INGRID THOFT
During a recent visit to my mom's house, I grabbed a pen and added something to the grocery list attached to her fridge. Perusing the list, I could predict exactly which brands she'd purchase because they mirror those on my own list. Or vice versa, I suppose. The laundry detergent I purchase is Tide; the butter is Land 'O Lakes; and the paper towels are Bounty. Are these the best products in their class? I wouldn't know, I'm so accustomed to pulling them off the shelf having seem them in my childhood home for so many years.
I did have an epiphany a few years ago when I discovered that I prefer regular spaghetti to thin spaghetti! It had never occurred to me that there even was a regular thickness spaghetti! Does that mean I'm ready to switch my Tide for All? Probably not, but they say awareness is the first step to change. How about you, Reds? Do you reach for certain products out of muscle memory?
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Oh, Jenn, Miracle Whip is not even real mayonnaise. It's another thing entirely. Gah. I could never eat that. Anyway, I'm weird about brand names, too. I've always used Tide--until recently (brand awareness? TV) I tried Persil and Oxiclean, and now I love those. I've used Cascade for years--sometimes I look at other items, but I can never do it. Bounty, yes. Dove soap. Land O Lakes yes. Stonyfield. Saran Wrap. I kind of gravitated to those 1950's looking dish soaps, what're they called? And the sunflower one smells wonderful. And you know, as much as it could, my mom's grocery cart would've looked just like mine. I'd love to hear what everyone else says!
RHYS BOWEN: I really wasn't aware what brands my mother used. Food arrived on the table. Clothes came back washed! But I have stuck with Tide, Cascade, Palmolive for years now. One thing I discovered early in marriage was that cheap brands didn't clean as well. Same with toilet paper. It has to be Charmin! But I have switched to local organic milk and yoghurt and don't buy cans of soup any longer ( too much sodium). And my son buys natural cleaners for me every time he comes to my house. ( but I still use Comet and Soft Scrub!)
HALLIE EPHRON: Miracle Whip is to mayonnaise what Dream Whip (Cool Whip) is to cream. Here in New England we have a Cain's mayonnaise.
I grew up with Lawry's Seasoned Salt and I still use it. Lawry's had a restaurant in LA and that seasoning was what made their roast beef so good. I don't make roast beef, but it's perfect for seasoning a chicken before roasting. Combine salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and of course, sugar, and you get a similar taste... but not. Beyond that we used all kinds of products I wouldn't touch now: Cheez-Its. Wonder Bread. Pancake "syrup." Frozen vegetables. Canned tomato soup.
INGRID: Full disclosure, I still prefer Mrs. Butterworth's to real Vermont maple syrup. I know, I know. It's a source of shame, but in my defense...wait, there is no defense.
My other must-buy brands: Coke (regular), Arm & Hammer Unscented detergent (for my sensitive-skin offspring). Arm & Hammer Clump 'n Seal Cat Litter. I swear I don't have stock in Arm & Hammer, I just love these products.
LUCY BURDETTE: I did recently try some earth-kind dishwasher soap and ended up with a load of dirty dishes after the machine ground through its cycle. I decided washing dishes twice wasn't the least bit earth-friendly so I bought some Cascade. sigh. Alpenglow lavender face cream--I bought this in Alaska some years ago and now I MUST have it in stock. Nature's Gate herbal hand lotion. King Arthur flour. Windex. Cottonelle toilet paper. I gave up my mother's Tide and Campbell's soup years ago, but I still feel drawn to their graphics!
DEBORAH CROMBIE: Miracle Whip will never darken the door at our house. Ditto Cool Whip. And of course the only proper mayonnaise is Hellman's--unless it's homemade. Bounty paper towels. Rhys, I bought Charmin for years until a plumber told us that was what kept clogging up our sewer pipe (It doesn't disintegrate), so now we use Kirkland (Costco) brand and haven't had a stop since. Also Kirkland Eco laundry detergent and Kirkland dishwasher pods and Kirkland tissues. I thought I wasn't very brand loyal until I started noticing things around the house. Dry Idea Unscented Deodorant. Alba Botanica lotion. Pears Soap (I order by the case from Amazon.) And lots of things from Trader Joe's now.
I try to notice what brands I buy in the UK, so that I don't have my characters use something that's not available.
INGRID: Good point, Debs! I'm sure you would hear about any errors from eagle-eye readers!
What about you? Do you practice blind brand loyalty?
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ReplyDeleteMostly, I have no idea what brands my mom bought . . . I guess I just never noticed. I don’t know if it’s brand loyalty or laziness, but I tend to be a creature of habit who buys the same staples whenever I need them. Bounty paper towels and paper napkins. Dawn dishwashing detergent. Finish for the dishwasher. Arm and Hammer laundry detergent.
