Name game

Store brand products can compete with their name-brand counterparts and save shoppers more than a thousand dollars a year on grocery bills, according to a new study from Consumer Reports.

In 21 head-to-head taste match-ups, national brands won seven times, the store brand came out on top in three instances, and the remainder resulted in ties.

"The study reaffirms that store brands are worth a try," Tod Marks, senior projects editor for Consumer Reports, said in a statement. "For a family that spends $100 a week on groceries, the savings could add up to more than $1,500 a year."

Consumer Reports’ price study evaluated five supermarket chains and compared store- and name-brand prices for 30 everyday items at five chains, collecting a total of 283 price quotes. Consumer Reports found the average savings with store brands was 30 percent, but shoppers saved as much as 52 percent on some items.

STUDY FINDINGS
• Although the savings are significant, some shoppers are still reluctant to try store-brand products, according to a Consumer Reports nationally-represented survey. The top reasons for those who don’t buy store brands are: "I prefer name brands," "The name brand tastes better," and "I don’t know if store brands are as high in quality." Respondents 18 to 39 years old were particularly likely to question the quality of store brands.

• 84% of Americans purchased store brands in the past year, and 93% of store-brand shoppers said they would keep buying as many store brands after the economy recovers. Nationwide, store brands accounted for almost one of four products sold in supermarkets and a record $55.5 billion in sales last year.

• Shoppers are devoted to certain categories as well. Though they’ll purchase store-brand paper goods and plastics, at least half of respondents rarely or never buy store-brand wine, pet food, soda, or soup.

• Name brands did win in seven of the categories, including mayonnaise, mozzarella cheese, and frozen French fries, but the majority of the match-ups found that the store brand and name brand were of similar quality.

• National brands are generally pricier than store brands, not so much because of what’s in the package but because of the cost of developing the product and turning it into a household name.

• Despite the savings, the price advantage may be narrowing. In recent years, some national-brand makers have lowered prices and stepped up promotional activities.