99p Stores not as cheap as they appear

chuckley

costapkt wrote: »

You can get Walkers crisps in Spain in many bars and supermarkets, in the main resorts, but if you cannot find them you can always buy the Lays brand which are made by Pepsico who own Walkers crisps and you cannot tell the difference.

i find it disturbing people going to spain and the like asking for walkers... or anything else on that level.

vixarooni

downshifter wrote: »

Why can you trust goods with a familiar brand over brands that are not known to you? That's what I don't understand.

People as a whole trust brands they recognise. Would you buy a holiday with a firm you have never heard of? move house with a firm you havent heard of? Hire a builder you havent heard of with no good feedback from others?

Its like, if i wore tatty old clothes and i said to you i will hold your handbag for you, and then if i wore a suit and said the same thing, i bet you would trust the suit wearing person more.

its all about perception isnt it. In spain i would buy food that looked branded because there is a certain element of trust in buying it. You know theyre is quality inside else they wouldnt be able to reach the level they are in terms of packaging, price, advertisement ect.

ianfreeman

vixarooni wrote: »

In spain i would buy food that looked branded because there is a certain element of trust in buying it. You know theyre is quality inside else they wouldnt be able to reach the level they are in terms of packaging, price, advertisement ect.

*sound of nail being hit on head* Precisely. I spend a lot of time in Spain and wouldn't dream of demanding British brands. But I do know which are their trusted branded goods and buy them happily. They have their <chooses words carefully> 'lower-scale' products like every other country, but I don't buy them there just like I don't buy them here. ;-)

downshifter

vixarooni wrote: »

People as a whole trust brands they recognise. Would you buy a holiday with a firm you have never heard of? move house with a firm you havent heard of? Hire a builder you havent heard of with no good feedback from others?

That's the difference, I would check feedback, ask around and do research. I wouldn't accept either at face value, whether branded or not branded. It's exactly this that the branded companies depend on to sell over priced goods which aren't necessarily any better quality

vixarooni wrote: »

Its like, if i wore tatty old clothes and i said to you i will hold your handbag for you, and then if i wore a suit and said the same thing, i bet you would trust the suit wearing person more.

You mean like a banker?!!!! You cannot be serious!

vixarooni wrote: »

its all about perception isnt it. In spain i would buy food that looked branded because there is a certain element of trust in buying it. You know theyre is quality inside else they wouldnt be able to reach the level they are in terms of packaging, price, advertisement ect.

Something can be immaculately packaged, expensively advertised by top models etc but still be utter rubbish, exploit farmers etc etc as I said before.

I think my point is that we should just question things more and not accept what's told to us - in every sphere of life But as you say, it's very much a personal thing, - as I haven't much money but lots of scruples, I'd prefer to question and find out about what I'm buying, others might not be worried about such things.

vodkawitch1

Well said downshifter x

chuckley

vixarooni wrote: »

People as a whole trust brands they recognise. Would you buy a holiday with a firm you have never heard of? move house with a firm you havent heard of? Hire a builder you havent heard of with no good feedback from others?

Its like, if i wore tatty old clothes and i said to you i will hold your handbag for you, and then if i wore a suit and said the same thing, i bet you would trust the suit wearing person more.

its all about perception isnt it. In spain i would buy food that looked branded because there is a certain element of trust in buying it. You know theyre is quality inside else they wouldnt be able to reach the level they are in terms of packaging, price, advertisement ect.

u dont get anywhere in life without trying thing.

u get burned by good companies and bad... a 'trust' worthy brand doesnt mean excellent quality 100%. think poundland... a lot of their homewrae stuff isbetter quality than dum 'expensive top brands'. u pay for the label.. point blank.

my mum ordered double glasing off a compnay she had NEVER heard of or seen. just went with it. no problems.

if i went to a forgeign country I would buy their own produce/brands.

i wouldnt seek out UK stuff... as whats the point in going there if ur not even gonna try their stuff?! totally disrespectful. for all u know their brands r better quality...

little_miss_moneysaver_3

[I for one would choose walkers crisps over asda's own! same with chocolate and a load of other items. ]

For me Cadburys all the way, altho am happy to buy it from the 99p shop.

I like to buy "stocking fillers" from there, and other random things I prob don't really need. The one where I live has some lovely bits for the garden and Easter

DrScotsman

Omg, why is this whole thread full of people who've completely ignored the downshift challenge? And this stuff about going abroad and looking for things that look branded is a joke!!

little_miss_moneysaver wrote: »

[I for one would choose walkers crisps over asda's own! same with chocolate and a load of other items. ] For me Cadburys all the way, ...

I don't think anyone on this forum has a problem with Tesco Value crisps, besides the pack size being small (still cheaper by weight). And there's a cult following for the now-discontinued Kwik-Save crisps.

Sainsbury's Basics chocolate is perfect as an ingredient, and still very good just as a chocolate bar. I mean I find cheaper chocolate a bit milkier, but it tastes just like Galaxy! You might find it hard downshifting from Green and Blacks or Divine, but definitely not Cadbury's.

This is all down to opinion of course, but just read all the "Best Value/Basics/Smartprice" topics on this forum.

little_miss_moneysaver wrote: »

altho am happy to buy it from the 99p shop.

What do you mean "although" ? Are you implying some people would refuse to buy a sealed prepackaged chocolate bar from the 99p shop, just because it's the 99p shop? I'll admit I wouldn't buy from one specific 99p shop which smells funny, is a bit messy and feels like it's full of hobos (not mentioning which city on purpose), but every other 99p/£1 shop is fine!

I really hope none of you resisting the downshift challenge are debt-free wannabes. If you have the money then I guess you shouldn't downshift, as you're subsidising the value range for everyone, but not if you're DFW.

mightymole

the sooner ppl realise your paying extra for the name

for example

i found 2 identical tops same quality

1 nike £19.99

2 peacocks £6.99

whichone would you buy

fedupconsumer

Branded goods do not always offer better quality and there are plenty of foreign brands of chocolate in the 99pence store that demonstrate that. People are swayed by the major brands all the time with either flashy advertising or fear to trying something new.
As for the value I bought a huge bottle of balsamic vinegar for 99 pence obviously and the same bottle was in saisbury's for £4.59 . Same goes for the Dove chocolate the polish equivalent of galaxy where you can get 4 30-40gram bars for £1.00 you would struggle to get two for that price. Toys are always good value got a sarah jane adventures set for 99pence normal price £4 ish. You can also get cheap batteries and books too there are very very good deals to be had in their stores. Just have a go at downgrading it might surprise you.