ReplyDeleteBut I laughed at your Miracle Whip comment, Julia. I have no idea what mayonnaise my mom bought, but we always had Miracle Whip in our house when the children were little. Our oldest daughter had Miracle Whip in her refrigerator when her in-laws visited. They went mayonnaise-hunting and she sweetly pulled out the Miracle Whip and handed it to them. Much to her consternation, they had a fit and refused to eat it.
Later, she called me and said, “What’s wrong with Miracle Whip?” Just goes to show, people can be extremely touchy about some things. I still buy both Hellmann’s mayonnaise and Miracle Whip. But never Tide . . . .
Tide, Scott Bathroom tissue, Dawn dish soap and Best Foods Mayo !
ReplyDeleteI'm not particularly brand loyal except when it comes to staples for the cats. But I am very picky about what I buy simply because I try to only purchase cruelty-free products. For household goods that means no animal ingredients and no animal testing. Leaping Bunny is a third-party oversight organization that I often check online before purchasing a new product. A company that was cruelty-free ten years ago might not be now, or vice versa. And don't get me started on factory farms, child slavery in the chocolate industry, and inhumane working conditions in some clothing factories. Yes, it's a pain to shop for anything. I long for a day when I can walk into a store and buy whatever is on the shelf without having to worry if my consumer dollars are supporting the killing of bunnies, human suffering, etc. There are some things I use not because I'm particularly fond of them, but because I know they're cruelty-free and I have been too lazy to search for a replacement product.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of Leaping Bunny; thanks for the info, Marla. I'm especially distressed about the idea of child slavery in the chocolate industry! I love chocolate, but hate the idea that kids are being exploited to bring it to market!
DeleteMost companies that are Leaping Bunny certified will have the Leaping Bunny logo on their products, so you can often find them without using the website. And there are lists of ethical chocolate makers online. As a general rule, organic chocolate is a safer bet since it's mostly the African farms that exploit children and the organic farms are all in South America. Of course, this is all based on what I can figure out from Google. I don't think anyone really knows for sure (except the industry people, who obviously aren't going to divulge such information). Frustrating, but we can only do the best we can.
DeleteBTW, Marla, your book is on the way!
DeleteThank you, Ingrid! I'm looking forward to reading it.
DeleteI am not sure I use any brands my mother did. We are a Cain's house, but that's the mayo eater's mandate, not mine. I use an eco unscented laundry detergent, and the Arm & Hammer unscented cat litter. Tom's toothpaste, always. Trader Joe's plain shampoo and unscented lotion. THE most important brand for me is Nature's Gate Herbal conditioner. I have been using it since college, and that was a very long time ago. I don't know what I would do if they went out of business!
ReplyDeleteMy mom was a big fan of Velveeta but c'mon, it's not even real cheese! It's a "cheese food product." Sort of the Miracle Whip/Cool Whip of cheese. It does melt nicely on a fried bologna sandwich, though, with yellow mustard on soft white bread . . . ah, childhood memories. I still buy the French's yellow mustard. Deviled eggs just aren't the same with Grey Poupon.
ReplyDeleteAs an adult I have some level of brand loyalty to a few things. Coke, not Pepsi; Cascade for the dishwasher, not the generic brand. I haven't bought Tide in years. In fact, I think Mom was partial to Cheer, but I find All and the Trader Joe's brand work just fine. Most of my preference there has to do with the amount of perfume in the laundry detergent. But I will admit to being a creature of habit. Once I find something that works, I stick with it.
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DeleteI'm definitely in the Diet Coke camp vs. the Diet Pepsi camp, Gigi. And the description of that childhood sandwich is divine!
DeleteThe Hellman’s mayo used to be called Best Foods on the west coast. A Maine couple had an awful argument after she completed the first shopping trip in Kodiak, AK and came home with “that STUFF”. He: “it’s NOT the same”. She: “it’s the same mayonnaise with an Alaskan alias”. His mom sent him a jar of Hellman’s from Maine. Not until he tasted the two side by side was he reconciled to the “wrong” name. Happy Monday, all.
ReplyDeleteIt's still Best Foods out here, Elisabeth. Isn't it amazing how strong the power of brands can be?
DeleteFor me, it is not only brand power, but shape power. When I lived on Kodiak and in Seattle, butter came in short squat quarters. Moving back to Connecticut, the long thin quarters just didn’t taste right. What joy to find Trader Joe’s butter is short and squat. I am positive that it tastes better! :-)
DeleteWow. I feel I've fallen into a vortex of commercials and product placements.
ReplyDeleteBulk foods, store brands and no names for me. I know all the best ones. Oh, and Cheerios.
Wow, Julia, Joan and I are the only ones that have a loyalty for Miracle Whip I see. Of course, I only use it when binding the tuna fish together for tuna sandwiches. And only enough to do the binding, not extra.
