Warehouse Clubs like Costco and Sam's Club can save a family a lot of money each year and the membership pays for itself in most cases. However there are perils to navigate when shopping at these big warehouse clubs and if you are the type of person to give into temptation, well these clubs are looking for you!
The cold, unpersonable approach of warehouse clubs have become suburban fodder that most families these days crave. Buying in bulk is seen as a way to save lots of money and the smart thing to do. Yet this is usually not always the case. Does a single guy really need 4-dozen rolls of toilet paper? Do a retired couple with no kids at home really need 6 jars of pasta sauce? Sure it seems like you're saving money, but you have to think within the scope of your usage and family lifestyle.
Let's focus only on the food portion of these stores for a moment. Large portions, big packaging, and huge carts to put it all in. It's no wonder we as a society have issues with understanding what a portion looks like, we've been mega-sized!
Looking past the packaging and doing the math; most processed, canned, jarred, and dry goods can be found for a cheaper unit price elsewhere. Another negative is that these stores do not accept manufacturer coupons, thereby limiting your ability to knock down that unit price.
The bargains in the produce or meat aisles are also limited. I usually find cheaper and a better quality of produce at Sprouts and on the up side most of the produce is local, whereas that is not the case at the warehouse clubs. The meat department does carry a variety of items, but for the everyday meats that my family uses, I don't bother purchasing them there at their premium price.
Moving over a few aisles into the paper goods and cleaning aisles the same concept can be said for these. Most of the paper, plastic, and cleaning products can be found cheaper (per unit) at a big box store (i.e. Target, Walmart, etc.) on sale, with or without a coupon. With that said I confess that I usually shop at Costco for a lot of our paper product and cleaning supply needs. We prefer the Kirkland brand of toilet paper and paper towels, finding that Costco hasn't skimped in their quality even after this latest recession like other brands have. I also buy our laundry detergent and fabric softener there as well with the Costco coupons. Sure I may be able to get my name brand laundry detergent and fabric softener cheaper (per unit) at a big box store, but I do so much laundry that this is just more convenient and practical for me.
I'm not saying that bargains can't be had in the grocery and sundry part of these warehouse clubs, but buyer beware and look at the unit price, you'd be surprised how much you're actually spending on that container of peanut butter.
The second part of the shopping at the warehouse club is all the flashy electronics, DVD's, books, clothes, household items, and more. The stock goes quickly and the adage of "here today, gone tomorrow" is prevalent.
If you are in the market for a new electronic, the warehouse store is someplace you need to consider when doing your research. Need a new appliance, check out what they have and you can usually find that high end brand name option at a lower price than at the department or housewares stores. My family has done many trips to the warehouse store to see what options are available to us when researching a medium to big ticket item, it's good sense to do so.
However the impulse buy thrives in the entertainment section. Do you just have to have that new blockbuster movie that just came out on DVD? Skip the warehouse club and look at one of the big box stores or electronic store advertisement, they usually have terrific prices on these movies the week it is released. Need new reading material, try your local second hand book seller first. Even check out the stock on Amazon.com, good deals can be found just as long as you also calculate the shipping costs into that deal. I'm not saying bargains can't be found, after all if you want a 6-CD bundle of Elvis's greatest hits your warehouse club is probably the best place to look for that kind of thing.
The warehouse clubs are also a great place to purchase your movie tickets, theme park tickets and even postage stamps. The savings that once were available to only auto and vacation clubs can now be had at the warehouse clubs. Even if the savings is only a few buck, think of the warehouse club as your coupon on otherwise un-couponable for that item.
Impulse buying is a fact of life for us Americans no matter how many times we tell ourselves we will stick to that list! Although I don't usually shop impulsively, there have been times where items have magically appeared in my cart. My last impulse buy at Costco was a 3-pack of cask strength bourbon that was deeply discounted after their Christmas sale a few years ago. We actually bought that product a few weeks earlier and loved it. So since we know bourbon doesn't go bad, we bought another at the sale price and kept it in our overstock until we used up the first batch. At Sam's Club my last impulse buy was a package of their pork spare ribs that they were selling at their bulk price (a discounted price beyond the everyday club price) earlier this year. I ended up splitting each rack in half and froze them separately into portions that work well for my family.
As long as you stick to a list, comparison shop, calculate the price per unit, and try to let those impulses pass you by; you can save quite a bit of money every year by shopping at a warehouse club. Just don't go broke by shopping there, which is always a very easy thing to do!
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