PLMA: Shoppers Can Significantly Cut Grocery Bills Buying Store Brands

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August 9, 2011

Store brands can save shoppers an average of 35 percent off their grocery bill, according to a new pricing study by the Private Label Manufacturers Association comparing a summer shopping basket of store brands and national brands.

The research looked at a range of basic food and non-food items that an average family might put on the shopping list for a season of barbecues, picnics and outdoor play. The study tracked pricing for 30 grocery items over a six-week period at a suburban supermarket in the northeast.

Summertime staples like hot dogs, ice tea mix, American cheese, BBQ sauce, and freezer pops were among the food items tracked for the study, while the non-foods included charcoal and charcoal lighter, paper plates, foil and adhesive bandages.

Consumers who choose store brands for the items on the list rather than the national brands could save, $44.04 on average, a 35.7 percent savings. When buying national brands, the total bill came to $123.23 on average over six separate trips, while the same purchases for store brands totaled $79.19.

For every category, a leading national brand was compared to a similar store brand product and prices were adjusted to account for all known discounts, coupons and promotions available.

Among individual food items the cost savings ranged as high as 53 percent on hot dog and hamburger buns, 52 percent on salsa and 50 percent on both cola and packaged macaroni and cheese dinners. Savings on non-foods were led by laundry detergent (the store brand version cost a full 79 percent less), facial tissue (50 percent less), paper towels (34 percent less) and aluminum foil (33 percent less).

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