I am pretty [-]cheap[/-] thrifty and use generics or house brands for almost everything, but there are a few that just have no equal:
Saran Wrap. I have never found another brand that does not reduce me to tears or cursing. Or both.
Windex. Don't know why, but everything else leaves streaks.
Peanut butter: I have found some that are OK when freshly opened, but if you want consistency, it has to be Jif or Peter Pan or Skippy. Next time we go to Europe, I'm bringing some.
You made me think of my days in the mid-70's to 80's when I smoked. I was a "local" truck driver but occasionally would be sent to NC to pick up a product. When I would go several of my buddies would ask me to pick up a carton or two of cigarettes'. At home they were some where around .8o to.90 a pack but I could get a carton for .25 to .40 a pack according to brand. One day one of the "longhaul" drivers was out sick and the ask me to take his load to Upstate NY, I didn't take any extra smokes so I stopped in a truckstop to buy a pack. They were $2.20 a pack so I left saying that was ridiculous I quit b4 paying that for smokes. I ended up paying that and more b4 I finally quit my 2pack a day habit as well.... speaking of generics, back in my student days (early 80-ies, grad school), we had a generics-only grocery store in Seattle where EVERYTHING was generic and labelled with a bright yellow label and sold at steep discount. Odd store - all yellow (see example in link below). Can't recall the name of the store or whether it is still around, but I do recall shopping there often - especially for cigarettes which went for 8o cents a pack (at that time a pack of Marlboros went for 2+ bucks).... fortunately, I quit smoking shortly afterwards, but at the time I had a 2 pack a day habit
https://imgur.com/aEkQBfx
... speaking of generics, back in my student days (early 80-ies, grad school), we had a generics-only grocery store in Seattle where EVERYTHING was generic and labelled with a bright yellow label and sold at steep discount. Odd store - all yellow (see example in link below). Can't recall the name of the store or whether it is still around, but I do recall shopping there often - especially for cigarettes which went for 8o cents a pack (at that time a pack of Marlboros went for 2+ bucks).... fortunately, I quit smoking shortly afterwards, but at the time I had a 2 pack a day habit
Ahh the 80's generic fad. Repo man was full of generics - "heat it up son" "it doesn't get any better than this Ma". The generic store scene, in which bad words are used. Golly.
For certain products, proven reliability is the most important consideration, but I also really like companies that stand behind their products.
<SNIP>
I'm pretty sure they made a mistake, but Mattress Firm gave us a great credit for our warranty claim.
With all the cross branding and outsourcing I'm less inclined to have much brand loyalty. We're currently in a 25 year replacement phase of an HVAC system. Our personal preference in the past has been Lennox but we're getting several prices.
Our close dryer , a Maytag only 9 yo, is dying but I'm inclined to go cheaper since the name brand didn't fair too well for two people.
On the other hand our oldest DS wrecked his Escape colliding with a deer so we sold him our 2015 Equinox. Our replacement is a new 2021 Toyota RAV4. After the luck we've had with our 2005 Lexus ES330 it was a no brainer.