If you shop at Sam’s Club or Costco, or any other similar large warehouse bulk type store then you know how everything in there is sold in large bulk sizes and they’re supposed to be cheaper than buying from somewhere else in smaller sizes. “Supposed to be” is for sure because not everything is a great deal over there. If you’ve ever wondered about signing up then read on to find out what you need to know so that they don’t get you and you still come out ahead.
1- You have to pay to get in
You can’t get in without paying the yearly entry fees. If you’ve never been into one of these places before you can try going in with a friend to see if it’s something that might work for you. You could also go into customer service and ask them if you can look around before you decide to sign up for the membership. They will gladly let you look around for free.
Even though you are paying yearly, if you do shop there often enough then you’ll recoup the cost in savings. One of my favorite things to do is saving on gas when I go there. I always fill up because it’s almost always the lowest price I can find around.
If you know how to shop the grocery stores though, with sales and coupons, then you’re going to come out ahead over there a lot of the time. Some people hate dealing with coupon though, and if that sounds like you then you might love the idea of the savings without waiting for deals or coupons. It makes it a lot easier. One of the things I like to buy when I go in there is meat. I can buy it in bulk and I can freeze it. You’ll find some of the best priced meat around at these stores, and you don’t have to wait for a sale.
Another thing to keep in mind is how close is the store to your home or your daily route? If it’s out of your way you might end up not going there as often as you think. Worst case scenario you can try it out for a year and then decide on whether or not it’s worth it to keep shopping there. For some people it’s just not worth it.
2- Don’t get too much of anything
This is one of the ways that they’ll get you. You might be thinking you’re saving money because you’re paying less per pound for an item, but if you can’t eat it all before it spoils then you’re just wasting money buying the larger portions.
If you have a smaller family or if you eat out a lot then a warehouse store might not be for you. You could be buying that huge container of ketchup, but will you use it all before it goes bad? Fruits and vegetables are big ones too because they don’t have a long shelf life. Can you really eat all those oranges? Don’t throw your money away on spoiled food. Some of the best things to buy in bulk are items with a long shelf life or something you can freeze like meat.
3- Don’t buy stuff you don’t need
This can be the hard one. You walk in there and you’re bombarded with free samples from every corner of the store. All of a sudden you look in your cart and it’s full of items you didn’t have on your shopping list.
Here’s another danger, the high dollar items. When you shop at the grocery store you’re not tempted by a new 65 inch TV or a new laptop. There’s no dining room set or full patio set to try out. There’s a reason why they make you walk by all the TV’s and flashy stuff first. They’re trying to reel you in. Everytime you go shopping you’ll have to look at that new TV you want and you might end up buying it one day.
The point is that you have to show self control. If you’re the type that doesn’t do well in that category then stay away from this place for your grocery shopping. You’d do better shopping somewhere else that can’t lure you into buying something so expensive on a whim.
On the bright side, when you do decide it’s time to buy a new TV or a patio set you should definitely take a look at the warehouse stores. You’ll find decently good prices here, but you’ll also find great customer service and a great return policy.
I recently bought a beautiful patio set from Costco’s online and I absolutely love it. Because I bought it from Costco’s it came with a 2 year extended warranty. A warranty is great to have, and especially so for things like expensive electronics which can stop working unexpectedly sometimes if you’re unlucky.