To buy at the warehouse store or not..

[cheriede]

What are things that you purchase at the warehouse stores (Sam's, Costco, etc.) because it is cheaper to get them there? Also, what are things that you absolutely steer clear of because the price per oz is cheaper somewhere else?

[bumplett]

I didn't renew my Sam's card this year. I don't think it's really worth it at all.

I think I can do better with generic brands, or sale items than to buy anything in bulk at Sam's.

JMHO.

[cheles2kids]

Cheriede, I was just talking about this, on Saturday, with my husband.
We no longer have a Costco close by, but what we used to buy there were more non-food items, I did like being able to buy dog food, dog beds, garbage bags, liquid hand soap and toilet paper in bulk.
I shopped at my local military commissary for most food related stuff.
We also had a BJ's card, but used this mostly for gas, which *did* usually save us a significant amount each month and it was also about 4 miles from our home.

But now that we're not really close to any of the warehouse type stores, except for a Sam's Club (which is still about a 45 min. drive away) we were contemplating whether or not it would be worth buying a membership.
I don't think so.
The reason I say this, is that most of the items that we would buy, I can find a MUCH better deal on them at my local SAL store and for a significant savings.
I can still also buy most products in "bulk", at my local SAL, all I have to do is go in and pick up a case of this or that.
OR if needed, I can only pick up one of an item, unlike a warehouse type store.
Now, of course we're not talking about name brand items on anything you buy at SAL, unlike a warehouse club, where about 85% of what they carry *is* only name brands.

That, in of itself, would be enough for alot of people not to want to shop there, they just don't want/buy store brand items.
For me, it's totally not a problem.
I would rather buy a store brand item and not even have to worry about coupons or loss leaders.
Most people here wouldn't agree with me on that, but that's okay, I like a simplier more "keep it simple sweetie" approaches to shopping.
Finding a good quality store brand item, at the same exact store, week after week and ALWAYS getting it at about 1/4-1/3 the amount of a name brand item just seems so much simplier to me.

I also realized that buying "bulk" type things like vitamins, face cream, etc. wasn't really saving me any money when they would expire before I could use up the entire container.
I can go to my local DG and pick up a much smaller container, that I know will be used up entirely, for a fraction of the price.

I did want to add that there is a lady in the office at my husband's work that makes a monthly trip to Sam's Club, and I am considering having her pick up a large box of garbage bags and a large jug of liquid handsoap when she goes.
Those items won't go bad and we will save money on those, as long as we go with the Sam's club brand.

But overall, I don't think we will renew our membership. We haven't completely decided, but I think with the extra driving/gas, and the minut amount that we would save, along with only the couple of items we would buy on a regular basis, just wouldn't be worth it to us.

So sorry for the ramble.

That's just my two cents though, I'm sure you'll have a general consensus that would say, that they DO save money at a warehouse store on several different items-it wasn't that long ago that I felt the same way.

[Buc-O-Mama]

My Costco no longer carries yeast. Its kindof far which is making me rethink our membership in the future. Tortilla chips are about the only thing these days that I save any money on there. They seem to have narrowed their selection ( for example only bleached all purpose flour, I use unbleached) and it might not make much sense to shop there anymore for me. I miss living near a BJs where they take all manufacturers coupons.

That being said, if I was making a trip to Costco anytime soon these are the things I might purchase if the price was right:

milk
canned corn
cat litter
naan
tortilla chips
fresh berries

[lisettelovebug]

We wouldn't have a sam's card, except my sister works there and she put us on her card. We get a few things there but not enough to justify $40. I'm going to start buying yeast there. WE buy bottled water, juice boxes, yogurts, diced tomatoes, and ground beef. A lot of the frozen stuff I can get at the grocery store cheaper and with a coupon.

[pinetree]

Our sams isn't up until Dec. but we are thinking about giving it up also.

We have found lately that you can get it just as cheap at walmart or a local store.

The only thing we buy there now is milk, sour cream, eggs and fancy feast cat food. I'm not sure if its worth paying the membership for that.

