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Sam's Club-type shopping - 10/23/2009 8:04:37 PM   
Level


Posts: 25145
Joined: 3/3/2006
Status: offline 		Despite being the nexus of evil on this planet, I'm considering a membership to my local Sam's Club. Anyone else shop at a warehouse type store? Thoughts on it?

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RE: Sam's Club-type shopping - 10/23/2009 8:23:12 PM   
BKSir


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Joined: 4/8/2008
From: Salt Lake City, UT
Status: offline 		I adore my membership at Sams.  I save the $35/year on the price of pork loin, bar towels, cat food and gasoline alone in two months.  As far as being "the nexus of evil", I'm not even going to get into that argument.  I have my views, and they're not going to change, and most people that know me realize that so they just save their time trying.

We purchased two new tv's this year, and spent there on a 42" and a 32" combined, what I'd budgeted for just the 42" elsewhere.  I feed 3 people in the household at the minimum, up to 5 normally and upwards of 10 on an average of once a month or more.  And I'm talking "grown people".  And pens... dear god.  The way we go through ink pens here is insane.  I'd go broke on those alone without shopping there.  Their take and bake pizzas are not awful, especially for the price.  Restaurant and office supplies... thank GOD.  And I'll admit, I'm horribly addicted to buffalo wings.  I can get the big bag of frozen wings there for about the same price as a bag of frozen wings 1/3 the size anywhere else.  Briskets, yep.

Down sides... Apart from the wings, briskets, ribs and whole pork loin, I won't buy meat there.  The quality is just simply lacking.  Also, every Sams I've been in has had an... odd scent.  Not one I terribly like either.  And the cashiers... well, they're friendly, but there's never enough of them.  And I ALWAYS find more shit than I was planning on.


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RE: Sam's Club-type shopping - 10/23/2009 8:34:00 PM   
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Status: offline 		BK, thanks for the response. The couple of times I went, I had the "more shit than planned on" problem too

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Fake the heat and scratch the itch
Skinned up knees and salty lips
Let go it's harder holding on
One more trip and I'll be gone

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RE: Sam's Club-type shopping - 10/23/2009 8:40:57 PM   
DomKen


Posts: 19457
Joined: 7/4/2004
From: Chicago, IL
Status: offline 		I have a membership at Costco and love it. The annual fee is higher but Costco carries a broader, and higher quality, range of products. I'd take a look if there is one near you.

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RE: Sam's Club-type shopping - 10/23/2009 9:01:07 PM   
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Status: offline 		Ken, I just checked, the closest one is Houston, which is too far to shop at. The Sams does booming business here, so maybe we'll get a Costco soon.

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Fake the heat and scratch the itch
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RE: Sam's Club-type shopping - 10/23/2009 9:06:15 PM   
porcelaine


Posts: 5020
Joined: 7/24/2006
Status: offline 		i think you have to be realistic about how often you're going to use the membership to justify whether it is worth the price. if it leads you to overspend and buy large quantities that go unused i can't see that as frugal in the long run. i have a membership at costco but we barely use it. i'm not paying for it either. if you anticipate a large ticket purchase in the coming year that alone could be worth the price.

i personally think some items are bargains, however, i'm aware there are markups as well and having that much food in my house just makes me ill. i find that i consume less but shopping on a weekly basis. if you have a small household i don't feel it is necessary. those with a larger family will definitely get more out of it.

porcelaine


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RE: Sam's Club-type shopping - 10/23/2009 9:32:39 PM   
ThatDamnedPanda


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quote:

ORIGINAL: DomKen

I have a membership at Costco and love it. The annual fee is higher but Costco carries a broader, and higher quality, range of products. I'd take a look if there is one near you.


I'm very happy as a Costco member. They're the complete opposite of Sam's Club; their employees are very well-treated, and it's a civic-minded company. The 50 bucks a year is well-spent supporting a business like that.

Only problem is, I don't have enough storage space in my house to really take advantage of most of the savings - there's just no place i can put a 20-roll pack of paper towels or a 500-pound sack of Peanut M&Ms. I still get my money's worth on the relatively few items I do buy, and the low-price gas, but someone with a bigger house would save bazillions of dollars on their household budget each year.

