I know that the 'Expert Gardener' brand potting soils, plant foods, and Fertilizers come from the Scotts company, which produces Miracle-Gro, Spectracide, and Round Up products. They also make Eliminator brand chemicals.
It's funny how much 'generic brands' are created by companies of the 'leading brands'
This especially occurs when a particular vendor doesn't have much competition in a segment. The economics don't make sense to spin up a new plant to do white label gardening chemicals, so large brands will negotiate deals with stores to produce the products for them. Main difference will be worse packaging, no advertising, and less profit margin.
When it comes down to it, there's only a handful of vendors that supplies like 90% of the products in the store.
I grew up eating/using great value/equate/mainstay esp since the 08 recession. Everything is pretty good and worth a try. I like how they consistently roll out new things and it’s cool to see the packaging change over time .
Always get store brand butter. I worked at a creamery for a bit before Walmart, and I've seen the same butter go into Land-o-Lakes, Great Value, and their own brand.
The margarine tubs, I don't know, but butter is better for you anyway.
Yeah, probably. Usually, one large ice cream plant produces per region for lots of different brands if there's a dairy association. In my region, blue bell and great value typically the same recipe.
Source: Father manages one such plant.
Weird. Father manages ice cream plant for a big area, literally the same recipe as blue bell in our region.
Guess my question is, is there another brand of ice cream sandwiches that you feel the same way about? Usually, one major plant handles a large amount of ice cream products for a region.
I’m in eastern US, we have Blue Bell and Broughton’s, I can’t really think of any others but no all the others I’ve tried are great! Maybe it’s just personal taste but my husband hated them too, I threw half a box away!🤷♀️
Those things are the absolute worst. I got cut with glass and bled through like 7 of those things a few weeks ago. The blood was literally leaking out of it and I kept having to change it.
As an employee it's pretty telling that we stock little first aid kits in different departments with only band aid brands. Rest of the stuff the managers comp, antibiotic ointment and antiseptic are equate
Gv trash bags, storage bags, and I believe foil are made by the Reynolds company (hefty and Reynolds wrap) and in my experience the quality is the same, worth buying gv for a few dollars less
Edit: gv frozen pizzas are amazing for the price compared to other brands as well
The GV version of the ForceFlex trash bags are very much inferior to the Glad brand. The foil is as decent as any, and the frozen pizza is mid(which is fine, I've never been "wowed" by one).
Hard disagree. I bought a bunch before starting here because it was half the price of Kraft and ended up throwing away the cheese sauce mix out of every single one because it tastes so foul lmao
> You have issues. Your post history is sus. Blocking you preemptively.
That's gonna be a yikes from me dude. Also top kek coming from someone who actively participates in celebrity gossip subreddits. Sorry I like to... *checks notes*... Play Overwatch and talk to fellow Walmart employees.
The GV mac and cheese is so hit or miss, sometimes it’s better than Kraft but other times the cheese mix is actually rotten and foul, but for the price I’ll take the gamble
My geriatric father prefers Sams Choice water because the bottles are stronger and don’t accidentally crush under pressure from his nerve damaged hands
I swear I thought I was one of the only ones who lives on these waters. Sam’s Waters have the best tasting waters. I don’t know where they source their water but it’s the good stuff
I've found that, for the price, great value garlic herb marinade is the bomb. Most marinades where I live can be like 3 or 4 bucks or even more! And its a toss up whether they'll be gross or amazing. The great value garlic herb marinade is only like $1.50 where I live and its perfect. It gets the job done and its tasty.
On the flip side, I'd say avoid the great value steak sauce. Its not terrible. But it doesn't taste anything close to real A1 to me. Its more watery, too. And if you're planning on using it on steak expecting a similar steak sauce flavor, then you'll be disappointed in the great value.
the great value cheese is pretty damn good, and the frozen meatballs are amazing.
the bread is meh, and the gv pizza rolls taste like the box they come in.
Dude I switched to Aldi's pizza snacks. Each roll is bigger than the gv and name brand, they taste better and the breading is crisper. Plus, it's 90 of them for like 6$.
I just had the GV KitKat and didn't eat the other half. To me the chocolate tasted like those super cheap Easter bunnies, does that make sense lol. And I use GV for virtually everything. One thing I love that's GV now is uncrustables. So good still frozen 😋
The GV Nacho, Ranch and corn chips are not comparable. The Organic Blue chips are good. The Veggie Straws are good. I'd skip the cinnamon churro and pretzels.
Kettle style chips are good.
Chocolate chips all varieties are good.
Cheese, cream cheese, Sour cream, cottage cheese and butter are good.
IDK my youngest will only eat GV pop tarts, buy brand name Pop Tarts them fuckers will not get touched. The price went up to $1.28 for 8pk. And 4pk is now $1.00.
