I have a good friend who is a huge fan of the warehouse stores. She pretty much shops at Sam’s exclusively. I have tried to convince her that although warehouse stores can make sense for some purchases they just don’t make sense for everything. When I asked her what she is spending for her family of four shopping at the warehouse stores each month she proudly told me that she saves so much she only needs $700 a month for groceries and toiletries. Which as you can probably guess, seems like a lot to me.
Now, I am not saying that warehouse stores don’t work for some families or that they can’t be a good deal for some items. (In fact I was buying some cat litter at a warehouse store when I took this picture). But buying exclusively at warehouse stores just doesn’t make sense to me, especially if you are willing to use coupons.
For example, someone might pick up these (3) Right Guard Total Defense deodorants for $8.69 at a warehouse store tomorrow…meanwhile I’ll be off picking up (3) totally FREE Right Guard Total Defense deodorants!
If you shop at a warehouse store, what do you think? What are the best deals to be found there (we know it’s not deodorant!)? I’d love to hear your thoughts and tips! Maybe I’ll start buying more than cat litter at BJ’s! 😉
{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
I buy my cheese, milk, eggs, and Kraft Mac and Cheese at Sam’s Club. If I need cheese and it isn’t on sale anywhere I can get it cheapest at Sam’s Club. I can almost always get milk cheaper at Sam’s too.
I like to buy the spices there — I cook a lot and we usually go through the big bottles fairly fast and it is a LOT cheaper than getting those little tiny bottles. You can get the tiny bottles for cheaper around holidays, but I use spices more than at holidays. 🙂 Also, a big huge jar of dill pickles are 3 something at Sam’s — pretty good! I also get the beef and chicken bases there — a little bottle for 3 something makes, hmmm, I would say at least 20 cups of stock. A lot cheaper than getting the cans of stock already made. Butter ends up being 1 something a pound too — pretty good. Other than that, I haven’t found much cheaper there at all. We are not going to renew this year — according to our year end statement, we only saved as much the membership fees were. I just don’t go there that often anymore. I am really going to miss getting my big jars of spices, but perhaps I can still find a way to get in there . . . 🙂 I heard something about buying a gift card at the service desk and using that to pay — may have to look into that . . .
Elisa- Or maybe find a friend who has a membership! 🙂
Hey Christie! When my quads were born we pretty much got all of their diapers and formula at Sam’s and we’ve kept the membership cuz it’s a writeoff for the business, but there are only a few things that are truly bargains at Sam’s Club or the other warehouse stores (see a price list I post for comparison here http://shopperstrategy.com/super-centers/sams-club/). Milk, meat, cheese and fresh fruits and vegetables can be purchased at Sam’s for less than most store’s retail prices, you can also get good deals on electronics and office supplies. Additionally, if you can use sugar, flour, yeast and oil in bulk quantities then Sam’s is the place! Everything else is cheaper elsewhere with coupons 🙂
My Mom and I share a Costco membership (she pays for it). She always gets her gas there as it is between .05 and .10 cheaper than other places by her, but where I live the gas is the same everywhere. And we both buy romaine lettuce and spring mix salad for our bunnies (4 between us) there, as it is about half the cost of the grocery store, and we go through a lot! We also get powdered sugar (7 lb bag for $3!) there to make icing with (we decorate cakes as a hobby). I might get one or two other things there, depending on what their coupons are that month, but most of my shopping is at grocery and drug stores.
I mainly get gas, apples, milk and (Costco brand) Egg Beaters at Costco. We also have saved on irregular purchases like car batteries, tires, generic allergy medicine, vitamins, and our honeymoon in French Polynesia. 🙂
I used to buy a lot more… but since I moved to an area that regularly doubles and occassionaly triples or Super Doubles coupons, I’ve stopped buying most groceries & supplies and all toiletries at Costco now – since I can get most things free or almost free with coupons. 🙂
I’ve been in costco and walked out with nothing. Between all my free stuff at Walgreens and Riteaid and 100% (yes, 100%) savings at the Gorcery Outlet, I can’t imagine paying those prices. Rite Aid has milk for $2 and diapers are almost free.
