Are you a brand victim?

[Board Game Geek]

You seriously mean to say you took two months to 'research' a replacement television?

Absolutely. For me, it's part of the enjoyment of choosing to buy a major item, and part of the decision making process.

Obviously for minor items, I would spend considerably less time.

Eg, a couple of evenings researching espresso machines.

Clothes is different, since most of what I wear is not available in the high street, and I have to spend a lot of time searching specialist sites, usually overseas.

[bogeyman]

Absolutely. For me, it's part of the enjoyment of choosing to buy a major item, and part of the decision making process.

Obviously for minor items, I would spend considerably less time.

Eg, a couple of evenings researching espresso machines.

Clothes is different, since most of what I wear is not available in the high street, and I have to spend a lot of time searching specialist sites, usually overseas.

I suppose it depends on what's important to you.

TVs aren't very important to me. Within price bracket, I'm sure all TV from mainstream manufacturers are pretty similar - or there is so little differential I couldn't care (I hate Sony though - overpriced, underperforming junk).

I like photography, so when choosing my first digital system when moving away from film, I probably spent more than two months, off and on, researching. I think I made the right choice, and have never looked back on that decision.

[jmo21]

I'm a bit of both, and was certainly more brand conscious when I was younger.

These days, it's all supermarket brands, and asda George for some things.

However, I own a nice flashy brand name motor, and will buy more expensive clothes if I feel like it.

[Bagpuss]

I go for Brands if I have experience of them being good/worth the extra as a result of quality components or superior design for my budget.

If the Brand is just a restyling of the same thing then I'd probably go for the same product with the 'cheaper badge'.

Get what you pay for is bollocks, one of the fundamentals of Capitalism is the selling the of same product to different markets at different prices (Market differentiation), usually achieved by marketing, packaging or other gimmicks. The market that pays the most gets no tangible added value.