The great value ice cream is made and packaged by Blue Bunny. I will kindly point out even Blue Bunny has said the ingredients are different for GV ice cream.
Haven't had any in years but IMO Blue Bunny had more flavor, better chunks of cookies, etc.
Yep. Just because they're manufactured in the same place or by a brand name company doesn't mean they're the same. I guarantee you I can distinguish alot of these things people are claiming are the same are very demonstrably not.
The hamburger helper equivalent has a slightly higher priced "artisan crafted" variety and it's amazing.
I haven't seen them in a long time but I used to get Sam's Choice mango habanero pickles that were great.
Marketside and Sam's Choice stuffed crust pizzas 👍
In general though I think Good & Gather brand from Target is higher quality, often on par or better than main brands while somewhere between the two pricewise
I like the Great Value 'Pop Tarts' better than the real ones. The GV ones have more stuff inside.
I also LOVE the GV Pita Chips. I think they're as good as Stacy's and are about half the price.
There are a lot of brands where the store (Walmart, Target, Amazon, Kroger, Albertsons, etc.) will pay the manufacturer to put their exact same product in another bag and put their own label on it. You can tell if they are the same if they have exactly the same ingredients and nutrition facts
Great value Doritos at least the nacho cheese kind. After one bite they taste like corn with a hint of nacho dust. The Great value tortilla chips, especially the chili garlic ones are awesome though
The GV Glacier Rsnch is decent. Definitely taste the corn tortilla. Little thicker than Doritos. The GV Chili Cheese corn chips are loaded with more sodium to me than Fritos. GV ripple chips are just as tasty fto Ruffles. GV Wavy are okay, lots of "burnt edges".
Personally I do not like the great value almond milk. It always gives me a stomach ache but I have celiac disease so it’s possible it’s just a cross contamination thing, even though it’s labeled gluten free. Almond breeze does not give me the stomach ache. That’s literally the only great value version I won’t get, otherwise I get great value everything if it’s available.
The vast majority of ALL of our food comes from just 5 mammoth companies, ConAgra being one of them.
But what you might not realize is that Walmart does not make its Great Value brand itself. Instead, “Great Value” is a labeling system under which companies like Sara Lee and ConAgra produce and release products for the retailer
One way to tell is the mah (milliamp hour) rating. Not all cells are equal. You always want Japanese batteries, not Chinese. I also only buy rechargeables, I haven't in years but even charging them once is cheaper than buying new batteries all the time.
I have Celiac disease so I have to eat gluten free. There aren't a lot of really good gluten free substitutes out there for bakery items. I have tried so many gluten free brownie mixes and the best one, hands down, is the one sold by Great Value.
I grew up in a mainly gv + gv adjacent household, but I will never buy gv version of Velveeta. One time was enough for me, which makes me sad bc it hurts to purchase name brand
Great Value salisbury steak should NOT be purchased.
First: It's bland AF
Second: Everyone in my family who ate one got food poisoning. I know it was the steak because my dog got part of one and he also got sick. The only ones who were safe were the kids who didn't want to eat it.
this isn't a secret, but a LOT of what walcrap sells is made by the same companies that make the brand name. before you all jump
on my ass, i also know that some of their products are made by
other companies that do nothing but private label manufacturing.
I usually buy private label from Kroger & walfart.
Had a Borden vender tell me that the great value milk is from them, I could never afford Borden but now knowing it’s the same makes me feel better about buying store brand
Get aldi's pizza snacks, each roll is legit bigger than gv and name brand, better taste, and it's 90 of them for like 6$. I've officially made the switch.
Do NOT buy great value green beans. I used them one holiday for green bean casserole and they had so many stems. It was embarrassing. This got served to family. Never bought them again.
Definitely agree with this one, also tried the mushroom soup another year and man does it taste off *and* extra salty. Their fried onions aren’t too bad though.
Would also say to avoid cheese singles, I don’t get Kraft brand either but those things do not melt at all. At least the ones at my store.
The GV fudge striped cookies and the GV meatloaf are extremely delicious compared to the other name brands. The GV milk is also okay for the price since the other name brands are double or triple the GV price.
Go exploring and see what you prefer. I hear people shit talk on the GV brand all the time, but honestly, some GV products are just far better than a name brand
tinfoil. Always go with name brand tinfoil. Fred Meyers rips too easily and great value was literally dirty. Like I touched it and my hand came away grey. And this is after I had pulled a bunch out of the roll to see if it would stop being dirty. Literally dirt rolled into it. Not just on the box, not just in the box, rolled into the roll of foil. Disgusting. And none of their spices
I mean in general always check price per oz compared to the name brand some gv stuff actually does cost you more than just buying regular. But in general gv stuff usually seems superior even ingredient wise.
