Value range Products- Why so Terrible packaging for them?

[MrDavidRoberts]

I rarely ever shop at tesco/asda since there's Lidl/Aldi
One thing that gets me while shopping the rare time at the other non-german stores is the terrible packaging they put on their value range products, it's just so unappealing and you feel like a homeless man if you load that stuff in your cart, Do they do it on purpose so people are discouraged to buy that stuff?
There's obviously nothing wrong with the value line stuff, and the stuff is just as good as others ( often much better because it's simpler and not loaded up with extra chemical crap).
When I go in to Lidl/Aldi everything got a nice packaging-even the cheapest stuff.

 

[RobinBHM]

I guess you are talking about blue stripe and the like....

As usual its all to do with marketing, to make clear distinctions between value products and finest ranges.

 

[disco_monkey79]

I like it. Most supermarkets have a value/budget range, a "normal" range, and a finest/best.

I honestly believe that the majority of "value" and "normal" items are exactly the same thing, just in different packaging and a different price.

If people want to judge me for what I put in my trolley, they are more than welcome.

 

[bugbear]

There's obviously nothing wrong with the value line stuff, and the stuff is just as good as others ( often much better because it's simpler and not loaded up with extra chemical rubbish).

That's an adorably optimistic view of how low cost lines are made.

BugBear

 

[Lons]

I have no issue buying "value" products but can't agree that they are the same thing. Can't speak for everything but co-incidently opened a tin of Tesco value rice pud last night and threw it away. Only around 40% was rice and the rest liquid, bloody horrible, opened a tin of branded rice which was excellent.
I guess stuff like cornflakes are probably OK and can't tell the difference with evaporated milk but wouldn't trust many of the ultra cheap products from those ranges.

Bob

 

[transatlantic]

They really aren't the same thing, at least for most lines. You only have to look at the ingredients to see this. There is usually a big difference with the traffic light coded food label thing which you can see at a glance. I often find the cheaper stuff to have lower levels of Fat/Sugar/Salt .... but then it might be filled with something worse . I guess the packaging is all about detracting people from the cheaper stuff (the stuff they make less profit on?) and attracting them to the more expensive stuff (higher margin?).

 

[doctor Bob]

I like it. Most supermarkets have a value/budget range, a "normal" range, and a finest/best.

I honestly believe that the majority of "value" and "normal" items are exactly the same thing, just in different packaging and a different price.

If people want to judge me for what I put in my trolley, they are more than welcome.

I certainly don't judge people, I just question how you cannot tell the difference. I'll eat anything so cheap is fine by me but I can tell the difference.
I have also worked in a canning/food factory, I could tell you horror stories which would make your hair curl............ put it this way, I never eat canned meat or yogurt (trust me where do you think hairy strawberries go?)

 

[Phil Pascoe]

A few decades ago I was running a cellar in a fairly large busy hotel. For some idiotic reason the boss decided to change breweries a couple of weeks before xmas without telling me, and just said oh, just send the stuff back - this of course was after the xmas orders had come in. I doubted the dumped brewery would take it that easily, and besides I didn't want to be involved in the manhandling of scores of kils, so took the easy route. Six thousand eight hundred pints were sold through the wrong taps, to my knowledge only two people complained that they were given something other than they asked for so when people tell me me they can easily tell one brand from another you'll forgive me for being a little sceptical. :lol:

 

[doctor Bob]

A few decades ago I was running a cellar in a fairly large busy hotel. For some idiotic reason the boss decided to change breweries a couple of weeks before xmas without telling me, and just said oh, just send the stuff back - this of course was after the xmas orders had come in. I doubted the dumped brewery would take it that easily, and besides I didn't want to be involved in the manhandling of scores of kils, so took the easy route. Six thousand eight hundred pints were sold through the wrong taps, to my knowledge only two people complained that they were given something other than they asked for so when people tell me me they can easily tell one brand from another you'll forgive me for being a little sceptical. :lol:

Thats a little different Phil, I think anyone could taste the difference in say corn flakes. I've done blind taste tests with my son on cereals and he knows the cheap ones straight away. I'm not being pretentious as I would always buy cheap as it doesn't bother me, my taste buds are rubbish but there is an obvious difference. Cheap coffee is usually terrible for example. You can tell the difference with baked beans by simply looking at the beans to sauce ratio.