ReplyDeleteOf course I practice brand loyalty. Everyone does. You find a product you like or works for you, you tend to buy it over and over again.
So mayonnaise doesn't bind as well, Jay?
DeleteFor me, it just doesn't taste as good. That's likely because of the decades of Miracle Whip. But also, whenever I ordered a tuna sub at sub or pizza shops they had a ton of mayo and a little tuna. Probably helped turn me off to actual mayo as well.
DeleteHellmans, must be Hellman's. And Heinz ketchup. Don't tell me there isn't a difference. Must use Redi-whip or homemade whipped cream (although The Hubby recently bought a container of Cool-Whip for who knows why). Lipton tea bags for the iced tea, although over the years I've become a loose-tea convert for individual cups of hot tea.
ReplyDeleteMy mother used cheapie store-brand detergent and no fabric softener. I remember the rash it used to raise on my legs (that's what got me wearing nylons under jeans so many years ago). I switch to All Free & Clear and while I've experimented with other brands, I keep coming back to All.
Dawn dish detergent (come on, it's the stuff they use to was baby ducks!). Cascade for the dishwasher.
For years I used Pond's cream because that's what Mom used, but now I'm hooked on Burt's Bees, especially their firming wash and moisturizer.
Mary/Liz
The Pond's makes me think of Noxema cold cream, Mary/Liz. Any time I get a whiff of that, it takes me back to the 80's!
DeleteHa! A whiff of Noxzema takes me back to the early 60s!
DeleteLol, Pat, me, too. And Pond's reminds me of my aunt Marie (my dad's sister) who had the most beautiful skin I've ever seen. She never used anything on it but Pond's.
DeleteBaby Sister swore by Pond's Cold Cream and Oil of Olay. She had beautiful skin but I think she would have had beautiful skin if she used Comet Cleanser on it! (I don't know who she inherited her complexion from!)
DeleteDebRo
Several years ago an old boyfriend and I reconnected via phone, having several long conversations one of which involved comparing each other's pantry and fridge items. Real butter or margarine was one question but the clincher was mayonnaise or miracle whip. When I answered "Hellman's, of course" he seemed to sigh in relief. I went on to tell him I never even had MW in the house but my father had grown up on it and my mother simply could not convert him.
ReplyDeleteI'm intrigued by this conversation, Judi! I wonder if the MW people realize how divisive their product is!
DeleteI can't think of a single product I am loyal to, to this degree. I buy whatever, as long as I can get in and out of the grocery store quickly.
ReplyDeleteDo bands count? If so, I am loyal to the Cure, since college, never wavered.
Bands count, Ramona! Good choice with the Cure!
DeleteRamona, surely you are loyal to the spices you put in your gumbo!
DeleteGood question, Karen!
DeleteKaren, it's so hard to find file', I'll take it wherever I can get it.
DeleteI actually love to go to the grocery, is that where? I guess shopping is shopping.
ReplyDeleteAnd I don’t believe that generic are the same, you? Weird peas, gah. :-)
Peas! I do have a brand loyalty. LeSeur peas only.
DeleteRight!
DeleteWow, do I feel out of sync with the tribe on this one! What I told my son about name brand cereals was actually my own personal philosophy about all brand names: "When there's a generic available at a lower cost, try it once. Very often, it will be just as good as the name brand -- you won't even notice a difference. If you don't like it as well, then I will buy you the name brand of that cereal without complaint." Because of that approach, the only brands I can think of that I am loyal to are Kikkoman soy sauce, Oreos, Newman's Own spaghetti sauce and salad dressing, and Heinz ketchup. Oh, and by the way, we are a Hellmans AND Miracle Whip household. They have different uses.
ReplyDeleteThey certainly do! Xx.
DeleteI was always distrustful of generic brands, for no good reason, but then a friend pointed out that the difference in price was for marketing and advertising. I buy some of the Target generic items, but not laundry detergent. Tide runs in my blood, apparently!
DeleteTrader Joe's is essentially all store brand/generic stuff, but they make it fun and trendy, so we all tend to think it's better than the name brand things. It becomes "exclusive" instead of "generic." Advertising!
DeleteI definitely stick with Tide like Ingrid said.
DeleteAs for generic cereal, I could tell the difference with some of the cereals. They did indeed taste different and not for the better.
When margarine became a 'health food' my mother insisted that was nonsense. I caught from her a healthy disbelief in fad foods... and non-food foods.
ReplyDeleteMary/Liz's comments reminded me of cosmetics. One summer in college I was on the "College Board" of a downtown Los Angeles department store, and we all got a full complement of Revlon cosmetics. I've used them ever since. Anyone remember Moon Drops? It was a moisturizer... long before I needed a moisturizer. They no longer make it. That's around the time I discover Jean Nate? I still love that citrus-y smell, and I have a container still nearly full that I must have bought 30 years ago.
