Private Party
Up & Up tall kitchen bags from Target are offered as a competitive product or as an innovative one, with the option of drawstring flex with odor neutralizer or drawstring flex fit.
Private Label products help create affordable parties with easy clean up.
Throwing a party may seem daunting while trying to save money, but store brands make it easier for consumers to still host amazing get-togethers on limited budgets. No matter what the occasion, Dollar Tree, Chesapeake, VA, has everything consumers need for a successful bash and with Dollar Tree Direct, preparing for a party can be done online. At www.dollartree.com shoppers can purchase large quantities of items online and shipping is free when they have it delivered to a Dollar Tree store for pick-up.
Items like 48-count bags of white, pink, blue, or red Plastic Utensils for $48.00 (48 units) or eight-packs of red, white, purple, black, blue, or yellow Plastic Party Plates for $24.00 (24 units) can be delivered. Shoppers in the store can pick up disposable dishware items with “new plastic,” such as 10 Royal Blue bowls or 12 luncheon plates for a dollar.
A selection of paper disposables come in theme designs, such as the Baby Safari Party plates with cute animal cartoons and a green and white ginger gram backdrop, Sports Party cups with sporty illustrations, and Birthday Jubilee Party napkins adorned with bright colors and birthday balloons and accessories. Foil Entrée Platters are perfect to serve food on and come as a set of two or as one larger platter with a pattern imprinted on them. Six-packs of plastic wine or champagne glasses are “great for catering, parties and special occasions.”
Dollar General, Goodlettsville, TN, also carries a variety of disposables for parties and on a recent visit, Private Label saw a bright yellow hang tag over the 100-count napkins promoting the store brand over the Vanity Fair brand. The tag read “switch and save” with the national brand price of $2.25 next to the DG Everyday price of $1.75.
DG Everyday Plastic Cutlery is heavy weight, full-sized, clear plastic with a texture on the handles that says it compares to Diamond Cutlery. The 30 assorted pieces retail at $2.00, while the smaller, white plastic DG Value brand cutlery is priced at just a dollar for 48 pieces. In addition to napkins and cutlery, Dollar General sells store brand microwave-safe paper plates, foam cups, plastic cups, an assortment of containers and more.
Pack It
Party throwers always need to have containers on hand for storing extra food and to send leftovers home with happy guests. For this need Loblaw Companies, Toronto, ON, sells seven small square containers with blue lids under its no name brand or “sans nom” brand, as written in French. With illustrations of a microwave, refrigerator and dishwasher for use, the containers also include photos to illustrate storage uses of the containers for food, odds and ends and gift giving.
The Kroger Co., Cincinnati, OH, Value brand Multipurpose Containers & Lids employ the white design trend. The paperboard background is simply white and printed with red and blue type. Four large containers with blue lids come in a pack and are dishwasher, microwave and freezer safe. The more innovative Twist & Store Containers from Kroger feature illustrations on the package that show the item can “Go from: freezer to microwave to dishwasher,” with a picture of each. The three-pack of containers have finger grips for easy opening and closing, marks for measuring, and textured sides for easy handling.
Ahold USA, Quincy, MA, sells Seal & Lock containers & lids at Stop & Shop in green or red plastic for a more festive appeal. The pack of three deep-dish Seal & Lock containers seemed to compare to the Gladware pack, but on this shelf there was no Gladware comparison for the 3 large entrée Seal & Lock containers. Stop & Shop brand also sold the typical clear plastic with blue lid containers in addition to the colored and offered snack size, soup & salad size and regular entrée size.
Aldi, Batavia, IL, sells storage solutions under its Kwik ‘n Fresh line. The line includes storage bags, freezer bags, plastic bags and containers with lids. The pack of five soup & salad containers with lids come in clear plastic and have milliliter and ounce measurements with ridges on the side. The double quality guarantee on the pack says Aldi will replace the product and refund consumers money if they are dissatisfied.
Dollar Tree also sells store brand Sure Fresh containers with an innovative feature. The reusable containers come in round, rectangular or square shapes and feature a snap seal lid, which consists of four heavy duty snaps on the lid that secure it to the base. The snaps ensure that even if the container was dropped it’s unlikely the food would spill out.
Trash It
At the end of every party disposable tableware needs to be disposed of and there’s no lack of trash bags that can get the job done.
Smart & Final, Commerce, CA, has new packaging on its First Street brand items. The new packaging has a blue and white background and the logo now contains the name “First Street” in a large black diamond. For large events, shoppers can pick up a pack of 100 First Street 33-Gallon Blue Trash Bags, advertised in their circular for $15.99 with a store card.
Target, Minneapolis, MN, carries two varieties of tall kitchen bags with drawstring flex to prevent ripping of stuffed bags. The Up & Up brand drawstring flex with odor neutralizer bags compare themselves to Glad Forceflex with Odor Shied. The Up & Up brand with “Strectch-tastic plastic” retails at $5.64, while the Glad bags cost $6.69. Target also sells trademarked Up & Up Drawstring Flex Fit bags with a “new expandable drawstring,” which there was no national brand competition for at the Target that Private Label visited. The image on the box shows hands pulling the top of the bag over the trashcan sides to demonstrate the stretch.
A reviewer on www.target.com said of the Up & Up 13-Gallon Tall Kitchen Bag with Drawstring, “I have always purchased “off brand” trash bags, as well as things like zipper bags, plastic wrap etc., and pretty much expect the item to be OK, but not as good as a name brand. With Target, (and Up and Up, Archer Farm, Market Pantry) I find very little difference, except of course the price.”
Another reviewer of the bags made the perfect point: “Why spend a bunch of money on something that you are throwing away...These work the same as the national brand!"
