Wednesday, August 18, 2010
All Generics Are Not Created Equal
I was in a rush yesterday to grab some last minute nasal spray for one of my kids as they went off on their vacation with Grandma. I was closer to Safeway, which I hardly ever shop at, so I decided to stop in there to get it. I always buy the generic version because early on I learned that when you compare ingredients, generic has the same darn thing. The only thing missing is the brand name. I finally found it and looked at the price, expecting to pay the $1.78 that I find it at Win-co, and HOLY MOLY that same exact generic nasal spray at Safeway was $4.99. I had never compared generic prices before. I was always under the assumption that generic was cheapest wherever I went but let me just tell ya, shop around for your generics just like you would for your brand names. As I started to compare their other generic prices with the prices I find in my other stores I was floored. So remember that generics are not a blanket statement for "cheap".
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4 comments:
Just as an fyi when it comes to medications, generic is not always created equal. Now most of the time it might be fine, but it isn't so much the ingredients that make it different, but the carrier and that can sometimes effect how good the medication works. My dad is a pharmacist.
Great post and reminder! I've found the same is true at even WM--gasp! :) but, I have to tell you that safeway is where I find a lot of great meat specials. Ours has a clearance section for their meat, their dairy and their prepared meats (ie. bacon, sausage, etc.). We don't have "cheap" stores in our valley (Denver, being over 2 hours away is the closest), and even WM can be expensive, so this is a way I've found to get more bang out of our buck for meat and dairy!
Safeway most definitely has higher prices - for brand items and generic. It's the last store I'll just drop in to pick something up when I need it. I only shop their sales AND their sales on meat are really great. The variety and quality is by far the best in my neighborhood. I love when I can find good buys in their clearance meat section. That's how I buy sandwich meat for .45-.99 a pack.
That happened to me the other night. My son put my generic Nyquil from Target away, and couldn't remember where he put it. So while at Safeway, I grabbed their brand and got sticker shock!! Maybe it is just Safeway!! Not buying medications there anymore!
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