Photo: Tiger Images (Shutterstock)
Generally, I think generics get a bad rap. Most everything you buy is available in a store-brand alternative, and almost always, it’s basically indistinguishable from the pricier, name-brand one that you’ve heard of. Sure, the packaging may be a little weird looking, but it’s what’s inside that counts—and usually, it’s worth choosing the downmarket option to save a few bucks.
Except when it comes to cheese crackers. Cheez-Its are the only acceptable choice. All of the store brands are trash—I know, because I’ve tried them all.
Kellogg’s must know this, because for what you get, Cheez-Its are ludicrously overpriced. Even if you shop around, a tiny 7 oz. box (which is, let’s be honest, basically a single serving) will run you about $4 at most grocery stores in New York. A 21-oz. box of Aldi “Savoritz” costs less about the same, but for 1/3 the price you definitely get 1/3 the satisfaction. (I’m actually being kind; Savoritz border on terrible, and when we do buy them—I’m a native Midwesterner who grew up poor, and I can’t avoid a bargain—I usually douse them in hot sauce to give them actual flavor. This is probably weird.)
So I would like to know: What non-generic items are always worth the price premium for you? Maybe it’s the cushy toilet paper (I’ll save my essay about how the 50 cent single-ply rolls are better, actually, for another day). Maybe you can really tell the difference between Lucky Charms and Marshmallow Mateys. Or maybe Dr. Pepper is the only one covered by your insurance (he didn’t go to soda medical school for four years to be upstaged by Mr. Pibb).
Share your preferences in the comments and we’ll round them up in a future post. (Hot & Spicy Cheez-Its forever!)
