Wholesale club shopping a savings?

[Kathy]

I shop at Sam's club and there is also Costco near by. I find that in most cases, the shopping does help for saving on the grocery bill but in some cases its really not much of a savings as much as a convenience. If you can stock up in one shopping trip you save on other trips to the store later in the month. The problem is that many things expire before we can eat it up!

I'm not sure this is really a grocery savings.

Anyone have any experience wholesale club shopping as a means to save money?

[YellowRoseTex]

I have found if you don't have a large family, the wholesale clubs really aren't that much of a savings for food items. I will never forget the time I bought a 12 pack of macaroni and cheese because it was a good buy. We still had some in the cupboard a year later.

I like the warehouse clubs for the non perishable stuff. We found a great buy on batteries there a few weeks ago. Dh goes thru alot of double AAs with his camera. I think it was $10 for a pack of 48 Everready batteries.

[QuiltAngel]

When we had three growing kids at home, it was worth it. These days, we find it is not worth it so let our membership go. The price on batteries was great. Even film. We also saved on laundry and dishwashing soap, trash bags, cereal, mac and cheese, tuna, razors and toothbrush heads.

Since we are now a smaller family, I can buy the large items at the store now and they last. I am not very close to the stores now either which is also a factor.

[Sib2of11]

You really have to know your prices when you shop at a wholesale club. Quite often you can find similar items at lower prices at your regular supermarket. A good example is the bottled water I buy. I usually buy it at BJ's Wholsale for $5.99 for 30 half liter bottles. That averages out to approx. 20cents per bottle. At the market I work in, the same brand was selling last week for $3.99 for 24 bottles, or 12 1/2 cents per half liter bottle. This week, the supermarket price is back up to $7.99.

Like Kim, I also use my wholesale club mainly for non-food items. I get a 700 minute phone card (MCI) for $19.99 which is cheaper than any long distance carrier can provide. I do buy my coffee there. I can get a 52 oz. container of Folgers ground coffee for only $7.49. (That makes a LOT of coffee.)

The money I save on coffee and long distance phone calls makes it worth my while to keep my membership up to date.

[MalteseJane]

I don't believe in paying money to go shopping. That's ONE reason I don't go to Sam's Club or Costco. The second reason is that I don't use the majority of the brands they are selling. Third, my closets are not big enough to store in big quantities. Some items are not even cheaper then in other stores. My favorites stores for groceries are Whole Foods Market and Central Market (HEB).

[Ms Big Butt]

We found a great buy on batteries there a few weeks ago. Dh goes thru alot of double AAs with his camera. I think it was $10 for a pack of 48 Everready batteries.

Kim, you should get a recharger, and the batteries to match... I have two sets of batteries, and just swap them out all the time. That's REALLY cost effective :bliss:

[YellowRoseTex]

Kim, you should get a recharger, and the batteries to match... I have two sets of batteries, and just swap them out all the time. That's REALLY cost effective :bliss:

Tried that. :D Dh never recharged the batteries. :stomp: I'm willing to try again though. :bliss:

[crunchies0313]

My parent's have a Sam's membership. Mostly it helps when out whole family gets together!! I agree with Sib2... knowing prices ahead of time, AND think about the usage of the product.. sometimes you just waste more money!!

[AgingGracefully]

I had a Sam's membership for a number of years, but have let it go. It was nice when the kids were home, but now that it is just me it isn't worth it. I like Super Walmart for groceries.
Kathy

[jcme]

Being single, Sam's Club and Costco never seemed like a bargain to me. Now I am a die-hard Costco member.

Depending on what you buy and how you shop, warehouse clubs can be a good deal. There are a few things I regularly purchase that Costco has the best prices on. The amount of money I saved on those items covered the cost of the membership in about 2 months.

[Kate]

Being a single-mingle like myself, it's cheaper for me to head to Wally World. I can save on things like bottle water and Starbucks drinks from Sams, but the rest would just pile up in my tiny place. But I do save a TON on bottled water and Starbucks from there. When I have more people to shop and cook for, I know it will save me some $$$.

[batgirl9923]

We do not have any children, so it is just the two of us. It doesn't make sense for us to buy at a wholesale club, such as Sams or Costco. If we had a large family and needed to buy things in bulk, I definitely would utilize one of those places. I think they are great for large families and can save people a lot of money, especially for food items.

[loujill]

Well, I guess I have a "big enough" family :) We shop at Cosco every week. I have 3 boys (8, 13, 16) and they go through 4 gallons of milk each week and lots of meat.

We even upgraded to the executive membership where you earn back 2% and we have always made at least $50+ dollars over our initial outlay. I think if you use them right the warehouse stores are great but an educated shopper is always the best shopper.

[donna6171]

I've always shopped at Sam's, even before 2 of my 4 children moved out. We still buy paper products, can goods, coffee, sugar, and some other items there. I tend to watch the sale papers to see who has groceries on sale. Winn Dixie had buy 1 roast and get one free the other day, so I bought 2 and got 2 free. We don't mind paying for the membership at Sams, but as someone else said before, you have to know the prices.

[billsmrs]

We shop at Sam's but mainly because we buy some things for the store there that we need such as bags, folders, etc that are alot cheaper in bulk than they are in small quantities.

As far as food goes...well, some things are cheaper there but you have to know what you are buying or else you can end up paying more. Sometimes we buy large quantities of certain items and split them with my parents if it something that is a really good deal but we don't really need it all.

[triplej2676]

i love sams! i wear disposable contacts and no one can touch their price. i split a membership with my sister and that makes it less expensive, too. i have covered my membership fee with the contacts savings hands down. they have great deals on many things i buy, but some things are totally not worth buying there. if i had to pay full price for a membership, i might think twice about it.