Jul 29, 2024 3:42:25 GMT KJ said:

Jul 29, 2024 1:40:08 GMT NATH45 said:

I can't do generic brands. They're cheap, they're nasty. And I think the only generic item I've ever liked was a " Black & Gold " chicken potato chip that was swimming in chicken flavouring - an absolute delight.

We're probably a little smarter with our shopping now. We had our staples that we would buy regardless of being on special or not, but when the overall cost of buying everything for us seems to be up 50% on what it was a few years ago, it forces you to look for it on special and buy a few.

---

I've had this discussion with a few people, and no one can really give me an answer. Why when everything is going up, why has the price of a computer stayed the same?

The first computer I bought myself at 16 in 2000 was $1,400 - including the monitor, etc. The second was around $850, by just replacing the tower and the third was around $1,000. All of my laptops have been $700-$1,000 until my recently purchased $2,000 Envy.

My parents bought a banger of a PC in 1996 and as a full multimedia machine that it was, including all the toys - it was $3,000.

Today, you'd expect to pay $700-$1,000 on a mid range laptop. All-in-1s are around the 1K mark, stand alone towers are cheaper again.

Everything else is more expensive, except the actual computers. In fact, in a lot of cases - adjusting for inflation, computers are cheaper today than at any point.

??

Most store brands are made by major manufacturers and are the same as the brand names.

Maybe they make the cheap stuff, sure. But use some of the cheap toilet paper and tell me it's the same same as the good stuff. Shit, if it's uncomfortable for men, imagine what it's like for women.

Jul 29, 2024 1:40:08 GMT NATH45 said:

I can't do generic brands. They're cheap, they're nasty. And I think the only generic item I've ever liked was a " Black & Gold " chicken potato chip that was swimming in chicken flavouring - an absolute delight.

We're probably a little smarter with our shopping now. We had our staples that we would buy regardless of being on special or not, but when the overall cost of buying everything for us seems to be up 50% on what it was a few years ago, it forces you to look for it on special and buy a few.

---

I've had this discussion with a few people, and no one can really give me an answer. Why when everything is going up, why has the price of a computer stayed the same?

The first computer I bought myself at 16 in 2000 was $1,400 - including the monitor, etc. The second was around $850, by just replacing the tower and the third was around $1,000. All of my laptops have been $700-$1,000 until my recently purchased $2,000 Envy.

My parents bought a banger of a PC in 1996 and as a full multimedia machine that it was, including all the toys - it was $3,000.

Today, you'd expect to pay $700-$1,000 on a mid range laptop. All-in-1s are around the 1K mark, stand alone towers are cheaper again.

Everything else is more expensive, except the actual computers. In fact, in a lot of cases - adjusting for inflation, computers are cheaper today than at any point.

??

The thing is that a middle of the road PC is always around a certain price, but the costs of manufacturing PCBs has been improving while the prices increase.
Crazy when you think a PC today is 100 times your parents PC

Jul 29, 2024 1:44:40 GMT @admin said:

Jul 29, 2024 0:17:09 GMT Gyro LC said:

I’m store brand on most food pantry items. The exception is I only buy Kikkoman soy sauce. I tried the Kroger soy sauce and that was utter garbage.

Kikkoman is perfectly good but Pearl River Bridge is my soy sauce brand recommendation. Is that Kroger one in a plastic bottle? That's always a bad sign.

Jul 29, 2024 3:42:25 GMT KJ said:

Jul 29, 2024 1:40:08 GMT NATH45 said:

I can't do generic brands. They're cheap, they're nasty. And I think the only generic item I've ever liked was a " Black & Gold " chicken potato chip that was swimming in chicken flavouring - an absolute delight.

We're probably a little smarter with our shopping now. We had our staples that we would buy regardless of being on special or not, but when the overall cost of buying everything for us seems to be up 50% on what it was a few years ago, it forces you to look for it on special and buy a few.

---

I've had this discussion with a few people, and no one can really give me an answer. Why when everything is going up, why has the price of a computer stayed the same?

The first computer I bought myself at 16 in 2000 was $1,400 - including the monitor, etc. The second was around $850, by just replacing the tower and the third was around $1,000. All of my laptops have been $700-$1,000 until my recently purchased $2,000 Envy.

My parents bought a banger of a PC in 1996 and as a full multimedia machine that it was, including all the toys - it was $3,000.

Today, you'd expect to pay $700-$1,000 on a mid range laptop. All-in-1s are around the 1K mark, stand alone towers are cheaper again.

Everything else is more expensive, except the actual computers. In fact, in a lot of cases - adjusting for inflation, computers are cheaper today than at any point.

??

Most store brands are made by major manufacturers and are the same as the brand names.

I work in manufacturing most of the times the store brands aren't made by the big brand names, normally there are smaller manufacturers that do contract manufacturing for anyone who isn't a Kraft, Mars or a company of that size.
Sometimes Aldi is buying literally brand name products with their branding, but it's a very limited number of items.

So it's more fair to say most of the off brand products are made from the same company.
For example here if you bought a can of drink it's either Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Schweppes or there is about one other company that manufactures most of the others.

Even in these plants the quality of ingredients is 100% price dependent.
The cheapest stuff is nasty.

Store brand toilet paper, paper towels, condiments are gross.

I’ll buy store brand bottled waters but that’s about it. I’m also Team Kikkoman.

