Consumers were already trying more store brands, or private label products, before the crisis. Walmart WMT Target TGT Kroger KR Chains likeand others have been expanding their private-label brands in recent years. Customers rushed to buy off-brand toilet paper at a Target store in Orlando, Florida, during the panic shopping. The crisis is eroding customers' loyalty to big brands and spurring them to give other items, including the cheaper private brands, a second look, Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen told analysts last month. "If you look at toilet paper, people really don't complain about what brand it is; all they're looking for is toilet paper," he said.

Source: CNN May 12, 2020 19:18 UTC