Hey up Del Boy

[Glyn_Wigley]

So the company you worked for charged Pringle, Fred Perry, Marks & Sparks, Edinburgh Woollen Mills, Aqua Scutum, C&A, Littlewoods, and loads more other 'name' brands the same price for the goods as you charged for your own brand cheapo knitwear?

We supplied exactly what they ordered from us - otherwise they wouldn't have continued using use to manufacture for them. What we supplied to them were goods identical in quality, material, design and colours to our own brand and what the other brand purchasers bought, apart from labelling and packaging. The price we sold to them would have been between the salesman the purchaser negotiated with and was nothing to do with me. However, if you think there was any ripping off done, it would have been the huge mark-up the purchasers made when they sold on to the public who thought they were getting something that was better quality than it was purely because of the label sewn in the collar.

[Bentley Bullet]

 I can understand manufacturer's agreeing a different price for a product, and I acknowledge that it is a normal procedure. The company I worked for provided a world class product, and the standard of that product was of the same HIGH standard no matter what price was agreed within the sales department.

You give the impression that the company you worked for provided the same LOW standard product no matter what price was agreed within the sales department.

Like I suggested earlier, none of us know everything about every product we use, we have to trust what the label says. Some people sympathise with customers who are deceived or ripped off by companies. Others find it hilarious.

[Glyn_Wigley]

I can understand manufacturer's agreeing a different price for a product, and I acknowledge that it is a normal procedure. The company I worked for provided a world class product, and the standard of that product was of the same HIGH standard no matter what price was agreed within the sales department.

You give the impression that the company you worked for provided the same LOW standard product no matter what price was agreed within the sales department.

Like I suggested earlier, none of us know everything about every product we use, we have to trust what the label says. Some people sympathise with customers who are deceived or ripped off by companies. Others find it hilarious.

How were the customers ripped off then, eh? How were they deceived?

[Bentley Bullet]

The members of the general public who paid for a 'label' thinking it was superior to cheapo knitwear  were deceived and ripped off.

[Glyn_Wigley]

The members of the general public who paid for a 'label' thinking it was superior to cheapo knitwear  were deceived and ripped off.

They got exactly what was described. They weren't lied to or deceived by ANYONE. If they want to make a baseless assumption that they're getting something superior when they're not, that's not deception. That's what I find funny, that people blindly believe that a label somehow makes some sort of difference when there's NO evidence that it does.

[Bentley Bullet]

There is evidence that paying more for an item with a genuine reputable label is superior to a cheapo one. The problem is that some suppliers rip off customers by deceiving them into buying cheapo items using the same label at a high price.

 

[idler]

It would be funny to see a manufacturer take action against someone selling fakes that were better quality than the originals.
That would be hilarious.

[bobjimwilly]

There is evidence that paying more for an item with a genuine reputable label is superior to a cheapo one. The problem is that some suppliers rip off customers by deceiving them into buying cheapo items using the same label at a high price.

What evidence is there for this BB? Yes, some manufacturers produce high quality, longer lasting products and charge a higher price, but there is no "evidence" that proves a well known label is always superior, that's just b*llocks. Glyn is right - if people presume something is better quality just because it's made by a well known brand or has a higher price, then it's on them if that doesn't turn out to be the case

[Bentley Bullet]

I never said that well known labels are always superior, but generally speaking if you buy high quality longer lasting products for a higher price, they should be higher quality, longer lasting goods.

There is evidence that well known labels are generally superior though, and that is why there are (sadly) many fakers out there trying to emulate them. I dare say sometimes these fakes have given  false opinions to some people who still thought they'd bought the genuine stuff.

Generally speaking you get what you pay for, if you don't get ripped off.

[Bentley Bullet]

It would be funny to see a manufacturer take action against someone selling fakes that were better quality than the originals.
That would be hilarious.

If they were better quality or not they would still be fake, and living off the name of the company they're ripping off.

Why don't they build up a reputation under their own name?

[BobG]

So what is this evidence that well known labels are generally superior that you keep talking about BB? All I ever seem to read is the rip off sweat shops that well known brands use and the super duper prices they proceed to charge.

Bob

[Bentley Bullet]

The well known labels got well known because they built up a good reputation!