Well, another bites the dust.

www.news.com.au/lifestyle/food/restaurants-bars/beloved-us-burger-chain-carls-jr-goes-into-administration-in-australia/news-story/bb28a8c98be797a05991e2e427906b71

There was so much hype when the local one opened up, and then it was forgotten about very quickly due to how average the food was.

I like Carls Jr (or Hardee's as it's known in parts of the US) but there aren't many around here. The last time I was at one was four years ago at a truck stop in the middle of nowhere.

Honestly despite it being my first job Hardees was never over to my family. Probably had it a handful of times total and last time many years ago. Supposedly they have a killer breakfast.

The local restaurant had a tough run.

They built the restaurant towards the end of 2019 and finished it in early 2020 - went to open the store in March of 2020 and then a pandemic hit. It sat dormant until November or December maybe, and finally got off the ground sometime in 2021.

They relaunched it, with huge fanfare and... it wasn't great.

We were so excited for it, the locals that is, because it was something new. This is a town with 3 McDonald's after all and 4 KFCs. And about 7 or 8 Subways.

KFC is far more over internationally than in the US it seems. My local KFC rarely seems to have chicken so I stopped going.

The economy here is entering what I would like to scientifically refer to as the "Shitter"
Business insolvencies are at an all time high, but inflation isn't slowing all that much.

There is a coffee van I stop at when I'm driving the back way to the other side of town, I stop there a couple of times a month.
He's about to close because the people stopping for a coffee in the morning has dropped to near zero.

I get buying a coffee at $6 sounds like a luxury, but in Melbourne coffee is right up there near oxygen in terms of needed.

The problem we gave is the number of people that don't have a mortgage or an okay mortgage is probably more than half the population so the rate rises and cost of living is having a 90% effect on 20% of the population. It's like pulling the handbrake and only one wheel locks up.

Must be something different down under than the US in terms of private label brands and production.

Jul 30, 2024 0:49:48 GMT KJ said:

Must be something different down under than the US in terms of private label brands and production.

I tend to agree with you. I'll often buy off label goods. Mostly non perishable stuff. Sauces and beans and chips and granola bars and pasta and the like with no discernible difference. One thing I have noticed a difference on has been cereal. Only been buying brand name.

I suspect most people's opinions are biased and they'd be surprised if they did a blind taste test.

To that end the trend by the supermarkets here at the moment is to bougie up home brands to make them look like independent/up-market products. There's a particularly hilarious coffee example that's advertised on the packet as from “the heart of inner-city Preston, our Melbourne roasters…” but it's actually Nespresso from Switzerland.

And no real Melburnian would call Preston inner city.

It’s pretty common for there to be three levels of store brands at my stores - low (lots of salt sugar and filler), normal, and premium/gourmet. I stay away from low. Normal is fine for things like mustard, ketchup, pickles, pasta,some cheese, etc. The premium items at Kroger are pretty good, especially considering they’re a fair bit cheaper that name brand. I got their premium hot dogs when Hebrew National was out and they were very good especially at $3 less a pack. Kroger Private Selections ice cream is as good as any name brand at less than half the cost.

It's always weird when the national brands are on sale so then they become cheaper than the store generics. You'd think that would be the time they would time it as well. Though I suppose if they're all going to the same 4-5 companies it matters not and they might even be coordinating when the sales drop.

I don't think people are getting the store brand thing, they are not consumer friendly.
Grocery chains make more on the store brands than they do on the name brands, it is why they always place store brands in prominent places.
The big grocery chains want the little guys gone, they want you buying their brands... Then they will jack the prices up.

Grocery chains are the most mercenary financial operators you could conceive.

As a former grocer, I can confirm. The GP% on a lot of home brand item was upwards of 80% or 90%.

Some however ran at a considerable loss, but they were usually an item that was crossed merchandised or had an associated selling product that had a high GP%. Ie; pasta had a negative GP%, but the associated home brand sauce was quite high.

Most of the " low price " or " price dropped " stuff in Australia ran at a loss, but vendor incentives covered the loss. Pepsi 2l was $2.00 at one point and cost the business $2.40 or something. But Schweppes giving the business enough cash back for the positioning, made it profitable.

Many a store, only made their monthly bottom line due to ensuring their committed displays were all tied up, which would result in say, Schweppes for example handing over those incentives at the end of the month.

[can't speak to the financials of store brands, pass]

Back when I drank soda somewhat regularly, I could absolutely taste the difference between Coke, Pepsi or store brand. Now I drink sparkling water and I can tell for sure when it's name brand or generic and it's not close.

(Or maybe I'm drinking the wrong generics, plz halp)

I'll use store brand mustard and cheeses, though. As good as name? Maybe/maybe not (certainly not when it comes to cheese) but pick and choose where to pinch pennies

My car gets significantly worse fuel economy using generic gas vs Shell, which is frustrating. Like, if it were the same I could easily switch and save money.

I do not compromise on gas, ketchup, mustard, Philly dip or cream cheese, Tide or Coke. Otherwise we generic the hell out of our grocery list if we can.

This was an interesting interview:



Our economies are built in such a way without growth(inflation) they will collapse. However wages rarely keep up and it's only gotten worse as we get squeezed by corporations.



The big change happened when we shifted from a labor driven economy to an investment driven economy.

Endless growth, today's record profits are next quarter's losses. Probably why they're so gun-ho to attack abortion and BC since we're just not producing enough bullet sponges/wage slaves.