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NewsHome Brand Myths Busted - How to cut your grocery bill practically in half
Home Brand Myths Busted - How to cut your grocery bill practically in half

Home Brand Myths Busted - How to cut your grocery bill practically in half

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Last updated by Jessica Tancred on

Homebrands are slightly cheaper than the big brands, but not as good, right? 

While that might have been the case in the past, it’s no longer true according to these experts.

A Nine News Investigation recently busted the homebrand myth and uncovered how shoppers can save hundreds of dollars on their next grocery bill without sacrificing on quality.

Budgeting expert Michelle House compared the prices of homebrand sugar, flour, butter, barbecue biscuits, shredded cheese and baked beans products at Coles, Aldi and Woolworths.

The investigation revealed Aldi’s basket was the cheapest at $11.23, followed by Woolworths ($11.95) and Coles ($12.20) while the big brand products were nearly twice as much at $21.95.

But what is really changing is the quality of homebrands and the view that most consumers hold about them.

Canstar Blue reports 77 per cent of consumers believe homebrands are good quality. 

“The gap between big name brands and homebrand is shrinking all the time,” said spokesperson Simon Downes.

The most commonly purchased homebrand items according to Canstar are items we purchase several times per week, such as bread and eggs, while the items we are more likely to buy from brands include tea, coffee, soft drink, chocolate and chips.

However, Simon Downes believes often the only real difference is the price tag.  

“Sometimes the supermarkets use the same suppliers as the big name brands for their homebrands so not only is the quality good, actually there’s minimal difference,” he said.

QUT Business School’s Dr Gary Mortimer said the rise of Aldi brands is prompting supermarkets to release ‘phantom brands’, such as the Woolworth’s owned Hillview label.

“Supermarket homebrand products have come a long way from the cheap generic products that we often used to see at the very bottom shelves of supermarkets,” he said.

“Brands that are essentially homebrand products, but they look like brands, and consumers see those as being great value and great quality.”

 

 

Originally posted on .

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leo
leo from NSW commented:

I've found Aldi consistently better quality for a lower price, especially if you pick the higher priced item when they have more than one of the same item. I've found Woolies Select(when available) is usually better quality and value for money than Woolies Home brand for most items. Generally Aldi is no longer head and shoulders above Woolies & Coles, do stock more items now, and are mostly still the best for the items they do stock.No longer as competitive for some items, especially if you use discounted eGift cards for Woolies & Coles Woolies have items that Coles used to sell but stopped selling. Coles often have better prices than Woolies, especially for fruit & veg 

Sylvia
Sylvia from NSW commented:

Woolworths brand yoghurt tastes horrible. Threw it in the bin. Definitely will not buy it again. Spoke to a worker in the shop where I purchased it and she told me that she threw hers out as well. Sylvia 

Roy
Roy from NSW commented:

Sorry to bust the bubble but I used to work in the food manufacturing industry making products for Coles, Woolworths and IGA (also Aldi for a while but their demands were far too unreasonable and aggressive, all based on price) On production our brand was mixed first and made first, with the home-brands having less and less product and more and more water. 

Angela
Angela from NSW replied to Roy:

Very interesting! 

Angela
Angela from NSW replied to Roy:

Very interesting! 

margaret
margaret from NSW commented:

Label reading sorts the sheep from the goats and the phantom brands from the others. Like the name 'Phantom Brands' as it is certainly more polite than my expression used to describe those who try for sales by trying to pass off their look alike products as someone else s to the unobservant customer. 

Frank
Frank from VIC commented:

I reckon our freezer saves us a fortune,by buying almost out of use by date and putting it in the freezer till it is needed. REGARDS GAZZA. 

margaret
margaret from NSW replied to Frank:

Yes . The amount of money saved by sensible use of a freezer is remarkable. So many times I have been told Oh there is only me, or, only the two of us so we/I, do not need a freezer. Of course this is exactly the the type of household that can benefit the most by the purchase of larger quantities on special and cooking 6-8 serves of soup, casserole, curry etc to eat over an extended period. Not to mention the saving in prep and cooking time and costs. Also it is surprising what bits and pieces you learn to make something out of when it can be frozen instead of wasted. A single serve of vegetable soup from bits, a special on feta is cubed for single use over the month, home made hummus in single serves, the scrap of bacon your waist does not need is not added to the pan but kept to flavour the next serve of scrambled eggs, and so on. Until you have a freezer for 3 months you really can not appreciate what a difference it makes. 

Meg
Meg from QLD commented:

Home brands often has minimal additives. 

Someone
Someone from QLD commented:

Always shop at Aldi , Woolworths pricing is out of touch and their buyers need experience and training-,Coles try but need a really honest and sincere effort to compete ,they are generally cheaper than Woolworths. LATEST consumer rip-offs-- Schweppes New Bottles only 1.1 lt reduced from 1.25 lt but price is consistently higher, Vegemite shrunken in size from 400gm to 380gm and now $6.00 up 20% from $5.00- New owner Bega needs to re-think this approach or is this a"Cheesy" approach . P.S. Aldi Stores still have 400gm Vegemite in stock this week .but at $6.00 ? C.A. from QLD. 

Neville
Neville from NSW commented:

Cannot stand Aldi! They never have what you need and even if they have you stand in line for ages. A couple of times I have left the item on the counter and walked out. If you take into account the fuel discounts and bonus points Woolworths is just as cheap and the service outruns Aldi by MILES! 

Neville
Neville from NSW replied to Neville:

By the way the comment above is from anonymous. Maybe from Aldi ??!! 

Someone
Someone from QLD commented:

Before I do my weekly shop I go through all my catalogues EG: Coles, Aldi, IGA and Woolworths and ONLY buy items that are on special. I very rarely pay full price for anything. And stick to homebrand for staples, EG: milk, flour, sugar, eggs, bread and even icecream. There is such a wide range now and they are just as good, if not better than branded products. Oh, and don't go shopping when you are hungry, you'll buy things on impulse and that you don't necessarily NEED! Toni from QLD 

margaret
margaret from NSW commented:

I also do three and sometimes 4 if I can get to that 4th store. You do need to look at at the label to check what you are getting. For example. Dairy Spread. Devondale, 70% butter, Coles own brand, 65% butter, Aldi, 60% butter. It is rather like a friend who opened up a tiny 95 gram (what an expensive way to eat) can of tuna and said almost 100 grams of protein in my lunch. In fact it was nothing like that, as the nett weight included all the oil she drained off. Always a good idea to check if an assumption is related to reality. 

Errol
Errol from SA commented:

I practically exist on homeland or " generic" products. As good, and sometimes better than branded products. 

Someone
Someone from QLD replied to Errol:

I totally agree. I also buy mainly homebrand products as there really is no difference in quality but they are so much cheaper!! Especially for example milk , sugar and flour. 

Judith
Judith from QLD commented:

Stock up on non-perishables you always use when they are on special (half-price) when the stores offer a bonus (Flybys, Cashback) for spending over a certain amount. 

Someone
Someone from QLD replied to Judith:

I always take advantage of the half price specials and stock up. And I love the offers that Flybuys emails me to earn bonus points on items I usually buy or would like to try AND I get $10 off my shop more often!! 

margaret
margaret from NSW replied to Judith:

Yes. I can usually purchase many of my preferred brands ( made in Australia) when on special, at a lower price than the no names product. If you have a large collection of recipe ideas and enjoy eating a wide selection of foods, which is the recommended practice,. one can eat well at a reasonable cost. 

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