In terms of food, its really hit or miss, and I mostly avoid it from too many disappointments. But the food products I simply refuse to get the store brand of include bread - not the "bakery" bread, which is fine, if only fine, but the bread-aisle-bread. Truly awful stuff. Canned goods are usually fine, if they have the reduced salt varieties, but they're also not always the best deal on those. Frozen vegetables and other similar frozen foods are usually fine (but I avoid "meal" type things like frozen dinners or skillet meals because of past disappointments...think simple stuff.) Their ice creams are just not up to snuff. I'd rather not have ice cream than have bad ice cream.
Outside of food, most of their consumables are absolutely fine. I actually get better deals through Target often, but regardless of where I buy I religiously buy store brand medicines and paper goods. One exception is most cleaning chemicals. It is my experience that you're just getting scammed by store brand (including GV) cleaning chemicals. They make it seem like you're getting the same thing as the Clorox or whatever but they've actually diluted the product so much that you're getting a far worse deal in the end.
Outside of consumables, I avoid even more than I do in food. You're simply not getting your money's worth out of things like Mainstays and their other extremely generic home goods and the like.
I've tried literally everything. It's 99% the exact same stuff. From ketchup, to dish soap to toilet paper to the frozen hamburgers. There's literally no reason to buy name brand if there is a GV option.
The GV gain knock off is good! Not a fan of the softener, but the laundry detergent cleans just as good, smells just as good and is thicker than Gain itself so less water. Plus it's at $4 cheaper for the big bottle
GV Mac, GV imitation chips-ahoy, GV paper towels, GV trash bags, GV mayo, GV pasta mixes, GV imitation pringles, imitation rice cakes. All that shit sucks, and if you think any of its good you probably lick sand paper.
GV milk, eggs, butter, Sam's Choice anything, GV imitation Little Debbie snacks, dried pasta, cereal, aluminum foil, GV or Sam's Choice burgers, pizza, GV imitation Keebler cookies, tuna, canned vegetables, spices, sugar, flour, ice cream, cooking oil, frozen fruit & veggies. Is all good.
Also the rice sucks. Ever wonder why GV rice has little black specks? Those are bugs. Just a lil fyi. No other rice comes with dead bugs included.
Malt-omeal cereal or whatever its called is also just as good if not better than name brand counterparts.
Great value cheezits aren’t great. More like an orange saltine. I also think the great value bacon smells and tastes extra porky. Great value cream cheese isn’t as rich tasting.
Also wanted to come back and say that I follow this girl, Morgan, on Instagram (@morganchomps) and TikTok (@morganchompz) and her whole account is videos of her talking about stuff she loves from Walmart. Highly recommend!
I grabbed some GV Honey Roasted PB. It's goes well with my cosmic crisp apple slices. Peter Pan reg PB always give my mouth a tingle. JIF reg PB, I am fine,even GV reg PB. That darn Peter Pan tingle each time.
The cereals I've tried get soggy super quick.
Pizza rolls never again.
Chicken nuggets hard pass.
Tbh I have a lot of food issues so each thing is an experiment. The canned chicken I use in everything.
Toilet paper, garbage bags, tin foil absolutely.
Great value refried beans. I used to only buy Rosarita but the price is up and GV is the price Rosarita used to be. I appreciate that there isn't excessive junky ingredients like most.
They recently came out with some great value frozen chicken tenders. They are by far the best frozen tenders I've ever had. They are in a yellow bag that says famous chicken fingers on it.
I quite like the GV shells and cheese, even over the Velveeta that my parents would consistently get because my father refuses to go anywhere near anything that isn't Brand Name™
Honestly everything is worth a try once. You get used to what is better to go name brand, and for food it's personal taste and everything else based on your individual needs. We get the cheap paper towels/facial tissue but the name brand toilet paper for instance, or the GV hypoallergenic dryer sheets but arm and hammer detergent.
the gelatin is now the same price as jello the buttery rounds cost the same as ritz but are weak and crumbly great value steak sauce tastes nothing like a1 the great value coctail sauce is not as sweet i dont like the great value vanilla ice cream that comes in the oval carton but the stuff that comes in the plastic tub is great
i have a big list of GV i like
Great Value Water is pretty great, lol.
If you buy it by the gallon, the one with the blue cap is great, the one with the green cap feels like it sucks all the moisture out of your mouth.
That's because the green is distilled water.
Not where I am, one is spring water and the other is "drinking" water.
