Warehouse stores? About This Page:

[Huntermom]

I am thinking of rejoining a warehouse store. I used to go when the kids were young but as the family got smaller and we really stopped eating prepared foods were not sure it was worth it.

I have been impressed with the seafood my sister gets at Costco and the salmon we had last night was over $20.

We have Sam's, BJ's and Costco, all about a half hour drive away. Are there any that are better?

I do have a free BJ's card I got in the mail.

Thanks.

[Jennifer2003]

I'd take advantage of the free trial at BJ's to see how you like it. I recently became a member and found that some things are cheaper at Target or Walmart, but overall, you do get some good deals at BJ's. And...BJ's accepts manufacturer coupons where I know for a fact Sam's Club doesn't.

We don't have Costco in our area, so I'm not sure of their way of doing things.

[Mommy2alittleprincess]

I belong to all 3. Each one has it's own advantages. BJ's will accept manufacturers coupons along with their own coupons for the same items. I buy a lot of Disney DVDs from Sam's that are cheaper than Target. They also carry dd's Horizon milk. Costco has more organic food. They also carry clothes like Lacoste, Michael Kors, Hanna Andersson, etc. It really depends on your needs to determine the best one. I also bought dd a bed from Costco that looked like one from Pottery Barn Kids for 1/3 the price. They all have great toys at Christmas too.

[Caldercup]

I've been a Sam's member for a while -- one is very close to our house and convenient.
I've been a Costco member in the past and always felt that their prepared meals (the ones Costco makes themselves in that club) are quite good. Salty, but good. I also tend to find their "grocery" items to be more to my family's tastes. But, since the Costco nearest me is much farther than Sam's, I let my membership lapse.

I watched this segment on the Rachel Ray show a while back and have found his tips to be worthwhile -- except, I have to be careful not to be tempted by something just because "it's on sale." I really need to NEED it before I'll buy it.

[Carousel96]

As a family of three without an extra freezer we don't buy enough in large quantities to use a warehouse club. Though when we lived in CT I loved the kids clothes at BJ's!
I did however, just join Costco. Their rental car rate was $300 less than I'd found online. Seemed like a good investment of $50.

[krisk11]

I just let my BJ's membership expire. It's only the two of us plus my mom was on my membership when she was alive. I don't buy enough to justify the cost of the membership costs anymore

[HiddenMickey]

We go to Sam's club about every two weeks, mostly for specific items like paper goods, drinks, some groceries, and just to poke around. Our best buy there was a really nice mattress for my DS that was marked down (Full size Eurotop for about $200).

You have to really be careful when shopping because not everything is a good deal. Check unit pricing against what you'd pay at the grocery store. If you can use doubled coupons at your grocery store, it's usually much better to buy at the grocery than at the Club store.

[Bee]

for larger families it seems to work. My brother works at BJs so I can get a "family" member ship but haven't gotten it yet. going to have to call him now lol

good luck in deciding

[Tink and co.]

I do most of our shopping at Costco. They have a wide variety of organic/natural foods for a lot better price than other stores. The meat/seafood is a grade above what is found in most grocery stores. Even milk is about half price. The trick with warehouse shopping is to only buy what you'd buy anyway. I also only buy things that don't spoil (TP and laundry detergent), can be frozen easily (meat), or that we'll use up before the expiration date (cereal). We've had a membership to Sam's in the past as well, but found the selection and quality not as good.

[DebbieG]

Costco also has an amazing return policy. If you try something and really don't like it, they will refund your money.

I find Costco to be better quality than BJs. I have never been to Sams

Debbie

[CinderAbby]

As with all things, you have to know your prices. I still have a membership to BJ's and while some things are a really good deal for us (500 count store brand aspirin for 6.99. 500 count store brand tylenol for 4.99) other things can be bought on sale for a better price at our supermarket. I used to buy Cheerios there, but on sale and with Lenny's discount, I now buy them at Walgreens. They don't sell our brand of TP and mom's fussy enough she can't do store brand and papertowels we do much better just buying a regular size package on sale. I don't buy any kind of prepared stuff (frozen dinners or anything they premake) anymore since Lenny was told to lower his sodium with the first stent placement (I figured it wouldn't hurt Abby or I to lower our sodium intake either so I stopped buying all that stuff) but that stuff used to be reasonably priced too.

[Colexis Mom]

We belong to both BJs and Costco! BJs is only 10 minutes away and I am there every week (if not more). DH gets his gas there as well. Costco us 35 minutes away, so we don't get there very often, although I do online stuff with them (laptop, camera, etc.). I like the food and selection at Costco better, but as others have mentioned, you have to watch what you buy as it's not necessarily cheaper (soda is definitely not)! I usually buy milk (about $1/gallon cheaper), grapes, pretzels, popcorn, bacon, gogurt, and sometimes meats!

[minemoz1]

We recently switched from Sams to Costco. We found Costco has more of a selection in food (they even have Falafel) and seems to have higher quailty items. It's only my DH and I, so I tend to buy items that don't spoil (canned goods, frozen items, etc). Their fresh meat is as good as Sams and around the same price. They also have monthly coupons, so you can get additional discounts. My favorite find there-Tazo Chai Tea mix-3 for $7. I can save $ and not go to Starbucks.

My parents have been Costco members for years and got a no haggle deal on a new car through Costco. They saved about $3000.

[Griffin]

We have a BJs card right now. I think it is $45 a year for the membership. This sounds funny to think about, but I compared our grocery store to the deli at BJs. We save close to $150 a year just buying deli meats and cheeses at BJs. And that is just on a couple of items. So, I definitely think a membership to a club is worth it.

[Dlandmom2]

For those who don't like the huge quantities sold in the warehouses, try this: I had a great relationship with 2 of my neighbors at my last house...I would buy say a huge bag of potatoes or onions knowing that there's no way I could get through them before they went bad. I would just go next door or across the street and share some of them. They would return the favor if they ever didn't need say a 4 pack of ketchup! We didn't keep track of costs or anything since in the long run it pretty much evens itself out. Besides, even if they never gave anything back, I probably got a decent deal on the huge quantity and still saved over buying a much smaller bag at the market.

My favorite is Costco...Sam's is closer to me, but I still prefer Costco. We visit Sam's when my brother is in town since he has a membership, but I still haven't purchased my own membership. I can't put my finger on it, but I just prefer to drive a little further and go to Costco.