 

[bugbear]

I have also worked in a canning/food factory, I could tell you horror stories which would make your hair curl............ put it this way, I never eat canned meat or yogurt (trust me where do you think hairy strawberries go?)

I spent a year working in a meat (ham) factory. There are "ways" to make food cheap that aren't nice. They're legal, hygenic, but not nice.

My SO works in a scientific area, and some of the people she works with have had
previous jobs as Q/A lab techs in food plants. Similar stories.

BugBear

 

[MrDavidRoberts]

A few decades ago I was running a cellar in a fairly large busy hotel. For some idiotic reason the boss decided to change breweries a couple of weeks before xmas without telling me, and just said oh, just send the stuff back - this of course was after the xmas orders had come in. I doubted the dumped brewery would take it that easily, and besides I didn't want to be involved in the manhandling of scores of kils, so took the easy route. Six thousand eight hundred pints were sold through the wrong taps, to my knowledge only two people complained that they were given something other than they asked for so when people tell me me they can easily tell one brand from another you'll forgive me for being a little sceptical. :lol:

Thats a little different Phil, I think anyone could taste the difference in say corn flakes. I've done blind taste tests with my son on cereals and he knows the cheap ones straight away. I'm not being pretentious as I would always buy cheap as it doesn't bother me, my taste buds are rubbish but there is an obvious difference. Cheap coffee is usually terrible for example. You can tell the difference with baked beans by simply looking at the beans to sauce ratio.

I get sick everytime I eat the super-branded cereal because of the amounts of suggar they put in there, I usually cook everything myself so I'm not used to swallowing tons of suggar everyday from junk food.
The value range cereal from tesco for like 25p for a large pack of 500g cereal- there's like 5-6grams of sugar per 100g , where as If you check any branded cereal the sugar content is like 35-40g per 100g! Pure sugar... that why you can tell the difference!

I don't really base my taste buds around the price/packaging of a product, If it tastes good- I eat it, Just the packaging itself gets me that they probably make it so bad looking on purpose.

 

[bugbear]

The value range cereal from tesco for like 25p for a large pack of 500g cereal- there's like 5-6grams of sugar per 100g , where as If you check any branded cereal the sugar content is like 35-40g per 100g! Pure sugar... that why you can tell the difference!

I just checked Kellogs Corn Flakes (the most famous brand I could think of).

3% sugar.

http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/ ... =254852397

Edit; here's Aldi

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calori ... -228415761

33% Sugar.

I think it's the type of cereal that matters, not the brand, "value" or otherwise.

BugBear

 

[selectortone]

They always put the 'value' range products on the bottom shelf in supermarkets. My daughter calls reaching for them "the stoop of shame" :lol:

 

[doctor Bob]

I get sick everytime I eat the super-branded cereal because of the amounts of suggar they put in there, I usually cook everything myself so I'm not used to swallowing tons of suggar everyday from junk food.
The value range cereal from tesco for like 25p for a large pack of 500g cereal- there's like 5-6grams of sugar per 100g , where as If you check any branded cereal the sugar content is like 35-40g per 100g! Pure sugar... that why you can tell the difference.

I'm quite fanatical about my diet and exercise / running, but recently I am ashamed to mention it due to the self righteous foodie element. The statement is inaccurate as well.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I did read some while ago that there was more nutritional in the carton than the cornflakes ... who knows?

 

[Lons]

just the packaging itself gets me that they probably make it so bad looking on purpose.