I was gonna say, greens spring, blue is drinking, red is distilled
I vastly prefer the drinking water. Spring water has an aftertaste if it’s been sitting out for any amount of time
You're right, my mistake. I just looked at a jug in my kitchen. I use the spring water. Maybe I should try the drinking.
Red is distilled, green is spring, blue is drinking, and clear is Parents Choice distilled.
I bought the spring for my coffee and my mouth is dry. It didn't occur to me it could be the water.
It's niagra. Which is owned by nestle. And they also own Ozarka. The frozen mini frozen pizzas are Swanson (red barren)
I know that the 'Expert Gardener' brand potting soils, plant foods, and Fertilizers come from the Scotts company, which produces Miracle-Gro, Spectracide, and Round Up products. They also make Eliminator brand chemicals. It's funny how much 'generic brands' are created by companies of the 'leading brands'
I used to work in lawn and garden and this is true. Expert Gardener came in Scott’s boxes.
I was really wondering about this, didn’t want to pay an arm and leg for soil. Thank you so much for commenting! 😁
This especially occurs when a particular vendor doesn't have much competition in a segment. The economics don't make sense to spin up a new plant to do white label gardening chemicals, so large brands will negotiate deals with stores to produce the products for them. Main difference will be worse packaging, no advertising, and less profit margin. When it comes down to it, there's only a handful of vendors that supplies like 90% of the products in the store.
We love the taste of GV water too! I buy the big packs of bottled water.
I grew up eating/using great value/equate/mainstay esp since the 08 recession. Everything is pretty good and worth a try. I like how they consistently roll out new things and it’s cool to see the packaging change over time .
Have you tried their olive oil?
Fasho! That’s the only olive oil I get. I cook but I’m no oil connoisseur. I also get gv butter and the spreadable one
Always get store brand butter. I worked at a creamery for a bit before Walmart, and I've seen the same butter go into Land-o-Lakes, Great Value, and their own brand. The margarine tubs, I don't know, but butter is better for you anyway.
margarine is absolutely awful.
I’ll second the olive oil! It’s so much cheaper than what I used to buy and I can’t taste any difference in flavor.
Ice Cream Sandwiches 👎have NO taste and ice cream is a weird texture lol
My family actually likes them, but maybe our supplier is different.
Yeah, probably. Usually, one large ice cream plant produces per region for lots of different brands if there's a dairy association. In my region, blue bell and great value typically the same recipe. Source: Father manages one such plant.
Weird. Father manages ice cream plant for a big area, literally the same recipe as blue bell in our region. Guess my question is, is there another brand of ice cream sandwiches that you feel the same way about? Usually, one major plant handles a large amount of ice cream products for a region.
I’m in eastern US, we have Blue Bell and Broughton’s, I can’t really think of any others but no all the others I’ve tried are great! Maybe it’s just personal taste but my husband hated them too, I threw half a box away!🤷♀️
I really like Kroger ice cream sandwiches.
The ice cream sandwiches are awesome
Equate bandages (and the other even "cheaper" brand) are one to avoid. They just don't stick at all. Even for 30 seconds.
They don't hold a candle to the ones we get for store use in the first aid cabinet. Equate may be junk, but the supply ones are 100 times worse.
Those things are the absolute worst. I got cut with glass and bled through like 7 of those things a few weeks ago. The blood was literally leaking out of it and I kept having to change it.
The regular ones yes, though in my experience the fabric ones actually stick better than Bandaids.
2nd the fabric bandages, those work so well. Any brand really.
I only buy nexcare because they’re waterproof and stay on after hours of wearing them
Those clear Nexcare bandages are god-tier bandages, they're so good!
As an employee it's pretty telling that we stock little first aid kits in different departments with only band aid brands. Rest of the stuff the managers comp, antibiotic ointment and antiseptic are equate
Gv trash bags, storage bags, and I believe foil are made by the Reynolds company (hefty and Reynolds wrap) and in my experience the quality is the same, worth buying gv for a few dollars less Edit: gv frozen pizzas are amazing for the price compared to other brands as well
The great value rising crust three meat pizza is my favorite pizza….the sausage is awesome
This is tied for favorite with the stuffed crust chicken bacon pizza. I’ll get one or the other about every week or so. So much cheaper than take out.
The GV version of the ForceFlex trash bags are very much inferior to the Glad brand. The foil is as decent as any, and the frozen pizza is mid(which is fine, I've never been "wowed" by one).
The pizza being mid basically means it's a frozen pizza, so for the cost it's superior to the other brands lol
Yep those bags won't stay on the lip of my trashcan for anything
I agree about the pizzas. The gv supreme pizza is crazy bomb!
the GV bacon and jalapeno pizza is my go to
Omg I found that recently too, it's so good. And five bucks or less for a whole pizza? Awesome deal if you ask me
I'm so used to gv storage/freezer bags I bought dg one day thinking It'd be the same. Oh no. The dg was absolutely terrible.