I agree with Mindy. I’ve been into Cotsco and walked out empty. I have a regular fridge and there’s just so much cheese, milk, egg and butter I can stock up at one go. If I remembered correctly, most non-refridgerated items I use regularly were only 10-20% cheaper than individual items I can get elsewhere. I can easily stock up on these items when there are price cuts or a sale, which are cyclical. And this was BEFORE I started on couponing. The expensive membership fee was my biggest put off. But having said the above on stock piling of refridgerated items, I do have FREE 10 blocks of butter, 10 packs of Kraft cheese and 10 tubs of phil cream cheese in my small fridge now because of Smith’s doubling coupon event and catalina. Maybe one off, but it happens! 🙂
I love my Sams membership, although my totals and trips to Sams have gotten a lot less since I became a super couponer 6 months ago. I do still use it to purchase certain things…we recently bought a new mattress…we always book our travel through Sams, I also think they have great meat prices. Boneless skinless chix breasts are always $1.99…you don’t have to wait for them to go on sale at Publix and you don’t have to buy 20 pounds at a time. I love their jewelry department and clothes. I can’t imagine not having my Sam’s membership.
We have a Costco membership and go as a family outing! My hubby loves to look at electronics and I love to look at the baby clothes. I have to go there today in fact to buy a large bag of organic vegetables ($6) that will last us the whole month, organic broccoli ($6) for my toddler, and the huge box of oatmeal ($7). The reason why we keep our membership is to buy household goods not food. My husband buys electronics for work and I get Carter’s clothing for our daughter ($5-8) as opposed to ($15-25) in the retail store. Plus we love the fact that we can return things whenever, so you will never be “stuck” with an item.
I can’t imagine anyone not spending $40 a year for a Sams membership. I agree, most food items are not cheaper than using a coupon elsewhere. However, that’s not all they sell!
Dog food- Each 40 pound bag of Iams is about $8 cheaper than anywhere else. I buy one bag about every 2 weeks. That alone pays for my membership. I realize most people don’t go through 40 pounds of dog food in 2 weeks.
Electronics- Computers, TV’s, modems, video games, CD’s, DVD’d CD’s and CD Roms. Most items they are priced less, others they are comparable, but have a better return policy than anywhere else. Extended warranties for big ticket items are about 1/3 the cost of at Best Buy.
Jewelry- I don’t buy a lot of ‘real’ jewelry, but I can get a Movadeo watch for a couple hundred less than the jewelry store. Plus, whenever my mom comes with me, we spend a while around the jewelry counter drueling 🙂
Produce and Meat- They have bags of cored cut up apples for around the same price of buying them whole. I am much more liely to open the frig and grad a couple of apple slices if they are there than something unhealthy. The meat is always of better quality than at the grocery store. Their seafood is also way better.
Freezer- I buy my big bags of frozen whole green beans at sams. They never go on sale at the grocery store- I can only get the cut up ones at the grocery store.
I use coupons for two reasons. I save money and can pay more down on my debt. Also, so I can do things and enjoy life. I don’t understand many people who post on blogs that eat only beans and rice, drive broken down cars and never go out etc. I still have a life to live and I want to enjoy it and want my son to experience things in life. I believe there needs to be a good balance.
I had a BJ’s membership years ago – what a waste of money.
I get my milk free or almost-free at Publix or Walmart (Smart Balance. It’s good – try it.) Frozen veggies? Buy ’em fresh and freeze them yourself.
I can see the warehouse stores being convenient for some – but it’s not my bag. I kind of like scouring the grocery ads every week to see what I can get. It’s fun.
I like Bj’s for large purchases like detergent, bleach, soap, and some othe things. I like BJ’s because you can also use Bj’s coupons as well as manufacture coupons. I wouldn’t trade them for my freebies and really discounted items at other stores, but I do maintain my Bj’s and Sam’s club membership. I am able to save on the things I dont have coupons for.
