Is Costco's Kirkland Signature brand really just repackaged brand name products?
This is something I hear quite a bit - not just about Costco products - but about store brand products in general. Many people are mistakenly under the assumption that stores like Kroger/Costco/Etc are buying brand name products and just relabeling them. I can’t say with certainty that this is FALSE across the board, but it is certainly false in most cases (and definitely the ones that matter). Brands like Proctor and Gamble, Callaway, Nike, Lulu Lemon, etc spend TONS of money on branding, tons of money on product development and consumer research, and tons of money on marketing. They typically have MUCH higher quality control standards as well. So they’re not inclined to give all this away to their competitor and allow them to sell it for LESS!Just because something comes in a similar package, and has similar labeling doesn’t mean its the same product. The type of company that would blatantly rip off a leading brand’s designs and product in order to undercut their prices, aren’t going out of their way for great quality control - and this is probably where the biggest disparities occur. When you’re dealing with a second or third tier store brand their concern about protecting their brand name isn’t nearly as great, so they start to cut corners. Even products that have ingredients that read the exact same, can be wildly different.There are reasons why people pay more for premium brands, and only part of that reason is the brand recognition and the cachet factor, the other half of the equation is that its a superior product, made of higher quality materials, and lasts longer.Back to the Kirkland golf balls. Rick Shiels, a PGA pro from Europe did a side by side comparison against Callaway’s Chrome Soft premium ball. In general the Kirkland performed admirably, but its outer shell did not hold up to the same extent as the premium brand golf ball. So, I’d cite that as evidence right there that these are NOT Titleist or Callaway balls with different branding. They’re good golf balls, sure, but they’re not of the same quality. For most golfers that probably doesn’t matter, but don’t let yourself be fooled into thinking you’re getting the exact same product for less.