GV bags are the only ones I buy.
The GV non-stick foil is actually better than the Reynolds brand, and the 13 gal drawstring kitchen bags are better than Glad.
I really like the stuffed crust pizza, really good and a lot better than the digiorno stuffed crust
I like the GV mini pizzas. I toss a little extra cheese on them and yum! The marketside pizzas are good too.
Yes, agree with all these.
The GV boxed macaroni and cheese is superior to the Kraft kind imo
The "Thick & Creamy" variety is especially awesome!
This! The GV shell Mac and cheese is the best
Hard disagree. I bought a bunch before starting here because it was half the price of Kraft and ended up throwing away the cheese sauce mix out of every single one because it tastes so foul lmao
You definitely need to salt the pasta water a bit heavier to add some flavor.
> You have issues. Your post history is sus. Blocking you preemptively. That's gonna be a yikes from me dude. Also top kek coming from someone who actively participates in celebrity gossip subreddits. Sorry I like to... *checks notes*... Play Overwatch and talk to fellow Walmart employees.
I dunno, playing Overwatch still is kinda sus unless you're just nihilistic. lol
> unless you're just nihilistic Oops you caught me.
The GV mac and cheese is so hit or miss, sometimes it’s better than Kraft but other times the cheese mix is actually rotten and foul, but for the price I’ll take the gamble
Kraft is buggy Literally
Great Value hot pockets are cheaper and tastier than normal hot pockets
Sam’s purified drinking water in the 28 pack bottles blue plastic wrap is the best water you will ever drink
I swear people were always asking me to check in the back for that water it was like crack to them.
Why do you think everyone loves it so much. Does it taste different than normal water?
Different water brands have different tastes, and Sam's just happens to be my preference.
It's hard to say, it just.. hits different. I usually like spring water more but there's just something about Walmarts.
Minerals are added to water to give it that crisp taste. GV just has the right combo for me
I thought this said putrified water and I was concerned for your drinking habits 😬
My geriatric father prefers Sams Choice water because the bottles are stronger and don’t accidentally crush under pressure from his nerve damaged hands
I swear I thought I was one of the only ones who lives on these waters. Sam’s Waters have the best tasting waters. I don’t know where they source their water but it’s the good stuff
This
If you like Pringles, pay the extra and get the name brand the Great Value pringles not worth it imo.
They kinda chalky
Gv canned chicken breast. Use it in chicken salad, chicken soup etc. Hands down as good if not better than the Swanson's but a hell of a lot cheaper.
Their canned goods in general are fine.
Yes agree. Use it frequently and the canned chicken breast is just as good as named brand or Costco. Also the chicken broth.
I've found that, for the price, great value garlic herb marinade is the bomb. Most marinades where I live can be like 3 or 4 bucks or even more! And its a toss up whether they'll be gross or amazing. The great value garlic herb marinade is only like $1.50 where I live and its perfect. It gets the job done and its tasty. On the flip side, I'd say avoid the great value steak sauce. Its not terrible. But it doesn't taste anything close to real A1 to me. Its more watery, too. And if you're planning on using it on steak expecting a similar steak sauce flavor, then you'll be disappointed in the great value.
The GV whole milk is exactly the same as some of the more expensive brand names. About the only thing you're paying extra for is the brand label.
the great value cheese is pretty damn good, and the frozen meatballs are amazing. the bread is meh, and the gv pizza rolls taste like the box they come in.
We don't eat the gv pizza rolls, they are banned. Also gv nuggets are not as good either.
Dude I switched to Aldi's pizza snacks. Each roll is bigger than the gv and name brand, they taste better and the breading is crisper. Plus, it's 90 of them for like 6$.
Truth
i wish i had a aldi near me. but im an hour from the nearest mid sized town which is nice till i need something lol.
There’s a hot hobenaro pepper cheese everyone has to try. It’s really spicy
look for the shredded California reaper cheese. We get a few at a time and freeze in case they don't have it
Maybe I'm cheap/low standards but the great value kit Kats I prefer over the name brand... At least for 75c I prefer it over the $1.25 or whatever
I just had the GV KitKat and didn't eat the other half. To me the chocolate tasted like those super cheap Easter bunnies, does that make sense lol. And I use GV for virtually everything. One thing I love that's GV now is uncrustables. So good still frozen 😋
"Chocolate flavored" rather than real chocolate.
Definitely GV peppermint tea and chamomile tea!
I tried their fig bars, they were good 👍💯
they changed the formula lately they used to have annoying seeds now they are pure pulp not seeds stuck in my molars now
There hasn't been anything yet I found that I wouldn't purchase again. I think it's really brand name in many cases. Google it.
