Have you been wanting to give Sam’s Club a try? Through May 25th you can use this FREE one-day pass to try your hand at warehouse club shopping.
No strings attached on this one, folks!
Have you been wanting to give Sam’s Club a try? Through May 25th you can use this FREE one-day pass to try your hand at warehouse club shopping.
No strings attached on this one, folks!
The following is a guest post from Cheryl at Swap Savers.
In order to purchase items at warehouse clubs (i.e. BJ’s, Costco, Sam’s Club) you have to pay a membership fee usually around $40-$50 a year. Before you pay the price for admission ask yourself these questions to figure out if it is worth it.
How far away do you live? Similar to a gym membership, if you live far away (20 minutes or more) from the warehouse club, the chances of you using it on a regular basis decrease significantly. If you live close by (5 minutes or less) and you are able to purchase milk and other staple items, the prices are considerably less then other stores. Also these staple items rarely go on sale at most grocery or other stores so the prices will always be less at the warehouse clubs.
Will you use the entire product? Most items sold at warehouse clubs are sold in bulk. If you have a large family or business, your odds of using up the entire food product before it goes bad increases. However if you have an average size family buying in bulk might equate to throwing away a lot of food.
How do the prices compare to nearby stores? This requires some research, but in the long run you will save either the price of the membership or you will save money from purchasing less expensive items at the warehouse club. If you already have a price log of items you purchase on a regular basis, bring it with you to the warehouse club you are considering and compare prices. You will need to do some math to figure out the price per unit for the bulk items. If you don’t have a price log create one for a few weeks making sure you write down the prices of items you purchase especially when the items are on sale since the sale prices can be noticeably lower then warehouse prices. Also keep in mind most grocery stores double coupons and warehouse clubs do not.
Does the warehouse offer a free trial membership? Before purchasing the membership, ask if you can do a month or more free trial membership (without the surcharge fees). BJ’s usually offers a free three month holiday membership in October. Obviously if you can try it for free first, you have more time to use the above questions to figure out if it is worth paying for the rest of the year.
Deal Seeking Mom here: I’ve talked before about some of my favorite items to purchase at warehouse clubs. Buying in bulk makes sense for some of the items that our large family uses; however, smaller families might choose to pair up to share the savings. What are your favorite items to purchase at warehouse clubs?
Swap Savers is a social network for frugal folks who love freebies, coupons & rewards. Check it out!
Sam’s Club has another great promotion going on for new members!
Join Sam’s Club as a new member Thursday, January 15th, through Wednesday, January 21st, and receive a $25 Sam’s Club Gift Card.
Though Sam’s Club doesn’t accept coupons, there are several items that are a smart buy there for our large family. Milk is always much cheaper there, and we go through a LOT of milk. I love the big bags of frozen Tyson chicken breasts, and we always buy frozen pizzas to keep in the freezer chest for evenings when we just don’t feel like cooking.
One other thing that we’ve started stocking up on there is rechargeable batteries! Deals on those don’t come along often, and you get way more for your money, usually with a charger included.
If you have a smaller family, you could always split a membership with a close friend or family member and then divvy up the food between you to still get the low prices buying in bulk can net without wasting any food.
What are your tips for warehouse club shopping? What are some things that you find are good deals? What types of things do you prefer to purchase elsewhere?
Purchase $50 worth of Procter & Gamble products at Sam’s Club through January 31st, 2009, and receive a $10 Sam’s Club Gift Card with mail-in rebate!
Here’s a list of P&G products available at most Sam’s Club stores.
I don’t see anything that would preclude this from also being used as the $50 purchase needed to get the $120 in coupons from P&G as well, so ask them to print two receipts to submit for both offers!
Thanks, Bargain Briana!
I tweeted about this exciting opportunity last week during the Walmart Saturday Morning Meeting, and now I now have the details on how you can get in on the Sam’s Club Savings Challenge!
New members can score a Sam’s Club Membership that’s good through December 31st, 2008 for just $10! And it’s really easy to get started.
Beginning tomorrow, Friday, October 17th, through Sunday, October 26th, consumers can visit any Sam’s Club to sign up. There are no strings attached. You just hand over $10 and you can test out shopping at Sam’s Club for a full 10 weeks.
I’ve been a long-time member through my dad’s account, and I can tell you they have great holiday deals. So this could not have come at a better time for you all to take advantage of it!
Check out all the details here, and if you decide to sign up, I’d love for you to come back and give me your honest opinion! Or if you’re a current member, tell me why shopping there is worth the membership fee!