Thomson report

Do you remember when the "no-frills" food idea hit the marketplace and stores like Safeway had a couple of brands in that category? I can only remember Scotties brand, I can't remember what the other brand was called but this was the cheaper of the two, they even had no-name cigarettes back then. Things were marked single names like creamed corn and the packaging was plain.

Loblaws wasn’t out west then so the “no name” brand wasn’t available. If I can remember correctly Safeway had a house brand called Taste Tells.

But they were not the house brands as we know them today. Today it pays to shop house brands or store-brands if you will. These brands compare very favorably to national labels and in some cases beat the big brand for taste.
No matter what supermarket you shop at today there are something like 2,500 store-brands available and maybe more. From Save-On-Foods' Western Family, to Superstore's President’s Choice, Walmart’s Great Value, IGA’s Compliments and Costco’s Kirkland, all are major players in their stores.

Not every house brand is a winner and in most cases the ones that are not have been sourced from another country that still doesn’t appeal to our taste buds. I tried a bread n’ butter pickles not long ago that we didn’t eat. Didn’t like the taste.

There is an average saving of up to thirty per cent in many cases but check carefully. You will now find the store brands in all product categories and in some instances they have replaced brands you were familiar with on the shelf.

Today’s brands are on the shelf beside the National brand so you can compare and are not off by themselves in “no frills” section like they were back then. The packaging is well done and the quality has improved tremendously. I would think in many of the cases the original manufacturer is also making the house product.

A recent report from Consumers Reports magazine said that seventy per cent of the people they talked too said they were satisfied with the store brands they bought.
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Manufacturers and retailers have a money winner in their suggestion that you the consumer should be paying a little extra for an extended warranty and that it is actually buying peace of mind. The experts in the field, and there are always lots of them available, are saying that that is certainly not the case.

We have have heard some complaints about extended warranties that hit on the cost, the inconvenience and the coverage. Maybe you shouldn’t buy additional warranty coverage for electronics and major appliances. For one thing, some repairs are already covered by the standard manufacturer warranty. Consumer Reports’ researchers have found that products seldom break within the extended-warranty window — and that when electronics and appliances do break, average repair costs are about as much as an extended warranty.

Better Deal: Check the fine print on your existing Visa, MasterCard or American Express. Many of these cards, particularly if they are platinum or gold, will extend the warranty for a year. It’s one of the greatest freebies from credit card companies ever. The warranty protection varies, so review the policies on your existing cards before you make a purchase — then use the one offering the best warranty protection.