[mom2bobsarah]

I am not sure, maybe it is because of where we live but I do find a lot of savings at BJ's. I get good deals on meat and cleaning products such as dishwasher soap and sponges, that sort of thing. Bread is usually a good deal as are things like razor blades and baby products. I think it depends on your family's needs. We have 2 little ones and one on the way so buying in bulk works for us. Also, there are certain name brand items (like bread) that I am particular about that I can get cheaper there then at the grocery stores in our area. I am not a name brand junkie but there are certain things that I do not like to deviate from no matter how cheap they are. I do not think they have good deals on things like produce or paper products. I think the prices for their pet peoducts is about the same as the grocery but I can buy it in bigger bags and save myself trips. My local grocery only has small bags of cat food and I get tired of buying one a week when I can get a jumbo bag that lasts me a month or more. We are getting a Costco this summer so I will be interested in checking their prices as we have never had one even remotely near us.

[jones10021]

I used to save a lot of money at Costco. But after I moved, I no longer have on in my vicinity to make the drive worth it.

[brainyblonde]

I save enough in what I buy to make membership worthwhile. I buy all of my dairy items, a lot of produce, fresh ground beef for less than grocery store prices.

[Frugal-Nana]

Our Sam's is 45 miles from our home but we travel to this town 2 a month so we stop in when we go. We pick up things for severeal members of our family and they chip in on the membership cost so we only pay $5.00 a year. It works out great for all of us.
This is the list of items we buy:
Yeast
Macaroni
Spagetti
Ketchup
Pork Loin
Asparagas
Fabric Softner
Light Bulbs
Dish washer soap


We only have 2 store in our town and NO coupons in the paper or double coupons so these items are cheaper for us to buy at sam's

Sandie

[Telephus44]

We find that for what we buy, the price of a BJ's membership is worth is. There are lots of things that are cheaper elsewhere, but my biggest beef with "warehouse" stores is the selection - you can only find one type of jelly, or only three varieties of a certain soup, or whatever.

We buy at BJ's:
*Diapers (BJ's generic brand - work just as well and a LOT cheaper)
*Wipes
*We did buy formula when we were using it, although DS has outgrown it
*Bread (Whole Wheat is $3.39 for two loaves)
*Frozen veggies - their organic store brand (can't remember what it's called - maybe Earth's Pride?) is cheaper than most regular frozen veggies, and we're trying to eat more organics.
*Shredded Parmesan Cheese - they have the absolutely best, most flavorful kind that is great on pasta or baked potatoes
*English Muffins
*Ground Turkey
*Powdered brown gravy mix

[Lambie]

We buy a number of things there:
Garbage bags, plastic wrap, concentrated dishsoap, dog food, bread flour 25 lbs, yeast, spices, large appliances for the rentals (super deals) video games for dd, fresh produce, parmesan cheese, tylenol/ibuprophin double packs, vitamins, this computer hehe, I'm sure there is more...you just have to know your prices and buy accordingly of course!! Just for the appliances, it more than pays for the membership for us. Katy

[checkerkitty]

I don't think I'll be renewing my Sam's membership this year. I had been buying toilet paper, paper towels, dog food, cat litter, trash bags, diapers, spices, milk, frozen veggies, beef, pork, and cheese there. As prices have shifted over the past 3 years they have moved more toward regular grocery store prices. For example, a 5 pound block of cheese used to be around $7.50. Now it's around 13.50, around 2.50 a pound. If I get a good sale, I can get close to that price and I've cut back on our cheese consumption dramatically anyway, too much sat fat. I can get diapers and other paper goods as well as pet food for the same cost or less at other stores. I can get chicken or ground turkey for the same price or less. I really don't need to load up on pork and beef anyway (talk about an increased risk of colon cancer!) So after June, no more Sams Club.

Christy

[pecunierrant]

We use the executive membership which gives you back 2% on all purchases so that way more then covers the cost of membership. I find we save on the basics like cereals, flour, sliced sandwich ham, milk, etc but steer clear of the paper towels and things like paper plates which tend to be cheaper on sale elsewhere. They are a ways away from me so we only go 2 x a month and stock up.

It really depends on your area, it has worked out for us so far.

[acidcookie]

I didn't renew my Sam's card this year. I don't think it's really worth it at all.

I think I can do better with generic brands, or sale items than to buy anything in bulk at Sam's.

JMHO.

Ditto. My fiance had a business account and I'd always be excited to go and "save" and realized item by item it wasn't worth it. I'd walk out with just one thing maybe. Generic store brands were almost always better deals than name brand bulk. He didn't renew the membership because it wasn't worth it for him/us either.