TRAVERSE CITY, MI -- Attention shoppers!
Did you know you can save big money by buying generic?
In a 7&4 special report, we show you five items you should always buy generic.
Chain stores promise big savings when you buy their brands and generic.
I put a Traverse City super store to the test to see how much you really save.
Some like shopping, others, like me, despise it. But there's one thing both parties can agree on: Nobody likes the sound of money adding up. But doing a little comparison can mean big savings. Meet Store Director John Spaulding.
"Throughout the entire store, our own brand items are of far better value and just as good, if not better, than National Brands," said Spaulding.
We're going to focus on five items you should always buy generic when you go to the store.
"Here's a Meijer, own-brand, antiseptic mouthwash, a one liter bottle at $2.99. Next to it, the national brand, Listerine, at $5.49. Quite a savings there," explained Spaulding.
Item one: Mouthwash. Save $2.50 buying the generic brand.
"I've got four kids, so I've got to stretch my dollar," said shopper Stephanie Morgan.
"Here'd be another comparison with pain reliever. With Tylenol Extra, it's 100 count tablets at $8.27 and our own Meijer brand Pain Reliever, extra strength as well, $4.96. That in itself will help you with less of a headache," said Spaulding.
Second, compare prices in the medication aisle and save. For pain medication, we saved $3.31.
"Here's an example of some cereals. You can see the savings here on Meijer Corn Squares. It's price-dropped at $2.29 this week, and the national brand, Chex, Corn Chex, is $2.79, as an example, 50 cents right there, one box," explained Spaulding.
The breakfast of penny pinchers can add up. $.50 cents saved buying store-brand cereal.
"Just as good, if not better. So you have to try it to make a choice," said shopper Frank Pogorzelski.
"Two dollars when you purchase two, a great savings, it goes down easy," explained Spaulding, while showing bottled water.
Hydration doesn't have to mean going broke. Add another $2 to the savings so far.
"I usually don't really see any difference in taste, it's a cheaper price, it adds up over time," said one couple.
Down the detergent aisle, there are more savings. $13.97 for Tide, $11.69 for Meijer's own brand.
Both clean your clothes, Meijer, for $2.28 cheaper.
“Holy mackerel, you can really, you can buy some things maybe you didn't think you could afford to buy," said Spaulding.
So let's add our savings up. We compared five items-- generic mouthwash, pain reliever, cereal, water, and laundry detergent with national brands, and we saved $10.59 on this one trip. Doing quick math, if you buy these items once a month, every month, for a year, you save $127.58.
"This is a great way to add to your bottom line, and save money, and really not change your quality of life," said Spaulding.
We did the same test at a couple other stores.
We were able to save $14.23 at Wal-Mart and $10.67 at Glenn’s.
The reason stores like Meijer and Wal-Mart are able to sell their items for less?
They don't have to deal with national advertising costs.
