Just wondering if anybody really feels they get a bargain or really save even the
30.00 or more they plunk down for a membership. I got mine whithout looking around the store and the first thing I saw was a stack of apple pies - for
12.00 each. By the time I was leaving, I had this picture in my mind of food industry CEOs sitting around a swimming pool watching a bunch of ants swarming over a piece of watermelon, and the proverbial lightbulb going off - "We'll mesmerise the masses with mass quantities!"
I go there about 4 times a year and load up on all of the things I can buy in bulk. Hey, I'm single and hate to shop. Soaps and stuff only need to be bought once a year. Frozen stuff about once a quarter. The membership doesn't pay for me in actuall dollars but the time I'm not in the local supermarket is well worth the $$$ to me. YMMV.
snipped-for-privacy@aol.com (BUB 209) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@mb-m23.aol.com:
really
I much prefer Costco, but since we only have Sam's here it has to do. We save far more than $30 a year on milk alone at Sam's. There's also at least one item we buy every month or so that nets at least that much in savings. We've been buying our tires there for about 15 years, some groceries, a fair amount of clothing, diapers when we used them, kitty litter, etc. etc. etc. Not everything is cheaper there, but if you pay attention you'll easily save the membership fee quickly-- often on a single item.
Costco, which I used to have when I lived in Oregon, is much better though-- it makes Sam's look like a super-sized version of Walmart. Costco has real books, real beer, real wine, real furniture-- Sam's has only bad religious novels, bud light, box wine, and pressboard furniture. The same comparison holds true for the food and clothing. But, as a long-time warehouse shopper I can't stop.
Two years ago we bought enough laminate hardwood flooring at Sam's to do three rooms in our house; the same product on sale at Menard's was 35% more. That's pretty typical.
i am convinced that at the end of they day you end up with more stuff at a slightly better price overall, but spend more money because you just cant resist 100 pounds of tootsie rolls for 20 bucks so do i actually save any money? i.e. have more money in my pocket because of sams club or cosco? definitely not.
i think your description is very accurate. you get mesmerized!!
In this hot, humid, Houston climate, I wear t-shirts in the shop and often change 2 or 3 times a day. Until just recently Sam's had the best damn t-shirts in the Western Hemisphere for shop use: Pluma "Heavyweight" cotton t's ... I've got some that are ten years old and still fit for shop use.
Now the same asshole MBA's who have screwed up everything else in this country have gotten their licks in and the "new" Sam t-shirts are the same price, but the cotton is so cheap and thin it will barely survive 3 washings. I tell ya, this country is going to the dogs .... starting with Sam's.
Can't speak for Sam's, but have a membership at BJ's. I know I save at least two or three times my membership cost. I've save it on a single purchase a couple of times.
Know prices so you can compare. Example: Supermarket boneless or roast is $4 a pound. BJ's price is $1.89. You have to buy the whole loin so we cut it into three ices and freeze.
Fill a propane tank. Local stations $12. BJ's $7.49
Bought a high definition TV and saved $100 over any other source I found.
I agree, only go to Sams/Costco if you know what things are supposed to cost. They have deals on big containers of stuff but if you don't use stuff before it goes bad it is not a bargain. I buy non perishables and things I use a lot of. They also have great deals on close out items but that is not predictable and it is easy to get a great deal on something you will never use if you get caught up in the moment.
I think it pays, if you use the membership. I recently priced a set of BF Goodrich light truck tires all over Wichita, KS at prices ranging from $465 to $579 (installed). I got them at Sam's for $406. (If they had made their
1 hour installation guarantee they would have cost $436). This alone paid this year's membership. We also save in bulk groceries and a lot of bulk packaged clothing items like t-shirts, socks, etc. Some of Sam's meat and frozen food items are of good quality. I have also seen some very good prices on items like laptops, televisions and power tools. You just have to be willing to buy the single model they sell.
Heck - you can't beat the free meal they provide in the aisles every Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Yeah - no pride!
