RoughCollie Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 We have a Sam's Club here. I went to the one in Louisville with my uncle last week, and he said he thinks the prices are great, much lower than in regular stores. In particular, he said the meat was good and the office supplies (copier paper, mainly) are cheaper than Staples. Do you all agree? We do not have Costco or BJ's here, so Sam's Club is it. Thanks, RC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katemary63 Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 Sam's Club meat is very good. Higher quality then most local grociery stores. I've never been disappointed. I'm not totally sure it's worth it all the time to join financially, but I would anyway! I love Sams and wish I had one closer. I only go twice a year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest janainaz Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 I think it is. We buy certain items there (frozen chicken breasts, berries, eggs, milk, coffee, cheese, bread, laundry detergent, dish detergent, etc.) If I were to buy some of those items at the grocery store, I would definitely pay a lot more. We also use Sam's for gas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 If you are disciplined when you go, I believe for many families it is worth it. I always check the clearance rack. I can usually find dented/opened paper products very cheap. I buy meat, cheese, yogurt, snacks we frequently eat and home paper products. ETA: They have a cleaning product there I can't find anywhere else called OdoBan that I love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 You may call first and ask if you can do a walk through. Some of the large stores will allow this and you can see what the prices are like in your area. Different cities have different pricing structures. If yours has fuel, and is in a convienent spot, that can be a big money saver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 I would also suggest a walk-through. I did this at Costco here, for a second time (the first time years ago I said no thanks). Now, I could see within a few aisles it was worth it for me. They have rice milk cases for almost half the price of traditional retail, and my dd can't tolerate cow or soy milk. Brilliant! And they have a lot more organic/HFCS-free products now, a lot nuts/dried fruit, etc, that I appreciate. And cheese is crazy cheap. So for me NOW, it's worth it. But I do have to be careful not to get sucked in by all the cheap options (and all the yummy samples, lol). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted October 19, 2009 Author Share Posted October 19, 2009 Thanks. I'm going to sign up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConnieB Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 They actually will let you visit and BUY, but they add a 5% surcharge (or they do in our area, but here the competition is fierce as Costco is just a few blocks away). Definitely wander through and see if the items that you use are carried by Sam's......we mostly get their meat and dairy as far as food goes......and then also the health & beauty (feminine products are 1/2 the cost of Walmart) and paper products. Those alone save us more than our business membership costs. We don't do much canned foods, so there are only a few things we get in the rest of the food section (spices, coffee, tea). Heck, just the savings for that big bag of Halloween candy makes me happy we have a membership....and I guess that makes the kids in the neighborhood happy because otherwise I'd not be handing it out if I had to pay Walmart's prices for a small bag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 Friends of ours, with a family of 6, buy a lot of milk. The dh will get the milk at BJs on his way home from work. For the amount of milk they buy, and the few pennies of saving each week, the savings on their milk ends up paying for the membership in about 6 months, then any other savings, is just money in their pocket! Personally, I think you have to be VERY disciplined when you go to those places. At first, dh and I weren't and we lost a lot of money and bought stuff we couldn't really use. When you're in the store and everything is in such big quantities, you start to forget what a reasonable amount of say, candy bars looks like! (I'll never eat a Mounds bar again--gak.) But if you comparison shop and find out which items really are cheaper (not all are), and just buy from your list or are very careful to only buy what you really, really need--then it's great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 I don't find its worth it, but I didn't buy any of their meat OR prepared foods. Pasta was cheap, but I did better than their prices during some big sales, that seem to be repeating constantly. Their rice is a good deal. Flour not so much, because sometimes it was only available in one giant 25 lb bag -- not easy for me to deal with. I found things like their paper towels, aluminum foil, etc. to be at times more expensive than retail, esp if you scout sales. There are things like, say, clothes there; I really never bought any of this, and found cheaper stuff on sale/clearance in dept stores, but I can see that this might differ by area or by your tendency to get bills, and how you dress. It depends on what you eat, how you shop, and how expensive shops in your area area. Sam's Club milk, for example, is not cheaper than milk bought at other