Moon Drops! Yes! And Eterna 27, also by Revlon I think. I'm with your mother. My grandparents had a fried breakfast every morning, including real butter, and died in their nineties. We buy these huge rolls of Amish butter, heavenly.
DeleteJean Nate! Love it. And how about Elizabeth Arden visible difference?
DeleteJean Nate, Noxema cold cream, Love's Baby Soft, Bonnie Bell Lip Smackers! It's a stroll down beauty memory lane!
DeleteMy mom used Moondrops and I loved the Moondrops lipstick!
DeleteMoon Drops, Ten O Six, Charlie perfume. Does anyone else remember Elizabeth Arden mascara with the grooved wand (no brushes). Never had clumps with it.
DeleteTen o six! That takes me back!
DeleteGrandma used Windsong. Memory and instant recognition, when I get a whiff but I'm not a perfume type person... it is still made?
DeleteThe brands that I still buy that I grew up with are Hellman’s mayo, Heinz ketchup and Hebrew National hot dogs. But I don’t buy things like canned soup or Lipton onion soup mix which were staples for my Mom. My boyfriend refuses to eat canned soup after having my homemade ones. I’d rather make things from scratch because I can keep the sodium lower and I know exactly what’s in them.
ReplyDeleteThis summer I've made salads using a vintage copy of the Silver Palate Cookbook. Chicken salad dressing includes Hellmann's mayo, crème fraiche, and sour cream. The egg salad recipe combines Hellmann's, sour cream, and Dijon mustard.
ReplyDeleteBut I remember tomato sandwiches in Atlanta made with Miracle Whip on white bread.
Crest toothpaste since childhood. Tide. I switched to Dawn because of the bird rescue program.
Funny that this came up today. Yesterday I was washing all the sheets and towels from the latest visitors, and opened a new jug of Tide. Over the years I have used every brand out there, but I always come back to Tide. If there is something better, I haven't found it.
ReplyDeleteAnd Dawn! One drop does what a healthy squeeze of anything else can do, baked on crud soaks off in a few minutes, and anyway, I want to support the company that washes oil soaked baby ducks.
Deb, I'm with you on toilet paper. Our preferred brand is Scott, the single layer kind. It melts as opposed to clogging hundred year old plumbing. My kids object because it isn't soft and fluffy, but I can't see that it harms their butts a bit.
Finish for the dishwasher because that is what Julie buys.
All varieties of Method products for general cleaning, not to mention my precious E-Cloths for polishing the stainless, wiping doggie nose prints off windows, getting granite spotless without using any detergents.
Bath soap is Neutrogena for the face and whatever wonderful hand milled smelly lovely soap for the other parts. One thing I absolutely hate is Dove, leaves me feeling greasy all over. Our current favorite contains sea salt, great for exfoliating summer dry skin. Afterwards I slather on Udderly Smooth, a great body cream.
Toothpaste is a non-issue, whatever is on sale although we tend to Colgate. Shampoo is something expensive for bleached hair that I get from my hairdresser.
And best of all is Arm & Hammer Clump and Seal Platinum cat litter. This stuff actually works, is dust free, and once the waste matter is clumped, it is indeed sealed. No odor at all.
Trust Me. I am a nurse.
I love when you say trust me! XO
DeleteI love the Method cleaning products, Ann! They smell great, and I saw the CEO drink one of them on morning TV to prove they weren't full of chemicals. Not that I'm planning to drink my counter spray, but I like that he was willing to do it!
DeleteI don't know about Method. Will check them out!
DeleteTheir stuff smells great, Debs, and it cleans well, too. I also like the packaging, which shouldn't matter except the hand soap is out on the counter, and I have to look at it all the time.
DeleteMy favorite method flavors are cucumber and ocean something
DeleteAnd always Hellmans/Best Food. Period.
ReplyDeleteAnd Camrys. I am devoted to the Toyota Camry xle. The only difference in that and a Lexus IS $15,000 or so
DeleteBest Foods mayo here. It was so disorienting when we took a family vacation to the east coast and I saw a commercial for Hellmans. Everyone knows the jingle goes "Bring out the Best Foods and bring out the best!" and here were these people singing the same song about some other mayo that didn't even have "best" in its name. My sibs and I tried to write them their own jingle, but we quickly figured out that when your product name starts with Hell, it's not a good idea to repeat it too often in your ads.
ReplyDeleteTrue confession: I love Cheez-Its. There I said it.
ReplyDeleteRaising hands!
DeleteMy nieces and nephews love Cheez-Its! I thought it was a teenager thing, but apparently not!
