I was thinking as I was putting ketchup on my brat for lunch, what companies basically have a strangle hold on a product like Heinz does with ketchup? Not that they are the only maker, but that there is almost no direct competition (outside store brands)?

Let's try and make a list...

Product - Company

ketchup - Heinz

EDIT - removed:
facial tissue - Kleenex
trash bags - glad

We disagree with Chris.

Good points. I will take those off. Can you think of some?

Band Aid is pretty solid, although there is a company that makes clear ones now ("Nex"-something).

Oil companies?

^except that there isn't one clear dominating company. I suppose we could expand the list to 2 or 3 companies with a stranglehold but that is a different question. You'd have Pepsi/coke on that list.

Hunts sells a lot of Ketchup, especially away from retail.

Maybe you could change the list to products that have become synonymous with one company.

Then you could include things like Kleenex, Xerox, Kool-Aid, and Band-Aids as people actually call those things by the company's name. Otherwise, I think we aren't going to have much of a list.

true, except that what do you call Kool-Aid otherwise? Flavored sugar water? I've never heard people call Crystal Light by Kool-Aid or anything.

Poll added.

http://www.jelsert.com/images/products/main_flavoraid.jpg

The fact that you've never heard of the category outside of its biggest brand kind of cements it's place.

LOL@poll. This place is great.

Great poll. I voted for every choice.