stores'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in OH Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 I recently joined because the savings on prescriptions in our family paid for the membership. We don't have co-pay drug coverage, rather we have an HSA and pay the cash price for medicine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teachermom2834 Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 It's worth it for us. Meat is priced well and better quality than an average grocery store. I just bought a case of ground beef and the savings from that alone will pay for the membership. I buy rice, ap and bread flour, baked chips, some seasonings I use alot of, snack sized packages of peanuts. The big bags of shredded cheese are a big money saver for me. I have to be very disciplined. Most things there are not a great deal and if you shop Aldi you can get comparable prices on many things without having to buy the huge quantities. Storage is an issue, so keep that in mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyWifeandMommy Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 If you live by one it's worth it. We had BJs and Sams and both were on the way home from hubby's work. Now both are a hour away so not worth it to us. We use to go to the big town monthly but not no more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleepymommy Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 We only have a Sam's Club here too. When we lived in NY we were members of Costco, I loved Costco (they had a huge supply of organic fruits and veggies not made in China). I did a walk through at our local Sam's and didn't see that it was worth the membership. I did buy a few things (legos, cardstock), but I just paid the surcharge, it wasn't enough to pay for the membership. I can see how it would be worth it for those that but food items, but we get our meat from a local farm, our veggies from the farmers market, and our milk from a local dairy, so not really worth it for us. Ds1 has multiple food issues, so prepackaged food is out for us too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 For my family, the advantage of Sam's Club is that I can buy larger quantities of the items I buy most often. The box of pancake mix I buy at the local grocery store only lasts 1.5 breakfasts. I can buy the same brand from Sam's and get just about 8-10 times that. Same thing with toilet paper, paper towels, pens/markers, Gatorade, etc. I don't know that it is a lot cheaper, it's just a lot more convenient for me. My boys, all teens now, tend to eat constantly :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 I'm as yet undecided. At first we thought yes, but I shop there less and less as we get more and more organic/local. The meat is good supermarket quality, but I'm not sure the prices are better than the butcher. The produce is well priced and fresh, but most of it is conventional and imported. At the one in Dover, member gas prices are higher than the Wawa across the street, and I've found several items that are much more expensive than just buying them at the grocery store or Walmart (Kashi cereal comes to mind). I think it would be beneficial for large families that eat a lot of processed food, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 It is all in the location, what you buy and how much. We don't save as much as most families. We eat organic foods mostly, so as for groceries, we get a huge package of organic spring mix for less than half the price I would at any other store, and I even get a 20% discount at one health food store. So, we buy about 20-30 of just those a year, saving at least $4-$6 each. Just ten of them alone pays for the membership. Now and then they have other organic produce. They have good men's jeans for around $13 here and in my husband's size, which has been very difficult to find in any store and certainly not at that price. Yeah, once in a while, we find jeans on sale, but it is really difficult to find his size and we run from one store to another for just work jeans that will probably have ink on them after one wearing. (He services industrial ink printers.) We bought ten of them in the last year. Our DVD player just died on us and we looked to get a DVD/VHS combo that would allow us to copy VHS to DVD. They have one that is $50 less than the best price I can find online without added shipping costs. So, even though that $40 membership a year seems to be borderline worth it for us at the time it is due, when I add it up over a year's time, it is worth it and it saves me some gas and time as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 I'm a convert to Sam's membership. I skip coupons now if the items are available at Sam's and I get a good feeling knowing I'm getting the cheapest price without all the work. Bread here for instance in a regular grocery store is just under three dollars a loaf for a good whole wheat. At Sam's it's $2.33 for two loaves. We get all our TP, paper towels, tissue, feminine toiletries, shampoo, conditioner, flour, sugar, spices, (CHEAP MAPLE Syrup!) pancake mix, baked beans, salsa, tea, cheese, frozen goods, office/school supplies, dishwasher detergent, dishwasher jet dry, paper plates, bathroom cups, occasional plastic table ware, napkins, OJ, butter, sour cream, cottage cheese, bananas, carrots, potatoes, crackers, chips, chex mix, fresh baked goodies, flour tortillas, tomato sauce, tuna, real Parmesan cheese, Laughing