DeleteI can OD on Cheez-Its.
DeleteI'll see your Cheez-It and raise you two Cheez Doodles.
DeleteI'm a Cheese Nips fanatic over Cheez Its. Of course, if they still made Cheese Tidbits, I'd own stock in the company.
DeleteCheetos all the way here.
DeleteI'm with you, Ann. Cheetos all the way!
DeleteRhys, I noticed that you did not mention Lysol. The first time I visited England, I noticed that Boots did not stock Lysol. I wondered if they carry more green environmentally friendly products in England than they did in the USA at that time?
ReplyDeleteJenn, your comment about mayo reminded me of my own preference for Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard. I loved that skit from Wayne's World when they asked a man in a Rolls Royce if he had any Grey Poupon? That always made me laugh.
Too often the brands I love no longer are available in shops. Unfortunately with the current politics and the possibility of poisons coming back into shampoos and cosmetics (we have to do everything we can do to stop these dementors who destroy the environment), I may have to switch brands again. I hope to continue using the brands that I love like Redken shampoo and WEN. I try to avoid politics here. In this case, the concern for health overruled my attempts to avoid politics.
I heart Swiss Miss hot chocolate mix.
Diana
Ugh. I hate the idea of products we've vetted backsliding with chemicals and additives. I suppose we all need to be vigilant about what we're buying. It's exhausting!
DeleteI never use Lysol, or anything with a smell. No Pinesol.
DeleteI never really cleaned a house in England so I'm not sure!
Ingrid, thanks for the reminder.
DeleteRhys, I agree with you. I do not like anything with a smell so I try to avoid cleaning products with a smell!
Diana
Pine-Sol makes me think of summer camp and cleaning the latrines.
DeleteThe smell of Pine-Sol can literally make me sick. Too many memories from my school days, I guess.
DeleteSo, we had Hexol for bathroom cleaning. It's a scent from my childhood... comforting. Forward 40 years later...And there is a product that is used during my twice a year facials that has a similar scent - it's not Hexol! I promise.
DeleteI am the poster child for Generic! My cleaning products and paper products ALL have the Target "Up and Up" logo. Due to the sodium and sugar content of packaged foods I have almost no name brand items in my pantry. On the plus side, I know all the regulars at the farmer's market. However, when it comes to my personal care products, I will drive to the ends of the earth for my Nivea face cream.
ReplyDeleteI’ve packed Charming going to South America and Turkey!
ReplyDeleteI pretty much use the brands my mom used growing up. Or, if they've switched, I might switch as well. There are exceptions, but there aren't that many of them.
ReplyDeleteI am sad that the Dial for Men soap I've used for years isn't sold around here any more. Time to find something new, I guess.
We had dial soap in the house growing up, Mark, but I have to admit that I prefer Ivory or Ponds. I'm branching out!
DeleteI'm an Irish Spring guy. Though I did just buy one of those healthy sourced and scented soaps over the weekend. But that was more so I could say that I've bathed in "Dragon's Blood" than a desire to switch brands.
DeleteYes, the soap is called "Dragon's Blood". The woman selling it (and the maker it seems) joked that it was ethically sourced and no dragons were harmed in the making of the product.
Hellman's or the store brand version of it.
ReplyDeleteStore brand version of Scott's toilet tissue.
Unscented and dye free laundry detergent, cheapest version.
Store brand facial tissue.
Bounty paper towels or Target version.
Dawn dish detergent.
Glad plastic wrap,
Store brand cold cereal or oatmeal.
Store brand non-fat plain Greek yogurt.
Store brand skim milk.
DebRo
What a great question. It's interesting, isn't it, how we obtain out brand preferences. My mother used Tide, but after decades, we switched to Oxyclean laundry detergent. Mayo? Best Foods, which is Hellman's in the east. We do use Cool Whip, but so rarely it makes sense just to keep it in the freezer. Charman TP, and no clogs so far, Kleenex tissues. Orowheat breads. Heinz catsup, French's mustard. Vlasic pickles. Cascade. I notice all of these things are bathroom, laundry or kitchen. Other than that, we're an Apple household, and have Subaru autos.
ReplyDeleteAh, you reminded me of my biggest brand loyalty: Honda. I bought my first one in 1976, and that's the only kind of car I've had since.
DeleteKaren, me, too!!! I've been driving Honda's for twenty-five years. The big problem is that they don't wear out, lol. My Accord is ten years old this month, but it only has 70,000 miles on it so I can't justify trading it in...
DeleteMy husband bought his first one in 2010, and he has only driven it 150,000 miles, and will not hear of the idea of trading it in!
