Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with brands

Brand names used for generic products.

backseatpilot — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 04:01:53 -0800

I'm curious about world-wide use of brand names to refer to the generic product. It seems very common in the United States to refer to generic things by their major brands - Kleenex, Xerox, etc. The only example I know of from outside America is Hoover in the United Kingdom - what about elsewhere?

Roommate negotiations... ugh...

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 10:45:18 -0800

So, I have a roommate. We were friends before living together, and for the most part we get along fine. We've had some arguments, but we seem to have gotten past them. Now I'm just feeling frustrated by some nit-picky things she does and I want to know if I should address them at all, and how not to be insulting or irritating. Little things, like washing the dishes but neglecting to ring out the sponge (which breeds mildew and is unsanitary as well as completely disgusting-- I had been wondering why the dishes always smelled funky after she washed them) and then I find I buy replacement sponges once every two weeks. It's getting expensive and irksome, and even though I've asked her to ring them out she still leaves them and lets them rot.

She also has a tendency to stay at her boyfriend's house for days at a time, which wouldn't bother me except that it then falls to me to feed her cat. She doesn't really clean up after the poor thing either, which is simply not something I'm willing to do. Period. If I wanted a pet I would have gotten one, and when we moved in I established clearly that the pet-related messes would not be my problem.

And most recently the most irritating of all is that she eats my food. And I swear I'm not a stingy person, I actually don't mind at all that she shares food with me provided that she replaces any food that she eats the majority-- i.e. sure, make a sandwich or two with my bread, no problem, but if I buy a loaf and 3/4 of it are gone before I eat even one slice, replace it. This is not to say that she never replaces my food, and to that extent I acknowledge that she's trying to make things even, but here's where I sound like a big time female dog...

When it comes to clothing, cleaning supplies, and household stuff I don't care about namebrands. Whatever works will work for me, but when it comes to my food I am incredibly particular. I work hard to afford the brands that I choose because they taste better. She then replaces my expensive brandname food with crappy Kroger generics. I wouldn't buy those because I prefer the better brands and I'm willing to pay more for them. Clearly, she feels differently, so I end up with the short end of the stick-- paying more for the better brands but eating the crappy ones.

I've considered many things, not the least of which is letting it go-- we have only 6 months left on our lease and we know we won't be living together again after that. But is it really fair for me to put up with this for all that time? I feel like it's more and more money out of my pocket. I try to keep my special food that I really care about in one of the veggie crispers, but she still pilfers it from time to time. How can I express my frustration politely (in the form of a note preferably, as talking to her face to face has usually led to arguments in the past) without sounding like I've got a stick up my bum?

Independent Organic Products?

pleasantries — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:05:30 -0800

List of organic brands (Food/Cosmetics/Cleaning products) that are not subsidiaries of major corporations? Examples: Nature's Gate, EarthBalance. Have already used this and this.

Experts say Brand X is now significantly less distinguishable from name brands!

goodnewsfortheinsane — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 11:40:11 -0800

For which products or services is it worth it to buy name brand instead of generic brand? When will brand X do just as well, or even better?

How to find a catolog of "dead brands?"

mtstover — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 08:41:07 -0800

I'm interested in buying / resuscitating a "dead brand". Something fairly old, but that would be interesting to consumers. Think Barbasol, or something like that. Any ideas on where to find a good catalog of expired consumer products that have been forgotten?

Name That Photog

id girl — Tue, 14 Dec 2004 12:40:08 -0800

I am looking for the name or a link to a photographer who shoots pictures of store shelves filled with products, and then photoshops out all the branding / logos etc. so that the shelves appear to be filled with blank products. [+] I'm fairly certain I once saw it linked off of MetaFilter, but it would have been over a year ago. Searches of MeFi archives and googling terms like 'blank products' and various iterations have turned up nothing; I'm hoping someone here either bookmarked it or can point me in the right direction.

Golf Equipment

MrAnonymous — Sun, 20 Jun 2004 21:23:04 -0800

GolfFilter: I'm a very amature golfer and have been looking at different brands of golf equipment. I really can't afford to buy a nice set of clubs, but it's nice to look. But what are the nicest brands? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each? It seems that Callaway, Titelist, and Taylor-Made seem to be top-of-the-line brands. Callaway seems to have good drivers, and Titelist good irons. But I know little as to why.

is the restaurant brand stuff I buy in the store the same as what's in the restaurant?

crunchland — Sat, 15 May 2004 15:56:28 -0800

A browse through the frozen food aisle of my local grocery store shows me all kinds of prepared foods from well known restaurant chains. Buffalo Wings from T.G.I.Fridays, BBQ Chicken Pizza from California Pizza Kitchen... what I want to know is, when I go to the actual restaurant chain and order the same products, are they just doing what I'd be doing if I bought the store-bought product? Is the "chef" at California Pizza Kitchen actually making my pizza to-order, or is he pulling a frozen pie out of his freezer, and popping it in the oven?