Yours is the second message noting milk prices - what do they run a gallon? (Assuming one doesn't have to buy it by the 55 gal. drum.)
In my little 'burg, inevitably one of the three grocery stores almost always has a weekly coupon for milk at $1.88 to $2.00/gal, vs. $3.65 or so regular price.
I used to date a woman who was a member at Sams Club. She did save money on much of what she bought but she ended up with quantities of stuff that were so much more than she needed that she ended up giving away a lot of the excess. So most of it turned out to cost her more in the long run.
"Lee Gordon" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:
You have to check out how they mean by "in bulk". I've noticed that "Sams Club" sell the large containers while another club "BJ's" sells multi-packs (many containers like you'd buy in the store, in one wrapper)
We buy specific stuff there, like jugs of cut fresh fruit, Mobil 1, contact lens solution, etc... Usually, I try to stay out of there, because I try to shop anywhere but Wal-Mart. I try whenever possible to shop in locally owned businesses.
FWIW, I've seen stuff that both Sam's and Wal-Mart carry selling for less in Wal-Mart.
Another note on Wal-Mart: frequently, twofers sell for more than you'd spend buying two singles of an item. Recently, I've noticed that acetaminophin with two 100 tab bottles in the pack sells for about 14 cents more than two single packs; last week, Coke 24 packs were on sale, for a buck more than two 12 packs.
This is marketing in its finest hour. Over the years, we've been educated to believe that buying larger packs saves money.
Today, you'd damned well better check, because it may well cost you considerably more.
Charlie Self "When you appeal to force, there's one thing you must never do - lose." Dwight D. Eisenhower
I'm a warehouse junkie, I have both Sam's and Costco memberships. Sam's gasoline is consistently 5 cents cheaper than other gas stations in the area. My wife swears that the bulk laundry detergents and bleaches are diluted.
Well... we've been members for several years now... and i think we make up the membership in gas prices (3-7 cents cheaper * 12 gallons *
2 cars * 20 fillups/year = 14.40-33.60/yr ), kitty litter ($1-2 cheaper * 2/3 months * 12 = $8-$16), and a several other items. Not to mention the time saved by not having to go to the regular stores as often, because we have it "in stock" due to mass quantities.
you still have to watch prices, but if you watch for "good deals" on stuff you'll use, then you should at least break even.
Last night I went to Costco and saved $30 in one shot. They had Cedar Filled dog beds for $17. I compared to PetSmart for $50+.
Sugar Free Red Bull. Wife loves the stuff. At $30 for 30, this is much better than the 2.50 a can she was paying at the gas station every day.
Baking/cooking bulks. I don't food shop there, but I save a lot of money on Baking Soda for the laundry room. I pay the same as at the supermarket, but get 5 times as much. Chicken bouillion cubes. Same price, 10 times as much.
It also a size convenience thing. When the wife is making 4 batches of cookies for her students, it is just plain easier to go to Sam's
I also do Costco, which I find is better for higher end stuff. I travel frequently and I found that thier $40 "Kirkland" wheeled suitcase is as good as a Tumi or Travelpro for 1/10 the cost.
I also picked up a roll-top desk at Costco a few years back for $399. Saw the EXACT same one (Brand, wood, fit & finish) at a local furniture shop for $1300.
Costco roses are better here than at the florist. 2 dozen for $13. Once every few weeks for the wife and I get less flak for tool purchases.
With the warehouse stores, it is definitely a "pick your battle" thing. If you do the typical minivan practice of loading up the cart on every impulse buy you see because it is a good deal, you are hurting yourself on supersize crap you don't need. However, if you go to the store to fill a specific need, you can make great deals.
Diapers, forumla, shampoo, frozen chicken breasts, gas, milk, ice cream, ritz crackers, mac'n'cheese, tuna, cold cereal, cereal bars, dvds, games (xbox, computer, etc), music cds, at least, are all considerably cheaper than other places. The gas station personell, however, are horribly rude. It really depends on what and how much you buy. We have five kids with one on the way, and go through the above items like craz.....
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