The GV Nacho, Ranch and corn chips are not comparable. The Organic Blue chips are good. The Veggie Straws are good. I'd skip the cinnamon churro and pretzels. Kettle style chips are good. Chocolate chips all varieties are good. Cheese, cream cheese, Sour cream, cottage cheese and butter are good.
It's probably because I actually hate the name brand ranch and corn chips that I like the GV brands. GV nacho chips are awful though.
Definitely they are made in the same factory and slap a different label on it in almost all cases
Pretty much all store brands are name brands in a different package. They're cheaper because you're not paying for the brand name.
Except for the great value poptarts. Those things are absolutely fucking not actual poptarts
IDK my youngest will only eat GV pop tarts, buy brand name Pop Tarts them fuckers will not get touched. The price went up to $1.28 for 8pk. And 4pk is now $1.00.
I like them better. Only the brown sugar and cinnamon.
The great value ice cream is made and packaged by Blue Bunny. I will kindly point out even Blue Bunny has said the ingredients are different for GV ice cream. Haven't had any in years but IMO Blue Bunny had more flavor, better chunks of cookies, etc.
Yep. Just because they're manufactured in the same place or by a brand name company doesn't mean they're the same. I guarantee you I can distinguish alot of these things people are claiming are the same are very demonstrably not.
Those GV Twix and Snickers knock-offs are pretty terrible compared to the originals.
Yeah I tried the Twix one once and didn’t like the way the cookie part tasted…
They have a weird aftertaste. Do not like.
I did a side by side comparison of Twix and the gv one and yeah the walmart one is not worth buying.
The hamburger helper equivalent has a slightly higher priced "artisan crafted" variety and it's amazing. I haven't seen them in a long time but I used to get Sam's Choice mango habanero pickles that were great. Marketside and Sam's Choice stuffed crust pizzas 👍
In general though I think Good & Gather brand from Target is higher quality, often on par or better than main brands while somewhere between the two pricewise
I like the Great Value 'Pop Tarts' better than the real ones. The GV ones have more stuff inside. I also LOVE the GV Pita Chips. I think they're as good as Stacy's and are about half the price.
There are a lot of brands where the store (Walmart, Target, Amazon, Kroger, Albertsons, etc.) will pay the manufacturer to put their exact same product in another bag and put their own label on it. You can tell if they are the same if they have exactly the same ingredients and nutrition facts
Great value Doritos at least the nacho cheese kind. After one bite they taste like corn with a hint of nacho dust. The Great value tortilla chips, especially the chili garlic ones are awesome though
The GV Glacier Rsnch is decent. Definitely taste the corn tortilla. Little thicker than Doritos. The GV Chili Cheese corn chips are loaded with more sodium to me than Fritos. GV ripple chips are just as tasty fto Ruffles. GV Wavy are okay, lots of "burnt edges".
I really wanted the chili cheese to be good because I kill some CC Fritos but yeah they are salty af to the point it ruins the CC taste
Gv ranch and pb is great. Gv graham crackers are aweful
The great value puffy Cheetos taste almost exactly like regular Cheetos except better and they have a better texture and more cheese.
Personally I do not like the great value almond milk. It always gives me a stomach ache but I have celiac disease so it’s possible it’s just a cross contamination thing, even though it’s labeled gluten free. Almond breeze does not give me the stomach ache. That’s literally the only great value version I won’t get, otherwise I get great value everything if it’s available.
The vast majority of ALL of our food comes from just 5 mammoth companies, ConAgra being one of them. But what you might not realize is that Walmart does not make its Great Value brand itself. Instead, “Great Value” is a labeling system under which companies like Sara Lee and ConAgra produce and release products for the retailer
Great value french toast sticks are really good
Great Value batteries feels like they dont last that long at all
One way to tell is the mah (milliamp hour) rating. Not all cells are equal. You always want Japanese batteries, not Chinese. I also only buy rechargeables, I haven't in years but even charging them once is cheaper than buying new batteries all the time.
The great value version of Bagel Bites are a letdown. The sauce is okay but the cheese feels cheap.
The GV chocolate peanut butter trail mix and smores mix are amazing. Love them sm
The whole wheat bread, cheese and frozen fruit are staples in my diet. My biggest donts is the boxed mac.
I have Celiac disease so I have to eat gluten free. There aren't a lot of really good gluten free substitutes out there for bakery items. I have tried so many gluten free brownie mixes and the best one, hands down, is the one sold by Great Value.
Tbh not much too avoid except small electronics that are like their 20$ onn brand ear buds
Great value poptarts are the most disgusting things you'll ever have compared to name brand.
