Money Saver
Store-Brand Savings Surprises
Yes, house-brand items cost less, but the deals we found were a mixed bag
HOW MUCH CHEAPER are house-brand products than their name-brand counterparts at your grocery store? To get an idea, in June, we had reporters in three cities price a 32-item shopping list two ways: once with nationally known brands and once with the store’s private-label alternative, if both were available. (Turns out only 19 products came in both name- and store-brand versions at all three stores.) Here’s what we found at an Albertsons in Las Vegas, a Giant outside of Baltimore and an H-E-B in Austin, Texas.
Savings varied widely by product type.
These average price gaps stood out:
CAMPBELL’S TOMATO SOUP
House brands were 14% less than the name brand ($3.53 difference)
PHILADELPHIA CREAM CHEESE
House brands were 51% less than the name brand ($3.53 difference)
Other standout store-brand deals:
SALT
Morton Salt vs. H-E-B Salt
$1.43 vs. $0.54
62% LESS!
WHITE BREAD
Wonder white bread vs. Giant white bread
$3.79 vs. $1.39
63% LESS!
PASTA SAUCE
Prego traditional pasta sauce vs. Albertsons Signature Select traditional tomato basil sauce
$4.29 vs. $2.29
47% LESS!
But bigger savings on house brands doesn’t necessarily mean a lower bill.
Although H-E-B’s house brands had the smallest average discount versus name brands, the store still had the lowest prices in both categories. Here’s how much the carts differed for the 19 products each store had in both versions.
