Batteries and the power of a brand name

A trip through the grocery store is all you need to see how products that are identical or nearly identical can be sold for such different prices, all because of the brand name. Sometimes it's not much of a savings, and other times it can be several dollars. And no where (as I found out today) is this so evident than in the batteries section!

Blinking, singing toys, along with poopy diapers, runny noses, and fevers, are the stuff our kids' childhoods are made of. Parents pretty much know they need a hefty stock of batteries to keep those toys going (and thus our children's world turning). Fisher Price would go out of business without batteries!

So, I expected to pay a good bit for batteries when I went to Kroger this afternoon on a mission to resurrect my son's half house. Then I looked at the Kroger brand batteries...they were almost half the cost of the brand name Energizer or Duracell. Can I tell you how happy I was?? Now, I admit there are some things that I'm willing to pay the brand name price for because I either taste a difference or see a difference in the longevity of the product. Though I rarely buy them, Honey Nut Cheerios and Chips Ahoy Chocolate Chip Cookies are a few of the things that I won't substitute the generic brand for. But I've never really considered batteries before....so, I'm conducting an experiment. I went ahead and bought the Kroger brand batteries at about half the cost, and we'll see how long they last. Hopefully there won't be much of a difference and I (and other parents) can save a lot of money.

Anybody else have any money saving ideas?