Off Brands And Impatient Shopping

Do you buy off brands?  Otherwise known as store brands, "the cheap brands", etc.  The debate between name brand and store brand was a joke between my mom and her sister.  My mom was a devoted name brand buyer.  We religiously used Dial soap, Crest toothpaste, Gain laundry detergent and Downy fabric softener.  My mom bought those brands no matter the cost because she liked them and she knew they worked.  My aunt was not at all brand-loyal.  She read the stores' sale circulars, decided what the best deal was and picked it up-- store brand or name brand.  Saving money was most important to her (she was even known to have an entire kitchen drawer full of condiment packages).

I find myself as a blend of the two shopping methods.  Like my mom, I find myself leaning toward brand names of things that I really, really like.  But, like my aunt, I love a good deal, and have no problem buying off brands for things.  I tend to make snap decisions when at the store.  I quickly scan the different items and choose one that seems like the best deal at that moment.  If I can't make up my mind, I just go with what I know works and then move on.  I am not known for patience when it comes to shopping, which can be my downfall at times.

Take, for example, a quick trip to the store to buy a Christmas gift for my niece.  We had already purchased a cute t-shirt for her, but I wanted to add a toy to the gift.  What four year old is really that thrilled about a t-shirt?  So we ran into a store and browsed a few aisles.  I spotted some My Little Pony items and zeroed in on them.  My girls still love My Little Pony, so I figured it was a sure thing to buy.  The price was right on a My Little Pony "Fancy Fashions Boutique", so we bought it and took it home to wrap it up.  It was then that Mike noticed I had actually picked up an off brand of My Little Pony called "Lovely Little Pony".  Without even realizing it, I had picked up an off-brand (blame it on very creative packaging and my shopping impatience).

Then we read the sentence at the top of the box.  

"Owning it is you best choice come to own it together!"  

Yep, I was slightly embarrassed.  But we got a good laugh out of it and figured my niece wouldn't know the difference (the toys still looked like fun).  I showed my sister-in-law and she laughed at it too (Thanks, Rachel!).  Sometimes I guess it does pay to slow down, read the labels, and go with the name brand item.
Lesson learned.

What about you?  Are you brand loyal?