What items are worth the premium to pay for the name brand/high end stuff? What are not?

I have often heard this and wondered if it's true. Sometimes there does seem to be a difference though. I can't do Kroger brand canned soup. First thing that popped into my head.

 

Not being much of a drinker, I thought for years that "three buck chuck" referred to low-grade beef.

 

Can't speak for Kroger --though I think I heard similar comments elsewhere. Sort or hit or miss?
Truth is, I only grocery shop in the summertime...in Canada but I 'debrief' two people who spend their weekends year-round convincing shoppers to sample mostly Kirkland brand products. They have to know what they are selling back and forth and to be able to answer honestly about what the product is. Costco is sort of an oddball in the grocery industry in that they are not big secret keepers--at least with staff--and they pay pretty well.
*I love to hear about how humans behave when given the opportunity to have free food. It is as you'd imagine.

 

I don't run BUT I'd like to expand your statement with which I totally agree: it is totally worth it to drop serious money on good walking shoes.
You young folks that run will be glad when your knees are starting to complain that you took good care of them with the right equipment.

Fangirl
YOU, are bucking the trend, a LOT of young people seem to spend too much time in FLIP FLOPS eeccchhh... (that'll cost them later in life)

 

Hubs does!
We are pretty excited that he'll finally be giving notice on his (10-year-long) weekend job there as Motorola has promoted him. But, he is a dedicated Costco shopper. We buy enough that the membership rebate pays for membership. And college-going son is still good with the weekend gig. For young people not yet fully degreed, it's hard to find better hourly pay (about $12 hr. for p/t) 'round here.

 

Audio speakers, in general. That being said, there is a lot of crap at high prices. But rarely do cheap speakers sound good. It's just separating the expensive crap from the expensive decent stuff. Just going to throw one easy softball out there. Bose speakers. Back in the seventies, Bose was doing some interesting stuff. But their mini cube systems are really deficient in sound quality. Sound is air movement, and little cubes can't move much air. Just try to find specs on bose speakers. They won't publish them. Now the nice thing is speaker technology doesn't change that much. My 30 year old JBL's I just got sound fantastic. They are bigger, but it's all about the sound. Big boxes make good sound. There is no new speaker out there right now that sounds as good at the price I paid. I get a new TV, it will be outdated in ten years or less. A good set of speakers will be cranking right along. So the real value is good used speakers.

 

We do a lot of shopping at Kroger because the store is very near us. The Kroger store brands--Private Selection, Kroger, & Kroger Value--are hit and miss. For the most part we're OK with the Kroger brands. Sometimes (but not all of the time) some of the higher priced Private Selection items aren't worth the extra $$ because the name brand item is on sale for a better price. Some of the Value items, such as the cheap paper towels, are garbage.

As I previously mentioned, the packaging can be misleading. Recently my wife needed some astringent/cleanser. The active ingredients in the Kroger brand were identical to Clean & Clear. The two ounce larger bottle of C&C was cheaper on sale (even though priced slightly higher) compared to the smaller bottle of Kroger brand. I see other pricing discrepancies with Kroger brands (why are two four ounce bottles of cough medicine cheaper than one eight ounce bottle that is on sale?).

 

I will only buy corn beef or pastrami from kosher style delis. The stuff you get in grocery stores, even Boar's Head brand, is a poor imitation. And, the deli prices are no higher, just a bit less convenient.

 

I miss Kroger

Something else I'm willing to pay more for: dog food. Blue Buffalo is pricey, but totally worth it.

 

Oh yes, pet products. Cat litter, grain-free high-protein high-taurine canned and dry food, and treats are totally worth the expense. Not only does it keep them happy, but there are significantly fewer shitastrophies to deal with.

And athletic shoes.

 

I tried to find the Movado watch scene clip from the Oliver Stone film U Turn, but only found it in Russian (?).