMK for me even to consider it :p

JohnC6 said:
Btw. Have you made any of that ice cream yet ? :D
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I nearly made some the other day, but then I realised I'd not bought the ingredients yet, so that was a non starter.
 
Fuji Dave said:
What a blast from the past, remember my dad used those when I was a young lad, tried them once then the Bic ones and after sticking toilet roll all over my face never again.
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Not using it properly Dave.
You need to use it straight on to your face in an up/down movement. It only cuts if you introduce a slight side movement.....
 
I just don't shave. Beard trimmer once a week is plenty.
 
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robj20 said:
I just don't shave. Beard trimmer once a week is plenty.
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Same here, but I still shave my neck, I hate beard hair on my neck :(
 
Bobsyeruncle said:
I've used a safety razor for years and never had any issues cutting in around my goatee....
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As I mentioned, it was decades ago and other than a cut throat I have run the gamut....

Wilkinson Sword (that was the safety razor brand so I stuck with that brand for years), Gillette as well as electric ~ Braun, Remington, Phillips....... these included rotary and foil types and I never found one that gave me a close enough shave do reverted to wet!

Currently I have used Gillette for possibly 30 years?
 
On a side re: Gillette ~ in the mid 90's , when as I recall multi bladed razors had 3 blades, a colleague of mine came in one day with one heck of a razor rash!

He explained that he was part of a test group trialling a new version of Gillette multi bladed razors. He received A through E labelled blades to use and report about and the one that week was giving him the rash! Perhaps a case of the rest "as they say" is history:LOL:
 
I use Lidl baked beans because I always "customise" them, and by the time I have finished with the chopped chillis, smoked paprika and extra seasoning, they taste just as good. I prefer BiC disposable razors, the Cien ones from Lidl are rubbish and I only shave twice a week.
Can anyone tell me what the difference in performance is, between a £17.50 Braun OralB electric toothbrush and a £350 Braun electric toothbrush?
I find Asda dishwasher tabs better and cheaper than the most advertised brand, they deal with limescale better.
IMHO, Lidl probably has the best wines of any supermarket in the sub £10 mark.
 
We are probably.... about 20% brand names... Roll on deodorant and bodyspray, her shampoo etc, toothpaste, bleach, laundry conditioner, yogurts, Clover, lager/cider and rum, some snack items like Belvita etc off the top of my head.

We shop in Asda but recently have been using the local Aldi for fruit and fresh veg. Asda's fruit is awful! She wants to try an Aldi shop, I'm not so sure....
 
I don't care about brands, but Ido like decent quality. So I'll buy stuff that's good, whether it's Levi or Matalan. Same goes for food, but to an extent one builds up an expectation from experience - shopped in Lidl a couple of weeks back, and compared with Tesco the veg was very poor quality, meat OK.
 
We do mix, some named items- sauce, coffee, decent whole milk without buttermilk or whatever added, Aldi, Lidl Asda, and Tesco makeup the rest. Aldi ostrich steaks worth a try btw.
 
Can't beat Fairy Liquid, Heinz Ketchup, HP Sauce, Tiptree Jam and Kellogs Corn Flakes.
Do like Waitrose Gold Tea Bags, Ocado Scampi and M&S Bran Flakes with Sultanas are also nice.
Boots Laundry Liquid is also excellent, none of that disgusting "Fresh" chemical smell that people often reek of.

Never buy the snide products that they try and package like the original.
Got caught with some biscuits when we were on holiday, Chocolate Doogestives or some such name, awful.

Even worse is the toilet paper you sometimes find when out, million rolls for a quid in a bag down the market
Ok if you enjoy sticking your finger up your backside every time you use it.
 
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jakeblu said:
Are the feather blades any good? Looking for a different blade for my safety razor.
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Feather razor blades are reputedly the sharpest blades you can buy. Personally I wouldn't use anything else. They give me a very close, smooth shave that lasts all day, but you do have to treat them with respect. However, as with everything else, it is about personal preference.
 
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