Want to shop like a pro? Buy generic

A new study from the University of Chicago and a university in the Netherlands asked who’s more likely to spend a little extra for name brands. The conclusion? Professionals don’t seem to care if what they’re using is generic.

“More informed consumers are less likely to pay extra to buy national brands,” the study says.

For example, pharmacists buy generic asprin 90 percent of the time.

The same’s true with salt and sugar. It turns out chefs like to go generic too; they devote 12 percent less of their purchases to national brands than demographically similar non-chefs.