Why are "value" products so cheap?

high-rise_andrew

I would suggest the Value/Smart Price ranges are all about trial&error for each individual. Things like the blue J-type cloths & green sponge/scrubbers are brilliant & save a fortune. Ditto the toilet rolls/kitchen rolls SmartPrice, AND they are from recycled paper. & Asda SmartPrice toilet paper & ktichen rolls were given an A rating from the FSC on the greenpeace website. The battered fish is tasty, I tend to eat 3 at a time lol. SmartPrice fresh chicken breasts are fine, lovely& plump. & who doesn't mind cutting a breast into strips or cubes for cooking? SmartPrice cleaning stuff & thin bleach are great too. You can cut down where you can, & then indulge in the naughties.mmmm

VickyA_2

I used to work for a company that supplied lettuce and (fresh) beetroot, including the vacuum pack stuff, to Tesco. The "Value" products were simply the outgrades - ie the ones that didn't fit into the tight specification demanded by Mr Ts.

Curious_Moose

I've bought sprouts from supermarkets and the local market (which was cheaper). The ones from the local market tasted awful! I always thought a sprout was a sprout. Maybe it was the size; the market ones were a lot bigger than the supermarket ones.

Ben84

I can't say for certain what the difference is, but I try things objectively and have found some of my favourite products are from the supermarket value range.

Also, some years ago when Sainsbury were expanding their basics range, a number of their regular own brand products vanished for a while, only to return looking, tasting and smelling the exact same in the same box/bottle, but now with a basics label and at much lower prices. The Sainsburys basics pine disinfectant used to be a regular own brand product that sold for about three times the price. The product hasn't changed however, I used it for years and it seems exactly the same. This was true for many other items they changed at the time, and they still have not changed the ingredients or formula it seems. A lot of it may just be packaging and targeting a different market.

However, I think the true answer to your question would have to be it depends on the item. For some products, like table salt that are by law chemically identical to a very high percentage, I believe over 99% sodium chloride, there can be little or no difference between the cheapest and the most expensive. I also don't believe that anyone is growing special value range fruit or vegetables that are different to any others. It seems they just use whatever suppliers are cheapest, or swap between varieties that are cheapest because they're in season. Potatoes in value range bags never reveal what type they are, and tend to include the odd-shapes ones, but otherwise it seems they're just filling them with whatever type is in season and cheap at the time.

However, some items like the value bread or chocolate are not as nice as the others that tend to cost more. It seem the less processed the item, the more chances that the value one is as good as any other.

noonesperfect

When I've compared the ingredients of value/smartprice items such as custard and rice pudding, I've found they are generally lower in both fat and sugar than the so-called "lite" versions!

I wouldn't shrink from buying value items, I'll give most things a try. Tesco value curry sauce is nice (especially if you jazz it up with some coconut milk) and still only 8p a tin!

cazac71

My two boys laugh at me, as "most" of my shopping is Value stuff, but then i`m like that with anything i buy! I may sound "Tight", but "Beggers cant be choosers", as they say:p

Caz

sparklygirl1

ceridwen wrote: »

Thats me with suspicions then as to why Value Orange Juice is revolting! Could be its bulked out with water. Thought I remembered a poster on another thread a bit back saying you wouldnt buy value cheese if you knew how it was made (compared to production of standard cheese).

I am just relying on my memory on these things though - from when I used to buy non-organic everything - so its a bit back now.

Oh no don't tell em that about cheese, just got SP Asda cheese thinking its all the same.

Olliebeak

I've been buying Asda SmartPrice cheese for a while now. Have to admit to removing the wrapper completely and re-wrapping in clingfilm - so that OH won't notice it's SmartPrice. He's an absolute fiend for cheese on toast (or crumpets) and then splashes tabasco all over it! Yuk - can't stand the smell of it myself :mad: .

What he don't know won't hurt him :rotfl: !

pretz_2

when buying value products you will find that the only thing that classes a brand vegetable and a value range vegetable is that it wont be cosmetically perfect, it wont be organic and it normally is sold in tonnes of packaging, the meat is completely different it wont be free range or organic although like others have said the frozen meat is usually grade a although check the nutritional information as they tend to be pumped with water. Now tins are similar to fruit and veg in my opinion if you look at it how can a value can of kidney beans be any different to a branded can of kidney beans, also like others have said the packaging is very plain and very little colour although at least my cupboards co-ordinate and it helps teach the kids to read because they cant rely on pictures or brands which have been drummed into them.
hth
pretz

Kaz2904

Well I mst admit that DH is a brand freak as far as he can get away with it.
However..... he has been drinking cheaper coffee without knowing until I asked if I could stop swapping the jars around. We use many value ranges without any complaint.

About a month ago I was doing tea and openend the cuboard and found we had no baked beans. I was in time to phone him and ask him to stop at farm foods on his way home. The only beans they had were Heinz so he got them (cheaper than Tesco) and I finished tea.
Strangely enough absolutely no-one (even DH) would or could eat the heinz baked beans.
We all took a mouthfull and went eurhghgghhh! What's wrong with the beans? Went out and checked the date and nothing wrong just tastedd awful.
I mus admit to not having had heinz in my living memory but may have had them at his Mums and just been too polite to say how awful they were!

Branded is not always best.
The best thing us OS's can do is to reduce a brand at a time and blag it- then pad it and no-one will know any better!