Gone is the simple hardware store of yester-year, where a nail was a nail and a screw came in a few assorted sizes and lengths. Now, the general hardware store has been replaced by the home remodeling center that offers, among many other things, copper nails and two aisles dedicated exclusively to screws and bolts. At the home center, every type of tool imaginable is available for purchase. Tools may be purchased as single item, or they come as part of a signature series or professional series, for a higher price. People seem drawn to the words 'signature' or 'professional' and are willing to pay more for these products.

When did buying a hammer become such a difficult process? Gone are the days of making quick and simple decisions when purchasing a tool or household item. Today, one can observe people standing with a blank stare before rows of products, paralyzed by the overwhelming assortment of sizes, labels, designs and features. Choices are plentiful and decisions are difficult. There is a signature series for every brand and product on the market promising something better than the competition. This promise keeps expanding and growing on a daily basis leaving the consumer completely confused and unsure of what to choose.

Make no mistake consumers do want the opportunity to choose. However, the selections have become so numerous and the distinguishing characteristics so subtle, that it is difficult to make a decision when not well informed. Is there a true distinction between the house brand and the designer brand? Is the vacuum food sealer sold at the hardware store any different from the vacuum food sealer for sale at the retail store? Are the name brands that offer a signature series any better than the generic brands that offer a similar series? Not likely.

Competition has become so great in recent years that manufacturers cannot afford to produce products that do not compare in quality to those manufactured by the competitor. This is a benefit to the consumer who can feel at ease that the vacuum food sealer, or the hand held electric drill he or she is purchasing is most likely of equal quality to the others on the shelf. Differences in price might simply be due to an extra button or the range of colors or designs available and not much more than that. Often times, it is the name that adds to the price of a product.

While pondering the numerous brands on display, consumers need to keep in mind that the fancier label is not always the fancier product. Buyers need to compare the features. If they are comparable, then it is best to purchase the cheaper less attractively packaged brand. In the end, what the consumer is paying for is the cost to produce the label and not for the product itself. After all does a leather-bound, twelve-inch hammer hit a nail any other way than does the plain old wooden handle hammer once available in the hardware store of the past?