Autism and brand loyalty

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Arguing would be saying you are wrong, I just tried to clarify what I see as a difference. So, if you want to see that as argument, then have at it.

I have mixed brand loyalty. For me things tend to get tossed into one of two buckets in my head:

A.) Things I know: These are things that match my internal representation.
B.) Things I don't know: These are things for which I don't have a trusted internal representation.

If I become accustomed to a thing & it doesn't change over time, I don't have to think about it. I can count on it matching my internal representation of it. I'll know it's taste, feel, shape, features, shortcomings, and so on. It is a part of me, in a very minor way. When I move through the world, I have enough trouble with sensory issues and social issues that the environment usually seems mildly threatening. Things that I know, that are a minor part of me that way are "safe" and help anchor me so I can deal with the rest.

Not particularly. I can only wear one brand of jeans because they're the only ones that fit my proportions, and I only trust a few brands of pet products because I am an overly cautious pet parent, but for everything else I don't care too much about brand.

I definitely have loyalties to specific brands. I only will wear certain brands of clothes and shoes and I always buy the same kinds of shampoo, toothpaste, and other items like that.

Just look how much stuff Nestlé have a hand in for starters, shampoo, t-shirts and fish food floating around the choco goodies, doesn't matter what names or little images or colour schemes we prefer, we're all loyal to a handful of companies that pump out reams of products under their banner in different disguises anyway.

Pretty much this. I buy products that I feel safe with and that I know will not mess with any sensory issues. So:
Toothpaste: Macleans (I've used it for decades!)
Deodorant: Old Spice (it has to be the stick and never antiperspirant)
Soap: Cussons Imperial Leather (not too stinky)

The same with certain food products (spice mixes and sauces - although I usually make my own). Clothes - as long as they don't constrict my neck, have the seam in the wrong place or are all glittery and shiny, I'm ok with pretty much any brand. I don't care about electrical products etc. as they don't mess with my sensory issues. I hoping to buy a new 55-60" 4K TV this xmas and don't care about the brand as long as it has a good picture and does what I want it to do.

I have brand disloyalty. I absolutely hate Apple!

Yes in some items where it matters to me, and no for other things.

I've established for myself which things I like the best or which work the best for me, and which things I don't like as much, and I am loyal to those brands and types that work best for me, usually with a cross-reference to the price also being right for me.

There are other items for which it's not as important to me which one I get. If there's no Coke, I'll take a Pepsi and it doesn't matter to me. But if there's no Heinz Seriously Good Mayonnaise I won't take Tesco, which tastes like bloody lard.

I do this too. Part of it is that I have a really terrible sense of direction, so learning one route is hard for me, never mind two. But I know of three different ways to get to work, and even though the one my co-worker taught me a few months ago is faster with less traffic, I still can't bring myself to take it, because it's not how I started out.

As for brand loyalty, I stick to familiar brands like Coke, Pepsi, General Mills, etc. because for reasons I can't identify, off-brand or differently branded items make me anxious and uncomfortable, like I'm stepping into an unfamiliar realm. It sounds stupid, because the Great Value Cinnamon Swirls are the exact same cereal as the General Mills Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but cheaper, and yet I can't bring myself to buy off-brand, because the unfamiliar packaging makes me uneasy. Only in the land of aspies does that make sense!

Interesting topic. I'm that way about clothes. Has to be Hanes socks and underwear. Wrangler cargo pants. Russel or Starter hoodies. Shirts I'm less picky about, but I prefer Henley type. Shoes have to be New Balance.

It's all about comfort and sameness.

Have you tried Mr Pibb?

I stick with the best bargain I can find. when those go out of production, I am generally torqued about it for a while, until I find a new best bargain that I will stick with until it goes out of production. I still miss dorell cheese [basically it was the same kind of cheese as laughing cow but in a bucket].

To me it has more to do with the philosophy behind the brand which to me is value for money...I used to buy only classic oral b toothbrush...when they stop producing that toothbrush to give way for more gimmicky and expensive toothbrushes I feel betrayed and stopped buying anything oral b...