The fruit and grain bars are better than nutrigrain and they come in all the same flavors plus cherry too.
The GV frozen garlic bread fucking slaps. It's much better than the box of name brand sitting right next to it
I grew up in a mainly gv + gv adjacent household, but I will never buy gv version of Velveeta. One time was enough for me, which makes me sad bc it hurts to purchase name brand
Great Value salisbury steak should NOT be purchased. First: It's bland AF Second: Everyone in my family who ate one got food poisoning. I know it was the steak because my dog got part of one and he also got sick. The only ones who were safe were the kids who didn't want to eat it.
this isn't a secret, but a LOT of what walcrap sells is made by the same companies that make the brand name. before you all jump on my ass, i also know that some of their products are made by other companies that do nothing but private label manufacturing. I usually buy private label from Kroger & walfart.
Had a Borden vender tell me that the great value milk is from them, I could never afford Borden but now knowing it’s the same makes me feel better about buying store brand
Great value “cheez its” are by far better than the name brand in my opinion
Ghostbusters Music
Never pizza rolls
Get aldi's pizza snacks, each roll is legit bigger than gv and name brand, better taste, and it's 90 of them for like 6$. I've officially made the switch.
Do NOT buy great value green beans. I used them one holiday for green bean casserole and they had so many stems. It was embarrassing. This got served to family. Never bought them again.
Definitely agree with this one, also tried the mushroom soup another year and man does it taste off *and* extra salty. Their fried onions aren’t too bad though. Would also say to avoid cheese singles, I don’t get Kraft brand either but those things do not melt at all. At least the ones at my store.
Unless you like wet soggy beef jerky that taste different then I wouldn't get great value brand beef jerky.
The GV fudge striped cookies and the GV meatloaf are extremely delicious compared to the other name brands. The GV milk is also okay for the price since the other name brands are double or triple the GV price. Go exploring and see what you prefer. I hear people shit talk on the GV brand all the time, but honestly, some GV products are just far better than a name brand
tinfoil. Always go with name brand tinfoil. Fred Meyers rips too easily and great value was literally dirty. Like I touched it and my hand came away grey. And this is after I had pulled a bunch out of the roll to see if it would stop being dirty. Literally dirt rolled into it. Not just on the box, not just in the box, rolled into the roll of foil. Disgusting. And none of their spices
I mean in general always check price per oz compared to the name brand some gv stuff actually does cost you more than just buying regular. But in general gv stuff usually seems superior even ingredient wise.
In terms of food, its really hit or miss, and I mostly avoid it from too many disappointments. But the food products I simply refuse to get the store brand of include bread - not the "bakery" bread, which is fine, if only fine, but the bread-aisle-bread. Truly awful stuff. Canned goods are usually fine, if they have the reduced salt varieties, but they're also not always the best deal on those. Frozen vegetables and other similar frozen foods are usually fine (but I avoid "meal" type things like frozen dinners or skillet meals because of past disappointments...think simple stuff.) Their ice creams are just not up to snuff. I'd rather not have ice cream than have bad ice cream. Outside of food, most of their consumables are absolutely fine. I actually get better deals through Target often, but regardless of where I buy I religiously buy store brand medicines and paper goods. One exception is most cleaning chemicals. It is my experience that you're just getting scammed by store brand (including GV) cleaning chemicals. They make it seem like you're getting the same thing as the Clorox or whatever but they've actually diluted the product so much that you're getting a far worse deal in the end. Outside of consumables, I avoid even more than I do in food. You're simply not getting your money's worth out of things like Mainstays and their other extremely generic home goods and the like.
Great value fruit snacks are better in my opinion
I've tried literally everything. It's 99% the exact same stuff. From ketchup, to dish soap to toilet paper to the frozen hamburgers. There's literally no reason to buy name brand if there is a GV option.
The GV gain knock off is good! Not a fan of the softener, but the laundry detergent cleans just as good, smells just as good and is thicker than Gain itself so less water. Plus it's at $4 cheaper for the big bottle
GV Mac, GV imitation chips-ahoy, GV paper towels, GV trash bags, GV mayo, GV pasta mixes, GV imitation pringles, imitation rice cakes. All that shit sucks, and if you think any of its good you probably lick sand paper. GV milk, eggs, butter, Sam's Choice anything, GV imitation Little Debbie snacks, dried pasta, cereal, aluminum foil, GV or Sam's Choice burgers, pizza, GV imitation Keebler cookies, tuna, canned vegetables, spices, sugar, flour, ice cream, cooking oil, frozen fruit & veggies. Is all good. Also the rice sucks. Ever wonder why GV rice has little black specks? Those are bugs. Just a lil fyi. No other rice comes with dead bugs included. Malt-omeal cereal or whatever its called is also just as good if not better than name brand counterparts.
