grocery shopping

I made a visit to the grocery store this afternoon. Perhaps because it's off season here in Jackson, I seemed to know someone in every isle. I happened upon a couple having a discussion about the cost of a name brand item and a store bought item. When they spotted me, I was asked " do you know if there's any difference between this store brand item and the name brand item, other than cost?"

It's been a few years since I taught Supermarket Strategies, a class I use to love to teach. I recalled several occassions I've had the opportuntiy to tour food processing plants in my travels and have seen first hand the same product being put into different containers with various company names. Sugar is sugar, salt is salt regardless of the label on the container. I was particularly amazed to observe that the Tobassco Sauce we all love is manufactured at Avery Island in Louisianna and the same company puts the same sauce into bottles for just about every country in the world under just about as many labels.

I thought our blog readers might enjoy seeing what the Consumer Reports found the difference between name brands and generics to be... here's the link.
http://www.chathamjournal.com/weekly/living/food/consumer-reports-store-brands-vs-big-name-brands-90915.shtml

The saying a penny saved is a penny earned is a fact which can add up to dollars if consumers are mindful of which product they select from the shelves at the grocery store