The plain packaging is also cheaper to produce which adds to the lower price however there is no doubt that it's also to push buyers across to the more profitable products.

As I said, I have absolutely no issue buying cheap products but many I have bought have been very disappointing and those have been just a waste of money IMHO.

 

[MrDavidRoberts]

just the packaging itself gets me that they probably make it so bad looking on purpose.

The plain packaging is also cheaper to produce which adds to the lower price however there is no doubt that it's also to push buyers across to the more profitable products.

As I said, I have absolutely no issue buying cheap products but many I have bought have been very disappointing and those have been just a waste of money IMHO.

Less expensive packaging when they produce 10,000,000+ of the same items per year? In what way it would be less expensive to make? Packaging design cost? we are talking about max £500 here to design a much better product packaging for each item they have.
More ink needed to print better packaging design? It costs nothing when you buy it in gallons...
Yeah I'm not buying it...
It's there just to deter you from buying it,that why I take my business to Lidl/Aldi where they don't play these stupid mind games.

 

[bugbear]

It's there just to deter you from buying it,that why I take my business to Lidl/Aldi where they don't play these stupid mind games.

The impression that Lidl/Aldi have straightforward products with low prices is just another/different marketing position - their "Brand Identity", and one they've worked very hard to create.

It's all mind games.

BugBear

 

[treeturner123]

Re Cheap outlets

Yes, I agree with Bugbear, these places have a defined marketing strategy. However, there are a number of other reasons for the process to be somewhat lower, even for 'Named' products. Amongst these are:-

Location of unit
Size of unit, especially height (Hot air rises)
Staff Numbers - There is always a queue
Display - Generally basic
Supply continuity - You can't always get the same thing two weeks running.
Parking ratio.

People who are happy to accommodate these plus the fact that suppliers are squeezed as much, possibly more, then that's fine.

Some of us may remember Quick-Save who took the above to a lower level but ultimately went bust.

Phil

 

[Lons]

just the packaging itself gets me that they probably make it so bad looking on purpose.

The plain packaging is also cheaper to produce which adds to the lower price however there is no doubt that it's also to push buyers across to the more profitable products.

As I said, I have absolutely no issue buying cheap products but many I have bought have been very disappointing and those have been just a waste of money IMHO.

Less expensive packaging when they produce 10,000,000+ of the same items per year? In what way it would be less expensive to make? Packaging design cost? we are talking about max £500 here to design a much better product packaging for each item they have.
More ink needed to print better packaging design? It costs nothing when you buy it in gallons...
Yeah I'm not buying it...
It's there just to deter you from buying it,that why I take my business to Lidl/Aldi where they don't play these stupid mind games.

I didn't say that the packaging was a significant cost saving but it is definitely cheaper than highly colourful printed packing which is often on better quality material as well.
I don't have the figures to prove that but then neither do you to prove otherwise so whether you're "buying it" or not is of no importance as we're both just passing an opinion.
Neither can you simplify it into

"max £500 here to design a much better product packaging for each item they have. More ink needed to print better packaging design? It costs nothing when you buy it in gallons.."

because it costs a great deal more than just material costs from start to finished item as I well know because at one stage I sold wholesale graphic and display products in bulk (so know exactly what good quality ink costs), along with plastics, Dexion and woodworking tools and machinery, - 4 separate product groups through one business. On the other hand I also controlled a marketing budget and even though 30 years ago the costs and basic principles haven't changed much.

I also said that

there is no doubt that it's also to push buyers across to the more profitable products.

so jumping all over only part of my post instead of the whole is a bit naive. we're both entitled to those opinions but that's all they are - opinions! :roll:

As an aside, I buy cheap "value" kitchen rolls but only for the workshop as they're ideal for applying CA finish to pens on the lathe as long as folded into several thicknesses but they're absolutely useless for anything else as so thin they don't even tear off the roll without ripping to shreds and my wife only once tried to mop up a spill before throwing the roll out.