Cow cheese, snack foods, Halloween candy, fruit and juice, Gatorade etc. Wow...my regular list is pretty long there. My dh insited we try it for a year and then renew our membership. Wispering...He was right:blush5: I don't buy their milk (they do have organic btw) or eggs because I'm super picky with those and always buy local. I won't purchase fresh veggies unless they are produced in the US or Canada and find they have high quality and it's just cheaper. We do purchase magazines, books, occasional clothing items. I find Polos for dh there for $20. Each store is different. I've grown to love shopping at Sam's weekly and now my expensive grocery store run is less often and way less money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 Thanks. I'm going to sign up. I find it's worth it (milk, produce, cheese, meat and vitamins/OTC drugs). I don't remember if you still have your business, but if you do I'd sign up for a business membership. I think it's only a bit more (maybe $5?), and you get a personal card as well. But you also get access to their Gold Key Hours, meaning you can go between 7 and 9 and miss all the crowds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 CHEAP MAPLE Syrup! My oldest son loves real maple syrup but it has always been so expensive that we only got it when we ate out (Cracker Barrel). But since discovering it at Sam's, I buy it for him. Since he's away at college and only comes home a couple of weekends a month, it lasts a long time :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 How sweet:D. It is good syrup though and Sam's allows me not to be the crazy mom rationing the syrup.;) My oldest son loves real maple syrup but it has always been so expensive that we only got it when we ate out (Cracker Barrel). But since discovering it at Sam's, I buy it for him. Since he's away at college and only comes home a couple of weekends a month, it lasts a long time :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 It's totally worth it for me, and we're only a family of 2. I get toilet paper, paper towels, cat litter, coffee, cheese, yogurt, lunch meat, some produce, sea food, office supplies, flour, sugar, nuts, baking supplies, eggs, milk, butter, cream cheese, on and on. I think if you have the place to store bulk items, it's worth the trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardnesd Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 the deals there are amazing and you will recoup your membership fee especially if you own a sm business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 I love SAM's and it saves my family a ton. I use click and pull so my order is ready when I arrive. This saves me time and money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonibee Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 I suppose I'm the oddball here, but I have never left a Sam's Club shopping trip without spending $250 or more. Never. Everything is a deal. You save SO much money buying in bulk. What happened at my house was we started eating in bulk. Having supersize boxes of everything . . . I finally said No more Sam's Club. I am sure that my food bill has decreased by 1000's of dollars a year. I have not been in a Sam's Club for 5 years. Everything they have can be bought in a reasonable size for a reasonable price elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avila Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 I love SAM's and it saves my family a ton. I use click and pull so my order is ready when I arrive. This saves me time and money. :iagree::iagree::iagree: And this way no muffins accidentally sneak into my cart! Bad muffins! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 I love being a business member. My favorite time to go is 7:30 in the morning. No crowds. I love buying produce there. The meat is terrific. Wine is a pretty good deal as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 It has been for us. We make a monthly trip to Sams and manage to get groceries for a family of 4 with lots to spare for under $400. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiddenJewel Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 It is worth it for us. I definitely buy my eggs and cheese there among other things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiddenJewel Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 I suppose I'm the oddball here, but I have never left a Sam's Club shopping trip without spending $250 or more. Never. Everything is a deal. You save SO much money buying in bulk. We spend a lot at one time at Sam's Club but it also lasts a long time. It would be a problem if we increased our portions just because we had the food in the house. That temptation is one downside of buying in bulk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyThreeSons Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 What we save on eyeglasses alone is more than worth the membership price for us. It is VERY easy, however, to spend MORE at Sam's than you would otherwise. When you buy in bulk, the tendency is for some (kids, especially) to go thru the items more quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyThreeSons Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Our local Sam's almost always has the lowest gas prices in the area. You need to swipe your member card to buy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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