My family is a one income household, and we have felt the full thrashing of the weak economy. Cutting back is important and saving money on grocery items helps make our dollars stretch to be able to place more food on the table. If I don’t have a coupon to bring a name brand item below the cost of a generic product, I will try and grab the money saving product instead.
Recently I was sent some Walmart Great Value products to sample and asked to give my opinion. The items I tested and tasted were…
Great Value Twist & Shout Sandwich Cookies. Compared to the Nabisco’s Oreos.
The Great Value Chocolate Twist & Shout Sandwich Cookies cost $2.00 in comparison to the Nabisco Oreos which were on sale for $2.78. Giving you a savings of $0.78.
The Great Value Cheese Crackers. Compared to the Sunshine Cheez-It.
The Great Value Cheese Crackers cost $2.38 in comparison to the Cheez-It crackers which were regularly $2.98. Buying the Great Value crackers would save you $0.60.
The Great Value Cinnamon Crunch cereal. Compared to the GM’s Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
The Great Value Cinnamon Crunch can be purchased at $2.24. The GM cereal costs $3.24. Your saving $1.00 by buying the Great Value product.
The Great Value Pecan Shortbread Cookies. Compared to Keebler’s Pecan Sandies.
The Great Value Pecan Shortbread Cookies were $2.38 in comparison to the Sandies which cost $2.98. Buying the Great Value cookies saves you $0.60.
The Great Value Honey Nut Spins. Compared to the GM’s Honey Nut Cheerios.
The Great Value Honey Nut Spins can be purchased for $2.36. The Honey Nut Cheerios cost $3.24. You save $0.88.
The total savings of choosing the five Great Value products over the name brand items is $3.86. The money I saved can help place more food in my cart. The Wamart Great Value line consists of more than 5,200 products. Imagine if you could do this with most of the items on your grocery list! How much would you save?
The only problem I have with the Great Value products is the packaging SCREAMS generic. I understand there is a need to keep production costs down in order to bring the products to the shelves at a low cost, but the packaging needs a face-lift. Walmart already changed the look of the items not to long ago, but I think there is a need for a new design and a more sustainable packaging idea. What do you think about the packaging?
The actual taste of the Great Value products are delicious and taste as good or better than the name brand items.
Have you tried the Great Value products? What is your opinion about them?
(prices may vary depending on location)
I completely agree! I hate the new look!
The first time that I put something in the cart that had the new packagin…my fiancee actually said, “Hey, That is NOT the kind of oatmeal you normally get, go get the normal stuff”. Hahha….it was pretty funny explaining to him the change in packaging. It is weird when I am looking for an item and overlook it because I am not used to the new look. I don’t mind the simpleness of the new look. But, I agree with you on finding more sustainable options to the packaging.
I haven’t tried their line yet….but one think I noticed is that when you put the manufacturers coupon with the brand products, it’s roughly the same price as the generic.
Unfortunately, Walmart doesn’t double coupons, but I’ve had that $1.00 Honey Nut Cheerio coupon recently.
I think that on most products the GV line is just as good as name brand and the savings are awesome! But on others it pays to get a higher quality…I agree on the packaging though. Kroger has colors that resemble very closely name brands and I love buying those generic items 🙂
Your blog post is very timely especially in these tough economic times. GV allows consumers to enjoy good food without emptying their wallet. Would love to try them all!
I love to save!
but do they taste the same?
Hi Rocio,
I can’t speak for all the Great Value products since I have not tried them all, but so far the ones I have bought do taste very similar to their name brand twin. My husband actually likes the Great Value Chocolate Twist and Shout cookies better than the Nabisco Oreos. I guess it all depends on personal taste preference.
I like the Great Value products, the kids don’t notice a difference and I save a little
I’ve not tried them yet, but have been curious. My experience through the years has been generic=tasteless (most of the time-not always), so my M.O. is usually name brands with coupons.
A frined just told me the same though…that GV brand is awesome! I’m willing to try it and put what I can in containers so I can ignore the packaging, LOL
Great post! It’s very helpful for those like me who just weren’t sure/on the fence!
If you like low cost then don’t demand packaging “face lifts”. I’m a manufacturing manager. Half of the cost of what we make is in packaging – which is thrown away & buried in land fills. Packaging is a huge waste and not very green either.
Hi Charley,
You have a valid point! Unfortunately, the packaging may be what FIRST catches a buyers eye.
The content inside doesn’t speak for itself until it is tried, so superficially the packaging reflects the brand.
Your comment on how packaging “is thrown away and buried in landfills” is a good reason as to why there needs to be a new design with a more sustainable packaging idea.
Thank you for your comment which is truly appreciated.
“Green” packaging is typically not very pretty and/or adds cost to the product. When you find low cost packaging with colorful graphics that’s “green”, email me!
I often buy generic products but haven’t tried these. I agree the packaging needs a little work, a little color wouldn’t hurt anyone. They are Wal-mart after all, I’m sure they can spare a little ink.
I like your site. Found you on Mom Bloggers Follow Me Group. I’m now following and looking forward to reading more.
ok, so we have concidered the price and taste issue, but has anyone even concidered the nutritional vaule of this stuff?! the great value pasta doesn’t even contain anything from plants(wheat/flour) or eggs (key items in makeing pastsa.) so it may taste the same, but the crap your putting into your bodies could be detrimental. start to read ingredients, if you don’t know more than half of the items, don’t eat it. its doing more harm then being good on your budget.
Hey Tim thanks for stopping by and commenting! I can understand your point of view, but most of us are just trying to keep our families fed and warm during this economic crisis. Maybe money isn’t an issue for you, but saving a few dollars is a HUGE concern for my family so yes, I am a “money saving robot.” It can make the difference of my hubby being able to place gas in his tank to commute to work or put more food on the table. No matter how you like to serve it up, Walmart does have low prices and I save money by shopping there. I don’t think we are looking at the big picture of Walmarts business ethics right now since many of us are just trying to survive.
As far as the packaging, I agree there is much more important topics to focus upon. However, no one likes to feel economical challenged when buying a product. We make decisions sometimes by how a product represents itself which includes the outer shell. Eco conscious individuals may worry about the sustainability while others are concerned with the overall stigma of the generic appearance. Unfortunately but true, packaging makes a difference in buying determination.
I have a BIG problem with their freezer bags. I had every one of them properly sealed. I used about 20 bags and every one of them, FREEZER BURNT.
Saving a buck or two on this great value product was not worth losing the $200 in meat products.
My experience has been that you have to look at Wal-Mart Great Value products on a product-by-product basis. The canned goods seem to be okay. The cereals are adequate. However, I feel like such a cheapskate just trying to save money when I have a cart full of their ugly new packaging. What were they thinking?! Also, the “new and improved” seals on the freezer storage bags are impossible to seal. After years of buying them to freeze my homemade bread in, I’m going to have to grit my teeth and buy a name brand. Does anyone know of a generic brand like Target or Publix who has a good freezer bag?