Are BJ's, Costco, Sam's Club, etc. really that much cheaper?

Question

Is it worth it to get a membership? I have a family of 5 and have room to store things. Is it really that much of a savings to warrant going through the trouble of shopping one more place?

Answer 1

I have a family of 4 and it's really worth it for us.  I can buy milk at Sam's way cheaper than our still, plus great prices for eggs, and we get a very large block of presliced cheese cheap compared to other stores than I saran wrap and stays good in the fridge.  Their produce is awesome too, excellent fresh pineapple for like 2 bucks.

Answer 2

Yes, family of 3, and we spend about 75-100 every two weeks.  The key is to buy things that you know you will eat and use and also able to store the extra you buy.  I have also found that when shopping there, you tend to spend on things that were not on your list.  In our situation, we will get our 50 dollars back in the first 6-7 months.  Even with coupons, you still only typically save 4-5 dollars on a 100 dollar tab.  good luck.

Answer 3

Costco,Sam's Club, etc. are nice however with any store there are good buys and not so good buys.  If you have a large family and the storage room it is great to stock up your pantry with.  However remember everything is in bulk so they are much larger quantities.  And with that you want to have an

idea of how much things cost at a regular grocery store.  For example a tube of toothpaste is $2 at the grocer but at Costco you get 4 tubes for $7.  However sometimes when you calculate the cost difference, it is more expensive. It depends on the items.   It is nice though when you have a large family then you can stock up.  But since my kids are grown I don't use it much any more.  Hope this helps.

Answer 4

For many things it is cheaper because you buy in bulk.  At costco, I buy Kirkland laundry detergent and for a 500 oz. bottle, it's around $9.00.  I also buy 40 lb boxes of cat litter and each is under $7.00.  You can always go and check it out yourself.  One good shopping trip there usually pays for your membership.

Answer 5

Oh yes. Family of 5 here, too.

You say you have the room to store things, that's a must.

As long as you don't let the things you buy go to waste, it is well worth the extra trip.

My staple purchases are things like shampoo, laundry detergent, soap, toilet tissue...

In just buying the necessities you will have gotten your membership money back in no time.

Be careful...I always end up buying way more than I intended.