I use Sams club for milk, bread, eggs, produce, and a few other odds & ends that I may not get a deal on at the grocery or drug store. My boys love oatmeal, so I’ll buy the big Quaker box from Sams, but also stock up when there’s a sale & I have coupons @ the grocery/drug store.
HBA items though…I never even set foot in that part of the store. I laugh in my head when I see ppl with the double packs of bodywash, toothpaste, deodorant, razors/blades…things I get free or even paid to buy!
We only have a BJs close to us. Its my least favorite of the warehouse stores for several reasons, however I do save money by combining their coupons with MFR ones. They’ll accept one MFR Q per item with a bar code – so the triple pack of deoderant you could use 3 Qs. Still not as cheap as the deals at the drug stores, but for some items it works out. Until all of the recent sales and Qs for eggo waffles, I was buying them at BJs – cheaper than the grocery stores. Milk, produce, deli cheese & meats and other stuff can be cheaper at BJs. And BJs has monthly, weekly and seasonal coupon books that you can stack with the MFR ones.
Just wanted to add that the savings at the warehouse clubs vs grocery stores probably depends on which grocery stores are in your area, if they offer catalinas, double coupons etc. If you’re lucky to have safeway, Kroger, Meijer or some of the others that offer great deals, the warehouse stores might not be your best bet. However, if you’re in area without any of those stores or deals, the warehouse stores might be a better deal
I buy kirkland diapers and wipes from Costco. I dont think the wipes are tht great a deal unless there is a coupon. The diapers i buy when they have a $5 off coupon making it $35 for 200 diapers. That is a good deal and i love those diapers. I also buy frozen beef and chicken. Pickles are a great deal. Milk is often 2 for $3. I buy my papertowels and toilet paper from there. Also my dishwasher soap, detergent, dish soap, wow lots of stuff. I just like bulk!
ELISA, For your spices, have you tried a supermarket that has bins with bulk food by the ounce/pound? That’s where I go for spices, honey, rice, beans, and such. It’s Waaaaay cheaper than anywhere else on a day to day basis.
MINDY, How are you saving 100% at the Gorcery Outlet??? I thought they don’t take manuf. coupons. Tell us your secret!
We used to buy milk at Costco b/c it was the cheapest we could find anywhere. Now Kroger has priced theirs lower consistently. I do like to buy some sneakers and kids pjs at Costco but I can not find as many good deals lately. Our Costco is only about a 5 minute drive to my house so it has been convenient. However, they are building a new store about 20 minutes away and I will not be renewing my membership when they move there.
I have never had a warehouse membership and probably never will. Since I started couponing about 5 months ago, I pay little to nothing for pretty much everything we use. I pay maybe $2-3 for a jumbo pack of diapers and usually I can get some free wipes too. I pay $1-2 for about 30 loads of laundry detergent. Using all kinds of coupons at publix, I can usually get bread, eggs, and milk for free or super cheap. I don’t mind stocking up when it is on sale and I LOVE giving my business to Publix, even if I do pay full price for something. Their customer service has created a loyalty in me that I would rather pay a little more and give the business to them than drive to Wal-mart for one thing and be miserable the whole 30 minutes I am there. Also, Publix allows overage so I use that to help pay for full price things too.
The closest warehouse store we have is Costco and it’s 40 minutes away. We got the membership when we had kids for diapers & formula- way cheaper than Walmart or Grocery Outlet, my usuals at the time!
We don’t go to Costco as often anymore since we’re out of the diaper phase but we do have certain things we like to get there. I get almost all of our meat & seafood in big bags then throw it in the freezer (very convenient) But I would never buy HBA there- even before I was couponing! I also LOVE their kitchen garbage bags- 200 flexi ones for $11!
We also go there as a family outing 🙂 My hubby hates shopping but likes to go there!
Also we call it the $10 store!!!
We only shop at BJs for dairy, some fresh produce and the things I can not find really good coupons for that be need lots of. (like potatoes and Onions)But mostly we stick with dairy, Pet food, bread, diapers and formula.