Household Staples
by Elena Sullivan

Keeping up with trends, Target offers Slider Storage Bags with write-on labels that compare to Ziploc Brand with Easy Zipper.

Paper is going green...foil remains traditional...plastic is a stretch... and containers are contenders.

One trend that many store brand retailers are following is replacing their storage and freezer bag closures with plastic zippers-called sliders, which keep products fresher, longer. Wegmans, Rochester, NY, offers slider freezer bags with write-on labels in quart and gallon sizes for. Kmart, Troy, MI, sells slider freezer bags under their American Fare line. Target Corp, Minneapolis, MN, stocks their gallon size slider storage bags for $1.15. Many other retailers are also stocking slider storage and freezer bags and because Ziplock and Glad both sell their slider bags at about $0.50 more, private label slider products stand a chance against national brands.

To stand out, some stores such as Duane Reade, New York, NY, offer storage and freezer bags with a color zipper. Duane Reade sells its freezer bags for $2.69 for a 20ct package. Wal-Mart, Bentonville, AR, sells a box 20ct gallon Freezer Bags with colored zippers for $1.07. Additionally, Price Chopper, Schenectady, NY, features Color Zip Freezer Bags for $1.99. Price Chopper also displays other freezer bags with a ribbon advertisement across the front stating that the bags have a snap & seal top with write-on labels. These bags cost $3.19 for a package of 40 quart size bags.

Paper Products Grow Green

As shoppers become more conscious about the environment, store brand retailers are putting eco-friendly products on their shelves. For instance, Publix, Lakeland, FL, features its Greenwise line of products. Greenwise paper products are made from 100% recycled material with at least 10% of the paper from post-consumer sources. Greenwise products include facial tissue, paper towels, paper napkins and bath tissue. A box of recycled Greenwise facial tissue is 99 cents.

Trader Joe’s, Monrovia, CA, also has its paper goods made form 100% recycled tissue, with 10% to 25% post-consumer. No chlorine bleach is used in the paper products. A 12-count of 2-ply 200 sheet rolls of bath tissue is $3.49.

In addition, Ingles, Asheville, NC, tries to be economical by offering a paper towel in Select-a-Size rolls. These 99 cents rolls enable consumers to choose what size paper towel is necessary for different needs, instead of using the same size for all spills, small or large.

Plastic Wrap Clings Tightly to its Roots

Wegmans’ Deep Dish Storage Containers are perfect for storing leftover--they are reusable and have measurement markings on the side. Dollar Tree’s mini storage containers can store snacks for the kids or leftover meals or sauces.

A product that should catalyst an influx of new and improved products is Glad’s Press’n Seal plastic wrap. Before this new phenomenon, retailers sold plastic wrap with a cling factor. For Example, ShopRite, Edison, NJ, features a Clear Plastic Wrap-Extra Cling, which is similar to Glad Cling Wrap.

Other retailers market their plastic wrap by saying that their product differentiates from the norm through added features. Wal-Mart, Bentonville, AR advertises a Stretchable Wrap, great for microwave ovens under their American Sam’s Choice line for $2.63. Hannaford also markets its plastic wrap by calling it Clear Plastic Wrap, while other retailers just call their products Plastic Wrap. This plastic wrap costs $1.79.

Another product that intends to stand out from the pact is pleated sandwich bags with fold lock tops. Target has a 250 count package of Pleated Sandwich Bags with a fold-in top for $2.14 while Rite-Aid, Scranton, PA, offers Pleated Sandwich Bags with a Fold Lock Top for $1.79 for a package of 150.

Containers Can Contend

Containers in different sizes and shapes have become a staple at supermarkets and drugstores. As a way to cut corners, containers are a great way to store leftovers, or carry lunch to work or school. Wegmans carries an assortment of containers including separate ones for soup and salad at $2.50 per pack. They also sell Deep Dish Storage Containers for $2.50. A bright yellow sign on the package calls out that the containers are reusable as well as dishwasher, microwave and freezer safe. Kmart comes out on top by offering several multi-packs of containers, including an eight-piece, a fourteen-piece and a twenty-four-piece set of air tight food containers, with the twenty-four piece priced at $9.99. The multi-packs compare to sets sold by Rubbermaid. Food Emporium, Montvale, NJ, has entrée containers for both salad and soup at $2.19 for a five count pack.

Geared towards food storage for our younger counterparts, Dollar Tree has several containers that are perfect for snacks for babies and toddlers. They also stock small containers with plastic straws. These containers come in packages of two and are an ideal size for taking on a car trip or to school. Price Chopper sells a 2 quart Foodsaver that is guaranteed to be unbreakable.

Bake and Take

As shopper’s lives become more hectic and full, they hardly have time to bake, let alone transfer a baked item to a plate--the way most people used to carry baked items to a location away from the house. Therefore, baking pans are available with plastic covers, so that baking no longer requires taking a plate to the party and having to remember to bring it home. Family Dollar, Charlotte, NC, has Cake Pans with covers retailing at $2.00 for a pack of two. Dollar Tree features a Roaster Baker Pan with a lid for $1.00.

While retailers are not producing many new types of foils and wraps, they are continuously trying to upgrade and improve their current models. However, one area that seems to be lagging in the development department is aluminum foil. As of now, it is evident that recently, new foil products have not been showing up on store shelves. Perhaps this declination is a result of people’s change in lifestyle. As Americans become busier they don’t have time to wait for an oven to heat up, so they resort to cooking in the microwave, which rejects foil products. Therefore, the need for new foil products is practically mute. Plastic wrap is a whole different story and manufacturers are frequently improving and introducing new plastic food storage items.

National Brands Step Up

Although the paper, plastic and wraps category has long been the dominant private label market share and sales leaders when compared to manufacturer brands, the latest study found that in terms of growth, the paper, plastic and wrap category was at 2 percent, compared to refrigerated foods at 9 percent. According to ACNielsen, the new popularity of refrigerated food confirms a steady trend in retailers’ private label strategies: the introduction of private label items into premium segments that go beyond the “low price, high volume” commodity-driven practices of years past.

In terms of the plastic, wraps and foil category, retailers don’t seem to be following suit in producing higher quality products. Many stores offer the traditional wax paper, plastic wrap and storage bags but are not upgrading their products to compete with national brands. Private label plastic, wraps and foil category never really had to work at staying above the national brand competition because there didn’t tend to be that much of a difference between such items as the a national brand plastic wrap and a store brand plastic wrap. However, one national brand is stepping up and producing innovative products that rise above ordinary plastic wrap, so private label retailers will be forced to retaliate by improving their plastic, wraps, and foil products.