Here's another instance of the mainstream media "discovering" something most of us have known all along -- store brands can save your a good amount of money. The highlights:
As budgets get tighter and food gets more expensive, American shoppers are increasingly switching to store brands — even upper-income consumers who may not have been inclined to give them a try before.
The nation's biggest grocery-sellers, Wal-Mart, Kroger, Supervalu Inc. and Safeway Inc., all report that sales of their own brands are jumping, as customers can't stop regularly buying food and household items but need to reduce spending.
Gone, for the most part, are the gray, no-frills cans with nondescript labels such as "peas," packaging that evoked cheap, bland taste. Many now sport colorful labels with names like Kroger's "Private Selection" and "Naturally Preferred" that don't shout "store brand!"
"Store brands have come a long way," said Tod Marks, a senior editor at Consumer Reports, which has tested store brands against national brands for quality and customer response. "Over the years, retailers realized that store brands were not just something to be floated out during hard times ... 'This is a signature product of ours. We want to be known for this.' "
Uh, yeah.
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