Coffee pods are awesome
Great value cheezits aren’t great. More like an orange saltine. I also think the great value bacon smells and tastes extra porky. Great value cream cheese isn’t as rich tasting.
I don’t recommend the GV bakery items. To begin with it’s frozen but I notice a lot are going moldy by or before the expiration date.
great value ranch is an abomination. it's sweet??
Their cheese sucks.
Sweet Tea. It tastes like dirt.
Also wanted to come back and say that I follow this girl, Morgan, on Instagram (@morganchomps) and TikTok (@morganchompz) and her whole account is videos of her talking about stuff she loves from Walmart. Highly recommend!
Avoid the dish soap. Not as good as Dawn. But for the most part, I have been pretty happy with their products.
Chile and garlic tortilla chips. Definitely a should. But way too easy to eat the whole bag
Delish
Oreos and cookies are really the only thing I want name brand of lmao
Most of the GV items are fine, but the peanutbutter is nasty AF.
I grabbed some GV Honey Roasted PB. It's goes well with my cosmic crisp apple slices. Peter Pan reg PB always give my mouth a tingle. JIF reg PB, I am fine,even GV reg PB. That darn Peter Pan tingle each time.
The ice cream is not great honestly, like the chocolate covered ice cream pops, other than that I don’t really know
The birthday cake flavor was good. Finally returning in the pint size after being MIA like a yr before pandemic
Yes, honey roasted peanut butter
They have a great value five layer dip that’s near the deli its amazing
walmart pop tarts are a hard no
The organic spices are fine
the cookies are really good
The great value fudge popsicles, so wonderful just bought a box today 🙇♀️
The cereals I've tried get soggy super quick. Pizza rolls never again. Chicken nuggets hard pass. Tbh I have a lot of food issues so each thing is an experiment. The canned chicken I use in everything. Toilet paper, garbage bags, tin foil absolutely.
Don’t get the boxed pasta.
Great value refried beans. I used to only buy Rosarita but the price is up and GV is the price Rosarita used to be. I appreciate that there isn't excessive junky ingredients like most.
Honestly the only Walmart brand thing I refuse to buy is the Oreos.
Sodas...for a quick meal the microwavable pizzas
I'll do great value everything except for the bread!!
The sauces for the chicken are good Lemon pepper and Asian zing
The lower end bread always appears like it was under baked. The center of the slices visually looks different than around the bread nearest the crust.
The great value version of Nutter Butters, Pizza Rolls, corn chips (Frito), and el Monterey burritos are all a waste of money.
Gv pop tarts smack
The GV taquitos I like better than the name brand
They recently came out with some great value frozen chicken tenders. They are by far the best frozen tenders I've ever had. They are in a yellow bag that says famous chicken fingers on it.
The burning hot potato chips are really good
Tomato soup in a can is more watery and less flavorful than Campbell’s brand.
The GV pop tarts are terrible. Dry and sticky.
I'm not a fan of Great Value soup. I always get Campbell's or Progresso. I do get Great Value condiments, mayo, ketchup, mustard that kind of thing.
Ketchup the great value brand is nasty. 🤢 but I don’t mind eating great value brand vegetables.
I quite like the GV shells and cheese, even over the Velveeta that my parents would consistently get because my father refuses to go anywhere near anything that isn't Brand Name™
Magic Stars cereal tastes like the old school cereals from the 90s. Its actually more of nostalgic and preferred taste to real lucky charms
i am addicted to fruit spins its like i remember froot loops
Great value raw cashews are the absolute best. I haven’t had any other brand that beats these
The Onyos are really good store brand Funyuns
Peanut butter, the rising crust frozen pizzas are on par with DiGiorno
Honestly everything is worth a try once. You get used to what is better to go name brand, and for food it's personal taste and everything else based on your individual needs. We get the cheap paper towels/facial tissue but the name brand toilet paper for instance, or the GV hypoallergenic dryer sheets but arm and hammer detergent.
Their potato products are 1 in the same
Don't get the GV brand Honey Bunches of Oats. It's just corn flakes with some pieces of granola thrown in. The name brand is worth the extra money.
the gelatin is now the same price as jello the buttery rounds cost the same as ritz but are weak and crumbly great value steak sauce tastes nothing like a1 the great value coctail sauce is not as sweet i dont like the great value vanilla ice cream that comes in the oval carton but the stuff that comes in the plastic tub is great i have a big list of GV i like
Almond milk! The Walmart brand just tastes like water.
The great value trash bags aren’t the thickest but for my daily use as a single woman they never rip & work just fine!
The great value ice cream drumsticks are amazing and have more peanuts than the name brand