DeleteOne of my Accords, the 1992 one, I think, a manual transmission, was driven by all three of our daughters, and when I was ready to pass on my own old car, we sold it to a friend. At the time our car had 225,000 miles on it. He sold it to someone when it had over 400,000 miles. Last we knew it was still chugging along. They are indestructible, even by teenage girls learning to drive a stick. LOL
When I was in high school my dad, a Ford guy his whole life, bought us girls a Pinto to drive to school. That gawd-awful freak of engineering made me allergic to Ford products for the next 35 years, until I was seduced by a 2009 Mustang. There's nothing like the original pony car, but I'm still a little wary of other Ford products.
DeleteWe're a Microsoft-only household, Rick. No Apple products since the hubby is a software developer for MS!
DeleteI think a lot of what Mom bought was to save money. We never had mayo, always Miracle Whip. I still like MW. As for mayo I buy Duke’s. I guess that’s a southern thing. She always bought Blue Bonnet margarine. I buy butter, no particular brand. My husband insists on Bounty, Charmin, French’s yellow mustard, Heinz catsup. I don’t give a hoot about any of those but I do want my Gulden brown spicy mustard. No brand loyalty to laundry detergent either. I usually pick up some eco-friendly nonscented HE liquid detergent.
ReplyDeleteCostco products are great! Their Kirkland coffee is actually roasted by Starbucks, but about half the price. It's good to know that their toilet paper is better for septic systems, because I've been using it at our septic-served home for twenty years.
ReplyDeleteA lot of generic brands are actually manufactured/processed by name brand companies. It makes sense to check, if you want to spend more carefully.
Mostly, except for toilet paper, I do not stay loyal to brands, and I experiment all the time. We have a Kroger loyalty card, which tracks how we spend our grocery dollars. They send personalized coupons at least twice a month, mostly aimed at stuff my husband always buys. He likes Archway cookies (gack), and some other things, and we always get coupons for them.
I do prefer Hellman's, by the way. And we have at least two stores in our area that carry Cain's, but I've never tried it. Maybe next time I need mayonnaise. It is BLT season, after all.
A lot of my buying decisions are made based on wanting non-scented products, hence no Tide here. I hate buying laundry detergent in the UK because I can never find anything unscented.
ReplyDeleteBut we do all of our bulk shopping at Costco, and I agree with Karen--most things that are Kirkland brand are just as good as (and often made by) the big name brands, and so much cheaper.
Kirkland brand wines are even pretty good. I buy their Pinot Grigio and their Sauvignon Blanc. And maybe will try their reds if the weather ever cools off enough to contemplate drinking a red wine.
Debs, the Tide I use is "Free and Gentle" unscented with no dyes and perfumes.
DeleteHellman's in this house along with Dawn, and Scott tissue. Interesting that many of us use the same brands. I still miss MJB coffee found only on the west coast. No one else drinks Coke Zero? I love the stuff. Sensitive skin means no scent detergent, usually the store brand. Fun topic.
ReplyDeleteHow does Coke Zero compare to Diet Coke, Coralee? Or is Coke Zero supposed to replicate regular Coke?
DeleteHere's the thing you all need to understand about Miracle Whip: It's not mayonnaise. It's not meant to be mayonnaise, although obviously it's used in the same sort of culinary context. It's something different in its own right.
ReplyDeleteIt's not CoolWhip / whipped cream.
It's ice cream / whipped cream. You can put either on top of pie, but you expect them to have a different taste from one another.
MW was never touted as mayo. It's salad dressing! That can be used like mayo. And I admit I too like Mrs Butterworth better than real maple syrup. So there.
DeleteOn the rare occasion that I have pancakes, I ONLY have Vermont maple syrup on them. My neighbor goes to Vermont regularly and she will bring me back a bottle from the place that she goes to for her syrup.
DeleteWhen I can't get that, I go to the store and find one that is Vermont made. That's my dad coming out in me as he was born and raised in Vermont.
Thank you for the support, Pat!
DeleteI love home-made whip cream more then Cool Whip as a topping 100%. But you can make some really fabulous refrigerator pies with Cool Whip. I will buy Reddi Whip but that has more to do with the nostalgia of my bro and I and our high school shenanigans involving whip-its. I did mention we were the original Hooligans, didn't I? Reddi Whip is no substitute for the real deal. I'm a classic Coke gal but one of the Hooligans has gone rogue to Pepsi - it has been the subject of much debate in our house.
ReplyDeleteWhen the hooligans were babies, all of cleaner was white vinegar and elbow grease. Now that they are older Mr. Clean and I have reconciled -- but not the lemon one the other one and the magic eraser thingy they make is truly magical!
This is such a great post, Ingrid. I love seeing brand loyalty and preferences!
Jenn, I'm a Classic Coke guy as well. I can do Pepsi if it is the only thing available but it's like bilge water in comparison.