PS - their house brand almonds are absolutely the best I've ever had anywhere. Worth the 50 bucks a year just to buy a big bag of those every week or two.


< Message edited by ThatDamnedPanda -- 10/23/2009 9:34:36 PM >

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RE: Sam's Club-type shopping - 10/23/2009 9:38:23 PM   
peppermint


Posts: 5171
Joined: 10/18/2005
From: Montana
Status: offline 		I just bought my new glasses at Costco for less than I would pay for them in Mexico.  Gary eats those special yogurts that help your digestion.  They are $2.50 for 4 on sale in the grocery store or $7 something for 24 at Costco.  We got a great deal on our TV at Sam's club in the spring.  I don't buy a lot of groceries there.  Our home is a motor home and we just don't have room for the huge quantities you have to buy at these stores.  We also have military IDs so we can shop the Commissary which has better meat prices than anywhere else. 

Costco and Sam's Club are great stores for certain items.  If I had a big family I'd probably shop there more often. 

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RE: Sam's Club-type shopping - 10/23/2009 9:50:30 PM   
outlier


Posts: 1111
Joined: 10/22/2005
Status: offline 		Hello Level,

Nice to chat with you again.  I have a Sam's card and a friend has a Costco and
we are going shopping tomorrow morning.  I live alone but I still find I can more
than save the membership costs.  I buy canned goods which keep until I use them,
items like butter which I can freeze, paper products, office supplies, tires, batteries,
and some other stuff.  I like Sam's because they let me in at 7:00 AM with a business
card and I can be in grab my free cup of coffee and be out in 30-45 min. max.

My friend likes Costco because they have gas pumps there and Sam's does not.  And
they have a larger selection.  I don't want to wait until 10:00 and then break up the
middle of my day.  Also both have a pharmacy.

Hope it works out for you.
Outlier




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RE: Sam's Club-type shopping - 10/23/2009 9:55:51 PM   
sirsholly


Posts: 42360
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From: Quietville
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Level

Despite being the nexus of evil on this planet, I'm considering a membership to my local Sam's Club. Anyone else shop at a warehouse type store? Thoughts on it?


It depends on how much post-shop work you are willing to do. The meat dept is awesome, but not is you are looking for a few pork chops for dinner tonight. Be prepared to divide, wrap and freeze, as most meats are sold in bulk.


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RE: Sam's Club-type shopping - 10/23/2009 10:52:01 PM   
CalifChick


Posts: 10717
Joined: 10/28/2007
From: California
Status: offline 		We have both a Sams and a Costco, and I like Costco better. 

When I had little ones, the savings on diapers, wipes and formula more than covered the cost of the membership.  When I buy for an office, there are big savings on copy paper, pens, pencils, and other office supplies.  I also stocked our office snack bar (candy bars, chips, sodas, bottled water) from Costco.

I did buy a food sealer there, but I don't often buy fresh meat there.  I do buy larger packages at my grocery store (they like to put huge boneless pork roasts on sale, which I cut up and seal).  I also have a separate upright freezer.

Toilet paper, paper towels, shampoo, and the like are a good bargain as well.  I don't think their clothes are a very good bargain, but we do buy socks and athletic shoes there, as well as books and movies.  We also pick up garbage bags, and we used to buy laundry soap but they stopped carrying my favorite brand.

When I was single and had no kids, a friend and I would go together and split things like the toilet paper, the paper towels, the peanut butter (it comes in a pack of 2 jars).

Cali


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RE: Sam's Club-type shopping - 10/23/2009 10:53:46 PM   
CalifChick


Posts: 10717
Joined: 10/28/2007
From: California
Status: offline 		Oh yes, and I have friends who buy disposable contacts there and tell me they are a fabulous bargain.

Cail


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RE: Sam's Club-type shopping - 10/24/2009 12:40:25 AM   
Lorr47


Posts: 862
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quote:

Also both have a pharmacy.


The Sam's pharmacy has no peer as to my prescriptions.  A prescription that costs $18.97 at Sam's costs $30.00 at Meijer, Inc.  And, if you check, you do not have to be a Sam's Member to buy at the pharmacy.

