I also shop Kroger but absolutely insist on brand name paper goods (TP & paper towels). Within some types of items, I will buy store brand unless a brand name item is better (for instance, for garlic powder, I always get the coarse cut with parsley and the store brand doesn’t have that). There are other items here and there where I only get the brand name, also.
I don’t buy them often anymore but I must have authentic Pop Tarts and Nutra Grain bars. The store brands are awful.
Also:
Mountain Dew
toilet paper
Ketchup (Red Gold)
Mustard (French’s)
Greek yougurt (Oikos)
I won’t buy Generic coffee, bread, paper towels, or ice cream. I prefer the major brands of those items.
Kroger Shredded Wheat is really good. I never buy Post Shredded Wheat anymore. I always buy Kroger milk. Never the Major branded milk. Milk is milk, it all comes from the same cows.
For spreading, I love Kerrygold butter. It’s too expensive for me to bake with, though, so I use different varieties then.
Peanut butter, dish soap, laundry detergent, cereal, cocoa/baking chocolate, sugar (habit passed on from my mom, I’ve not tried generic), shampoo/conditioner, soap, and deodorant are the only things I can think of that I buy brand-name for.
I shop at a New England supermarket called Hannafords, and their store-brand Greek yogurt is every bit as good as name brands. And they sell a banana-nut granola that is outstanding for $2.19 a box. So I actually prefer some generic brands.
Saran wrap, and Reynolds heavy duty foil. I certainly learned my lesson there. Used to be Hellman’s mayo, till I tried an emergency jar of Wegman’s house brand and found it identical, IMO. Hoffman’s franks in natural casings are A+, any other kind including Oscar Meyer or Ballpark get a D-. Mr. Salinqmind insists on name brands only, like Land O Lakes butter ($5 a package) vs. no-name brands ($2 a package). When they stop making something, there is absolute hell to pay until we find a suitable substitute… Nestle chocolate chips. Doritos nacho tortilla chips. Lay’s potato chips. Dunkin Donuts packaged coffee. Oh, and Dannon yogurt, everything else is just cups of goo. You’d think Dannon would be everywhere, but it’s not, I have to go out of my way to buy it.
Other flavors they have figured out; those two they haven’t.
Although, since Dr Pepper is a registered trademark, it is amusing to see the various names that supermarkets use to indicate it is a Dr Pepper flavored beverage.
I agree that certain cereals, like Cheerios have no substitute. But where I live I love most Presidents Choice products, which are premium brands but are usually a few cents cheaper than national brands
What about items for which there is no generic equivalent? Jiffy muffin mixes, for instance, seem to have cornered the entire market, and even all-generic stores like Aldi carry them.