What’s In A Name?

Have you ever been stuck in the middle of an aisle holding an item comparing it to another? In one hand you have a brand product and in the other you have the generic. You were left with the question, “is brand truly better?” I’m sure at some point we’ve all had that dilemma. I know many times I’ve been forced to choose between the two! Having a family with two children makes budgeting a top priority when it comes to groceries. “Should I buy Prego for $1.99 or Great Value for $1.50?”, has been constant questions throughout my parenthood.

Some people think that simply because it’s a brand name it’s going to taste better or have better quality than the storebrand. That may be true in some instances, but I have found to adapt to the taste of offbrand products. A little extra spice, salt, or flavor will enhance the “lack there of” of generic products, I’ve come to find out. What about designer clothes? I for one, rarely shop for high priced clothes due to my tight budget. I find myself happily picking away at the unorganized racks of clothes at Ross looking for the perfect date night dress, work clothes, or summer outfits.

So the real question arises, “do people know the difference between designer and brand products or brand and generic?” Could you walk down the street and confidently pick or point out a person wearing designer clothes without the labels attached? I know that I couldn’t because at the end of the day people truly don’t care about that stuff. When you see someone dress nice, do you compliment the label or how it looks on them? I remember growing up, my dad had bought me some Pro-wings from Payless and I proudly wore them to school.

One of my classmates complimented me on my shoes and mistook them for Nikes. I kindly corrected him and told him that they were actually Pro-wings and he looked shocked. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “he thought they were a top brand shoe!” You would be correct to think that way, but the obvious point that you missed is that the shoes were very nice and looked similar to a well-known brand shoe. I could’ve easily lied and told him that they were Nikes, but I didn’t have anything to be ashamed of. It’s your money and business whatever you choose to do! Whether you like designer, name brand, or store brand items buy what makes you happy! Just remember, the labels don’t make us, we make the labels!