DeleteI'm old enough to remember real Coke, when it was made with cane sugar, rather than the corn syrup they've used since the late 70's. THAT was the good stuff.
DeleteYou can still get Coke made with sugar in a lot of other countries, especially in Australia, where corn is not grown in any major way. And kosher Coke, made with real sugar, is available in the US around Passover.
One thing I still buy is Campbell's Tomato Soup - it is full of chemicals, but has the taste of childhood LOL. I like Miracle Whip if I'm buying store bought, but I prefer home made mayo since it is so easy to make. Mom bought store brands a lot, and so do I. I'm not very particular about brands except for cat food - he has to have premium, grain free, and they don't make cheaper versions.
ReplyDeletePauline, I'm a fanatic four Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup. I buy it by the case.
DeleteBrands my mom used and I continue to purchase: Tide laundry detergent, Miracle Whip mayo, Campbells tomato soup, Bush beans, Dawn & Cascade for dishes, Dove soap, Crest toothpaste, Planters nuts, Swiss Miss hot chocolate, Kelloggs cereal, Quaker Oats, Keebler cookies, Oscar Mayer coldcuts & beef hotdogs, Heinz Ketchup, Dale's liquid seasoning, Folgers coffee, and Cool Whip. Excedrin for headaches. Publix for subs and bakery items. Whataburger for the best hamburgers (whenever possible). Krispy Kreme donuts (fresh & hot), & Dunkin Donuts coffee when out. And Coke, never Pepsi! 😁
ReplyDeleteThank goodness for Pat. I thought I was going to have to be the standard bearer for Duke's mayonnaise. This thread is a marketing executive's dream - like a facebook quiz without the scary overtones. Having living all over the place, I tend to treat brands a bit like nostalgia - comforting, familiar and occasionally disadvantageous. I "discovered" Duke's when I moved to North Carolina. Definitely Coke over Pepsi. Persil over Tide unless Tide is much cheaper or available in serious bulk. Jif peanut butter if I'm not buying the natural kind. Press and Seal wrap. We have just switched to the Arm and Hammer kitty litter so I'm delighted it's a group favorite. I own the shame of it but despite my current hometown, I'm a big Naked Bee over Burts Bees fan.
ReplyDeleteI grew up with Miracle Whip, and I agree with Julia that it was never meant to be thought of as mayonnaise. I simply had no relationship with mayonnaise at all until I was probably in my 30s. I had Hellman's at some point, and sacrilege of all sacrileges, I started preferring Hellman's mayo. I still used Miracle Whip in tuna salad, but I don't even make that anymore. It did make a return to our refrigerator when hubby semi-retired and likes making his coleslaw with it. I almost feel as if I've betrayed my mother somehow. But even my mother didn't use Miracle Whip when she made pimento cheese from scratch. She went all the way from scratch and made her own mayo for it.
ReplyDeleteI did start out using Tide like my mother, too, but a few years back, I switched to All. I do use Campbell's soup, chicken noodle, as my mother did, and Zesta crackers. My mother drank Coke in the little bottles, and didn't want anything to do with cans when that came out. But, alas, I drink Diet Coke. I use the same baked beans brand, VanCamp's, when making my mother's baked beans recipe. We grew up with Jergen's soap and lotion, but I've moved on from those, too. We had Lipton's hot tea and ice tea, no coffee, and I didn't start being a coffee lover until I got married and hubby was. I remember Fleischmann's margarine being used growing up, and when I got married I continued with the Fleischmann's, but these days I use Land 'O Lakes butter.
Oh, and one of the make-up items I especially remember from my mother is the Coty loose face powder in the round orange and white and brown colored box. I wish I'd saved one of those boxes.
ReplyDeleteKathy, you have reminded me that that's what my mom used! I don't even know if it's still around. It "smells like Mom!"
DeleteDebRo
My grandmother used to have that, Kathy! I can picture it on her dressing table!
DeleteMy mom used that! I'd completely forgotten. Thanks for the memory, Kathy!
DeleteOh yes, I only buy Kraft mayonnaise and I only buy Charmin toilet paper and Gain detergent (i like the smell) And i have a strong dislike for off brand chips. I can eat them but I'm not happy. I will only eat sour cream & onion chips from Ruffles never Lay's. Which is a drastic change from my childhood
ReplyDeleteAngel Soft potty paper and Ruffles low fat potato chips - can't stand the full fat - don't ask, I have no idea. For years I would only use Hellman's, but I have recently begun to allow Kraft mayo with olive oil, it's quite good. Dawn dish detergent of course. If there is another brand of paper towels than Bounty, I've not met them. My parents used Bounty, Kleenex, Vaseline, Dash (remember that) later switching to Tide which I also used exclusively until I became allergic to something in it, Hellman's, Tabasco. You will note these are all brand names. I don't think my parents ever thought they were buying paper towels, tissues, etc. I wonder why our parents were so brand loyal. Advertising? Lack of choices? Hard to know.
