Wholesale Clubs

**perSue** · 01-09-2008, 12:15 PM

I'm not sure if this goes here or not... but *I* think it's frugal...

How many here use wholesale clubs (cost co's, Sam's, etc.)?

Granted, unit pricing can be tons better... but do you think it's good for ALL your shopping needs?

Just thought I'd ask!

**C@rol** · 01-09-2008, 12:37 PM

I am a Costco shopper and love it.
But just like any other shopping, you
must be in control.

When we first join about 5 or more years
ago we were terrible. It would be nothing
to walk out of there spending $300.
Just plain ridiculous.

Now I know exactly which items I need
from there, where to find them, I make
a list, get exactly what I need and go.

Most times now I only need to go there
maybe once or twice a month. And for
us it does save because we mostly buy
our meats, frozen vegetables and fruit
there. We break down the meat into
meal size packages, frozen veggies,
last a long time because of the size
and the produce is very good quality.

**nodmicks** · 01-09-2008, 12:53 PM

We have Sams Club 40 min away. I found it wasn't worth continuing the membership fee for us. I'm not a name brand shopper and found the store sales at the grocery or Walmart were a better price. However when we got the member ship it saved us well over $1300 the first visit.
We were buying laminate flooring and their price beat the flooring guy by $1 a square foot! Since we did 1400 square feet of floor we saved a bundle.

**acidcookie** · 01-09-2008, 01:09 PM

We only have Sam's Club here. At first I would be lured in by big packaging, but then would start to realize for many items buying a normal large size of generic was still a better deal than bulk in name brand. My BF's membership expired and so now I can't go, but there were still some things that were good deals. Though maybe not enough for the membership cost.

**pinetree** · 01-09-2008, 01:26 PM

We use Sams, mostly for milk, eggs, sour cream, cheese, fruit.

Sometimes you can buy it cheaper somewhere else, so you have to know your prices.

You really have to watch what you are doing. You can end up spending alot of money. It does save us alot of money.

**Ceashels** · 01-09-2008, 03:39 PM

I do most of my grocery shopping at BJ's Wholesale. They have the lowest price on milk, sugar, splenda, flour, cheese, eggs, pork loin, whole chicken and hams. Of the produce that we buy, BJ's is a little better or comperable to my other store choices.

We rarely buy premade foods these days, and that is where we tend to spend more money than needed.

**Neeley** · 01-09-2008, 05:25 PM

We buy certain items every week from Sam's. They have the best price on bananas, tomato sauce, dog food, dog biscuits, boneless/skinless chicken breast, shrimp, fish, sweet & salty bars, laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent and many other things we regularly use.

We get our tires every year from there for the car and truck.

We got DS's xBox360 with lots of extras (like wireless controller, carry bag, pug & play, couple of games, etc...) for $400. Much cheaper than if we had bought the exact same things at an electronics store.

Pillows are another thing. We get new pillows every couple of months and they have great prices on them.

Buying our bottled water alone there makes it worth it for us. We use three cases (32 count packs) a week. Each case is $1.25 cheaper at Sam's than anywhere else.

There are some things that are a bit more there. But like others have said, you just need to know your prices.

**Luv2BeFrugal** · 01-10-2008, 03:52 AM

Originally Posted by C@rol

I am a Costco shopper and love it.
But just like any other shopping, you
must be in control.

When we first join about 5 or more years
ago we were terrible. It would be nothing
to walk out of there spending $300.
Just plain ridiculous.

Now I know exactly which items I need
from there, where to find them, I make
a list, get exactly what I need and go.

Most times now I only need to go there
maybe once or twice a month. And for
us it does save because we mostly buy
our meats, frozen vegetables and fruit
there. We break down the meat into
meal size packages, frozen veggies,
last a long time because of the size
and the produce is very good quality.

This sounds almost exactly like us... We get our frozen veggies, cheese, some fresh veggies, bananas, sugar, tortillas, eggs, etc. there. MUCH cheaper than our 2 local grocery stores. Worth the membership in the long run. We usually do really well sticking to our list and getting in and out quickly.

**Darlene** · 01-10-2008, 08:36 AM

We have Bj's Wholesale club here & like shopping there for cheese, coffee, yeast, meat, pierogies, tortelini... all kinds of things. It pays to know your prices so you can spot a good deal.

**justpeachy92** · 01-10-2008, 08:50 AM

I currently use Sams for milk and meat. The milk is generally $1 less a gallon there compared to prices at other stores. As for meat I like the convience of buying it in bulk, and knowing what the price is. For me that works out better then watching for great deals on meat at other stores.
We now have a costco that is just as close to us as Sams club. I have thought about checking out the prices there. I know the membership is more than Sams, but if prices are about the same I think I might like to switch when my membership at Sams runs out, only reason being is to step even farther away from shopping at a store affliated with walmart. Does anyone know if Costco does a one day guest membership?

**lwlynch** · 01-10-2008, 01:45 PM

I like Sams, but you have to watch the prices, cause sometimes it is a lot more than regular stores. I like the produce though.

**sdrjeolsen** · 01-10-2008, 01:53 PM

We have a Sam's club membership, but usually only use it for big ticket items -we bought new tires for the truck there. I find the lines terrible and I can often get things on sale paired with a coupon for cheaper at the local grocery. I will say though, I did a big shop there this fall and spent aobut 150 on groceries, 50 lbs of popcorn is way cheaper, bulk flour, milk, butter, etc.

**cheles2kids** · 01-11-2008, 05:14 PM

I do.
I use Costco for dog food, dog beds, microfiber cloths (the ones in their automotive department can't be beat and I use them for cleaning almost everything), and I sometimes splurge on their deli homemade chicken noodle soup.

I use BJ's for all of my personal care items: toilet paper, paper towels, kitty litter, shaving gel, deoderant.
I also like their organic milk better than Costco, cheese, pastas, pasta sauce and certain spices.

I will say that I've noticed a HUGE difference in shopping between the two.
The shoppers at Costco are not nearly as patient or nice as when I shop at BJ's.

We'll be moving next month and I'm gonna miss my BJ's something terrible.

Michelle