Couponing really is a great way to live frugally. Sometimes if you shop store brands to save money, you’ll come out ahead more so than trying to save money with coupons.
According to the Private Label Manufacturers Association, “The popularity of store brands is increasing as it has for the past several years. Store brands sales again outpaced national brands last year and set record market shares across all U.S. retail channels.
“Among all the retail outlets that Nielsen counts, store brand sales surged by +2.2% and total revenue was up $2.5 billion to $112 billion, an all-time record. In the mammoth supermarket channel, one of every four products sold last year was a store brand and $1 of every $5 of sales was generated by storebrands. Store brands are enjoying robust growth in the country’s drug chains, too. As a result, store brands continue to set record dollar and unit market share levels year after year, as ratified by the 2013 data.”
As indicated by this data, many shoppers are picking up on the fact that store brands really can help with their frugal living.
The PLMA also reports that, “Store brands continue to represent outstanding value. PLMA calculates from the 2013 data that American shoppers who opted last year for the store brand version of their favorite grocery product rather than the national brand produced an estimated $30 billion in savings. The difference is due largely to the so-called marketing tax, that is, advertising and promotional costs incurred by national brand manufacturers that are passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices.”
And I have to say that yes, there are some products where the name brand is better. Most of the time, I can’t tell the difference. I am an avid Publix shopper and the Publix store brands are typically a favorite of mine. That is, unless I find some great matchups or BOGO deals.
I found a study from blogger ChipRowe.com to be a very interesting read on the value of store brands. In his study he bought store brands and the cheapest products when grocery shopping. He then compared them with brand name products and coupons; the result was that he saved over $100 just by buying store brands or the cheapest brand available. I do agree that with certain BOGO deals or when you stack coupons, you can save extra cash. Store brands really are a great option for frugal living!
If you have comments or questions about store brand grocery items, please let us know on the Frugal Fabulous Finds Facebook page. While you’re there, tell us your favorite stories about how to live frugally.
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