ReplyDeleteI love this discussion! I haven't thought about childhood brands in AGES. I don't use the same brands, BUT I do cook many of the same recipes and try to replicate the same flavors. It's the scents and flavors that spark a memory more than the brand packaging. I guess I'm a bad consumer ;)
ReplyDeleteShame, Gigi, shame!
DeleteYou can get Coke made with sugar here in Texas grocery stores. It is billed as Mexican Coke.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up in England, we didn't use any of the brands we currently have in the US. BTW Rhys, my mum used Dettol for cleaning (there was a Pinesol smelling one, but I don't remember the name), and Domestos for cleaning the toilet.
ReplyDeleteAfter living in the US for 49 years, I use only Hellmans mayo, Charmin TP, I waffle between Tide & Arm & Hammer detergent, Coke with Splenda and Ozarka drinking water. Sorry, no Miracle Whip in my home!!
Domestos sounds like Doritos to me, Deidre! That would be quite a mix-up!
DeleteI use Hellman's mayo, Heinz ketchup, Viva paper towels, Cottonelle A&E toilet paper and many more brand names. If I have a coupon or there is a bargain, I may switch. Some products I know I like better. Sometimes it's just easier to grab what you know you like than try something new. I don't use things up very fast so I could be stuck with something I don't like or have to waste it and throw it away.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think I was all that brand loyal until I started thinking about it with this post! Skippy peanut butter and Hellman's mayonnaise. Well, Hellman's until I discovered Whole Foods brand organic. I switched. Trader Joe's makes a great skin cream and I buy a lot of their other things too. And the house is full of Method cleaning products. But my biggest one--Viva paper towels (the choose-a-size kind). This one is important, because hubs likes using them as tissues during the (never ending) allergy season, so they end up in his pants pockets. Unfortunately, they don't always come out before the pants go into the washing machine! BUT, they don't shred. They just come out clean, like a real hankie. Gosh, what a marketing focus group we are today!
ReplyDeleteRight? I think Hellman's should be sending me some kind of royalties!
DeleteDefinitely Hellmann’s/Best Foods mayo, Heinz ketchup, LOL butter, Method laundry detergent pods,
ReplyDeleteI used to be Miracle Whip only, until I tried mayo with olive oil and now it's Costco's organic mayo with avocado oil
ReplyDeleteMy mother loved Miracle Whip (despite the fact that her family name was Helman), Skippy Peanut Butter, Dawn, Crisco, Pepperidge Farm bread instead of Arnolds… and those are pretty much the same brands I buy. But there’s so much today she never had a chance to try — no dishwasher, no liquid Tide, dryer sheets, and so on. Tide is great. Dawn all by itself can really cut skunk odor on the dog….
ReplyDeleteSkippy, definitely what my mom bought, along with Miracle Whip and Tide.
ReplyDeleteI've always been a Coke drinker because I couldn't stand the taste of Pepsi. A few months ago, I had to choose Pepsi at a restaurant because they didn't have Coke. I couldn't tell the difference. Maybe their formula has changed or maybe it's just me.
ReplyDeleteLadies, if you ever travel in the South, buy Duke's Mayonnaise - it is the best, I think, but it's not available here in the Midwest. Those who I know are going South on vacation, I always request a couple of jars for my present.
ReplyDeleteMy mom was raised with Miracle Whip-less expensive, I guess. It took her years to discover the reason she liked tuna sandwiches from in the diner more than her mom's was that was mayonnaise used.
ReplyDeleteThere is a specific family recipe for potato salad in the same family...wait for it..... yup, some only accept Miracle Whip, while others want mayonnaise...and don't get me started on the pickle relish. I have actually made the salad up to the mayo vs Miracle Whip and to add the relish to everything except the portion for the aunt who refuse it.... basically one salad, 3 different ways... NEVER AGAIN, I didn't even get thanked for going the extra mile... I thought Mom was going to faint the first time I hand whipped cream but Cool Whip just doesn't work when making horseradish sauce for prime rib.
Mrs. Fanning's Bread and Butter Pickles.
ReplyDeleteThere's definitely brand loyalty here. We're an All family not Tide. It must be JIF for peanut butter, Daisy sour cream, Secret deodorant for Mom & I, Old Spice for Dad. Northern toilet paper, Bounty paper towels and napkins, Pepsi over Coke.
ReplyDeleteI'm more willing to buy generic than my mom is but usually that's more of a budget thing.
Absolutely! MIRACLE WHIP OR NOTHING! Dawn, Coca-cola, charmin and viva. Can't buy anything else.
ReplyDelete