Report: P&G pulls Tide Basic out of test markets

CINCINNATI Nearly one year after it debuted in test markets, it seems that Procter & Gamble is pulling the plug on Tide Basic until further notice.

P&G was testing the Tide product -- which costs 20% less than its predecessor -- in small markets as a way to keep budget-strapped customers from defecting to store brands and other cheaper competitors during the recession, the Associated Press reported. Tide Basic was one of several product innovations that P&G developed for such reasons.