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RE: Sam's Club-type shopping - 10/24/2009 5:07:07 AM   
subrob1967


Posts: 4591
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Status: offline 		We have a Costco membership just for the Kirkland brand of dog food., the Coleman brand all natural uncured beef hotdogs are a bonus;)

It's Wellness's original formula, and only $21 for a 40lb bag, vs $45 to $50 per 30lb bag of the new Wellness or Blue Diamond.

Truth be told, buying in bulk is not always the cheapest route to go, if you're diligent enough, and clip coupons, you can usually find what you need and at better "price per" totals at your local grocery store.

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RE: Sam's Club-type shopping - 10/24/2009 6:34:43 AM   
soul2share


Posts: 7084
Joined: 12/18/2007
From: somewhere out there.....
Status: offline 		A friend of mine has a Costco membership.  She saves huge there by buying things in bulk, but she does feed a family of 4.  She also gets pretty much ALL of her gas there.  Personally, I'd love to have a club membership to Sam's, Costco or BJ's, but I just don't have the space yet.  The savings on the staples are great.  I can't speak for the quality of their meats, since I don't shop there.  My buddy used to pick me up the 24 bottle case of diet pepsi for less than half of what I'd pay for it in the grocery stores...and it was the 24 oz bottles, not the smaller ones. 

She'd go once a month, and spend about $300 a shot....but that was for everything.....I can go to Wal-mart, drop $200 on what I need, and get no where near what she did!  And that was for my basics, I'd still have to go to the store for my everyday staples when they'd run out. 

My parents have one too.....there's just the two of them, but my mom swears by the savings....she goes once a month, spends $200, and never runs out of stuff for the month....she can even go every 6 weeks without running out.

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RE: Sam's Club-type shopping - 10/24/2009 6:39:22 AM   
Level


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Joined: 3/3/2006
Status: offline 		I appreciate everyone for responding. I'm going to go to the one here a little later, and do some price checking, and figuring.

There's only two of us here, well, three if you count my brother, who is likely getting a divorce, OMG, there's a rant post in the making....anywho....I'd also need a small freezer, as I primarily eat only meat, I'd need to be able to freeze some.

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Fake the heat and scratch the itch
Skinned up knees and salty lips
Let go it's harder holding on
One more trip and I'll be gone

~~ Stone Temple Pilots

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RE: Sam's Club-type shopping - 10/24/2009 6:50:38 AM   
lronitulstahp


Posts: 5392
Joined: 10/17/2007
Status: offline 		Wow! i just got a free 3 month BJ's membership.....maybe i should do a little comparison shopping experiment and see how much i save.

Years ago i had a Sam's membership for business and i used it for household items as well, but that was when i was married, and threw a lot of dinner parties and every Sunday there was Football all day at my house with LOTS of hungry guys. i wonder if just the weeuns and myself need that much stuff in bulk. Plus i prefer organic meats....i wonder if wholesale clubs offer a large quantity of them. i guess i'll just have to go and see. i figured after all the BJ's i've given, it might be a sign.

~tulip, already a lifetime giver of BJ's now a BJ's club member


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RE: Sam's Club-type shopping - 10/24/2009 6:53:00 AM   
Level


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Status: offline 		God bless the givers!

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Fake the heat and scratch the itch
Skinned up knees and salty lips
Let go it's harder holding on
One more trip and I'll be gone

~~ Stone Temple Pilots

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RE: Sam's Club-type shopping - 10/24/2009 7:01:24 AM   
divi


Posts: 11109
Joined: 9/4/2007
Status: offline 		Heya Level!  We don't have Sam's club here but we do have Costco & BJ's.  I belong to them both.  I tend to go to BJ's more because I also can get gas which is cheaper.  I find meat a lot cheaper there then in our local stores.  And it would be a good idea to get a small freezer as well.  The membership fee aren;t too  bad cause I split with a friend. 

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RE: Sam's Club-type shopping - 10/24/2009 7:01:46 AM   
sirsholly


Posts: 42360
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From: Quietville
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quote:

I can't speak for the quality of their meats, since I don't shop there. 
i can't speak for Costco because there are none around here (darnit) but i do buy some meats at Sams. Their chicken and pork are very good and a lot cheaper than at a normal grocery store. Don't go home with out freezer paper/bags though, as everything is sold in bulk.
We raise our own beef so i generally don't buy it, but it has been good the few times i have got it there.


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