If they're not generally superior, why do they get to ripped off with fake copies?

[Glyn_Wigley]

Ah, but the stuff we supplied wasn't fake. It was genuine.

[idler]

When we were contracting for Northern Gas in the 80s we worked occasionally at Albright & Wilson near Whitehaven.
They produced washing powders etc. They might run Co-oop's own brand for three days and then go onto Daz or Persil for a run.
They used to use the formula the company that they were producing a batch for provided. We were in digs at one of the chemist's grandmother and he said that there was very little difference in the brands but Persil was maybe the best. Nothing wrong in what they were doing but until then I just supposed that all brands had their own factory.

[i_ateallthepies]

Perhaps Glyn, it is nothing more complicated than your palate isn't able to make the distinction between chlorinated tap water and the clean taste of bottled water.

Nor are the palates of  - how many people? - who bought Tesco and Asda bottled water, apparently!

Unless, of course, the only difference in taste from one water and another is in the minds of those who want to think they've getting something somehow better..? A double blind taste test would be extremely interesting to see what results come out...

Quite agree with your point on branded goods, it drives me mad.  But don't stereotype everyone based on your one experience in the rag trade.  If there were people who couldn't distinguish between bottled tap water and quality spring water that's their look out.
I started buying 5Lt bottles of spring water 20 years ago because the tap water in Armthorpe at that time was shocking most of the time.  Got fed up of tipping away my morning cup of tea because of the overpowering taste of chlorine, sometimes it was so strong I could smell the chlorine without even needing to taste it.
I haven't bought bottled water for years, since I tried a water filter, of course I made sure I got one with a top brand name because I just knew it would be superior.

[bahrain rover]

Anybody who pays more for their water than their petrol is ripe to be suckered!

WE do out here in Saudi!!!

[RedJ]

In fairness there's a bit of a supply and demand issue out there, I'd imagine...

[Mike_F]

Whenever I've been away from home (whether that's visiting friends/family elsewhere in the country, staying in hotels etc. or even the time I spent at university in Nottingham the tap water always tasted different to home. The water from the Donny Aquifer is what I'd grown up with and everything else tasted of chemicals in some way or other. Some I could get on with but others not so much. Whenever I buy bottled water (fairly infrequently as it happens) it always has a neutral taste. Some is slightly more chalky for example but generally speaking they're all fine.

One of the main reasons I buy bottled water when I'm on the go is the lack of choice of low-calories drinks in most retailers' chillers. Quite often it'll be Diet Coke (horrible stuff!) or nothing. It wouldn't hurt them to stock sugar free Irn-Bru or summat to give those of us who don't really want 200 useless calories from a bottle of pop a bit of choice!

On to Private label versus brands:

I work in the grocery industry and have been involved in developing many branded and own-labvel products. There are varying degrees of difference and specifications to meet with SOME retailer brand products being very close to the branded equivalents and others further removed.

When I worked at Thorntons we made collections for Aldi which were basically a selection of the cheaper to make pawns form Classic Collection (one of them with a slightly different mould to remove the signature "T" on the triple layer milk/white/dark. We also made products for M&S which were designed in conjunction with their development team to create bespoke chocolates. It varies according to retailer requirements on margin, price, volume, quality, brand match etc.

[Sammy Chung was King]

A simple comparison though heinz soup isn't as nice as it was, i have still yet to find a 'cheap' soup that i enjoy. I have tried lots of different ones with an open mind, it's just how it is.
I have had 'cheap' pairs of trainers and branded ones, there has always been a big difference in how long they last. The soles last longer, the material the uppers are made of do on the more expensive pair.
That's just walking about in them, or as when i was younger knocking hell out of them with a football.

I have noticed over a few years now, that adidas trainers and many others are using the exact same materials, the only difference being the brand name on them. A fair few are using a similar design and apart from the brand badge, say adidas or nike they isn't much difference.
I think a lot of it comes from they are made in the same factories as the cheaper products. It's really generalising to say all the companies operate that way, some do and some don't.
Adidas i have always thought they were the best trainer makers in the business, but the same thought doesn't seem to be going into designing original modern examples that stood out. Unlike years ago when they had lots of different designs, now they are creating bog standard designs or rehashing classics.