BJ's/Sam's Club/Costco

shaina925

I got a coupon for a free two month membership to BJ's and I went today to check it out.  I used another coupon a while back but never ended up buying to much there.  I am really just shopping for my husband and I.  Just wondering for those who do go to places like that what you usually buy.  I did some calculations and in a lot of cases it is cheaper to buy the item not in bulk.  It depends though. 

I did get this good deal, a HUGE pack of Charmin toilet paper (I think it equaled out to 80 regular rolls) for 18 dollars PLUS I had a coupon for buying that I got a free 4 pack of kleenex tissues (5 dollar value)  I was definitely happy about that one.  

I got tuna in a 10 pack for around 8 bucks (it worked out to 85 cents a can) Not bad... but I have seen this same brand from time to time go on sale for 48 cents a can which is a GREAT deal!  You have to catch the sale though...

And I got low fat string cheese 36 for 7.79.  This was a good deal because I had a manufactuers coupon for 3 dollars off the purchase of two, and the coupon didnt work but then I complained about it and they let me use it anyways so it was an awesome deal! 4 bucks for 36 string cheeses!  

I found that toothpaste, gum, and a lot of health and beauty needs were better off purchased not in bulk.

Would love to hear others thoughts on all of this.  Thanks!  Oh and I don't think it would be worth me paying 40 dollars for a 14 month membership, I don't think I would use it often enough for me to justify that. 

Avion22

Sams sometimes has really good deals on electronics, furniture, office supplies, and stuff like that.  You could easily make up a $40 membership fee with one printer, chair, area rug, or whatever.   But I find food and other household goods REALLY hard to save money on -- I just can't buy enough to make it worth it, unless I'm having a party.

cwaggoner07

I use my mom's membership occasionally, but I can't justify having a membership just for H and I. Usually I just end up buying non-food items (toilet paper, cleaning products, etc.).

krizzo17

We have a Costco membership. Having been a member of both BJs and Costco, I definitely prefer Costco's selection.
Things we always buy at Costco: Paper towels, toilet paper, frozen fish filets, frozen chicken breasts, ground beef, gatorade, granola bars, spaghetti sauce, olive oil, laundry detergent

Things we sometimes buy: pizza, small electronics, fruit, prepared foods (usually for a party), seasonal items (usually christmas gifts), books, dvds

ChristineNB

DH has a costco membership and has been a member for years.  We usually buy paper products (paper plates, toliet paper, paper towels).  We will buy non-perishable food items (ie rice) or frozen food products (ie shrimp) that won't spoil quickly.

Costco does have an amazing deal on steaks as well as veggie tray (only $10 for a premade tray), but we typically only buy those items if we know we are having people over.

I did do a trial BJ's membership in the past, and personally perfer BJ's.  I found more brands there that i would buy.  I also like with BJ's you get two membership cards for your annual fee, whereas at Costco we only get one card, so I can't go without DH.  I would love to be a BJ's member but DH doesn't want to leave Costco and I can't justify two memberships for the two of us

thejucheidea

I have a Sam's membership as one of my work benefits, but I don't use it much because we don't live close to a Sam's. My mom lives at Costco though -- she works for a nonprofit, so Costco is a great place for her to pick up stuff for events at work.

OliveOilsMom

H & I have a BJ's membership.  We love the monthly coupons that come in and the quarterly Journal that is also chock full of coupons.  We recently bought my new laptop from them.  My H is a computer nerd and says that they have some of the best prices on electronics, that are not refurbished. 

We usually buy all of our meat products from them.  They also have cheap deli meats (not all BJs have a deli though).  Also, H is lactose intolerant and BJs has the cheapest price for Lactaid milk and the Lactaid pills, which they also frequently have coupons for.  We also buy all of our health and beauty stuff from them. 

Depending on what brands you buy, it seems like they always have coupons every other month for certain brands.  And of course, BJs takes manufacturers coupons, which I don't think any of the bulk stores do - unless they have changed their policies.

cnf2013

I definitely get my money out of my BJ's membership. We buy all of our nonfood items there, like toilet paper, papertowels, soap and detergent, body wash, etc. They also send out coupon booklets every month. And BJ's excepts competitors coupons too, so that's another way to save. Granted we have one right in town, so it's convienent for us. They're gas is also always about 10cents cheaper than anywhere else in town. I never fill up anywhere else if I can help it.

We get some food items there too, dog treats, chips and dip if friends are coming over, drinks, some canned foods, olive oil. 

rachelm13

I love Costco!  I have rented cars through them at amazingly cheap rates, in California where my mom lives, you can get gas there, there is one in NYC that I go to for TP and that kind of stuff (I live in a standard small nyc apt) but the HBA, electronics, and paper products are so much cheaper for me!  (I just had to buy a new tv and it was $200 cheaper than best buy!)

StephJean83

I signed up for Sam's thru work because they gave you a $40 gift card just for signing up that could be used at a Sam's or Wal Mart. I was going on a long road trip and the cost of things like bottled water and snacks were cheaper vs going to the grocery store and buying it when I orignally signed up. When my FH and I renewed our membership the first year, they had a special going and we got a $20 gift card for renewing and the 2nd year we renewed our membership and 2 days later FH's work was signing up/renewing memberships and giving out $40 gift cards and they gave him the card. We buy paper products, peanut butter, butter and milk there for us and our roommate. We also get detergent, hand soap, vitamins and protein shakes there. Our roommate has had a membership since he was in college and he buys veggies, snacks, premade salad mixes, and his tolietries there. My sister came with me and priced out diapers when she was pregnant and her DH went to Costco with his parents and priced out diapers(we don't have BJ's by us) and Costco was cheaper for diapers, so they used her in law's membership to get diapers.

staar987

We have a Sam's membership. I got a card through my mom since you can have 2 cards and we split the cost. It is worth it to us. We live right across the street from one and we are saving on average 50cents a gallon on gas compared to other gas stations. We also buy things like paper plates, napkins, some frozen foods (we store whatever we can't fit in our freezer in his parent's little used deep freezer), and gifts. We also plan to buy candy and desserts there for our wedding dessert table since the prices there are far cheaper than anything else I've been able to find.

I have also bought diapers for friend's since they are way cheaper there.

freebread03

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_chit-chat_bjssams-clubcostco?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:14Discussion:1b32d1c5-c645-41dd-8331-20398b07437cPost:d6517c5e-099f-4563-9a02-bbcd9f40f7ab">Re: BJ's/Sam's Club/Costco</a>:
[QUOTE]DH has a costco membership and has been a member for years.  We usually buy paper products (paper plates, toliet paper, paper towels).  We will buy non-perishable food items (ie rice) or frozen food products (ie shrimp) that won't spoil quickly. Costco does have an amazing deal on steaks as well as veggie tray (only $10 for a premade tray), but we typically only buy those items if we know we are having people over. I did do a trial BJ's membership in the past, and personally perfer BJ's.  I found more brands there that i would buy.  I also like with BJ's you get two membership cards for your annual fee, whereas at Costco we only get one card, so I can't go without DH.  I would love to be a BJ's member but DH doesn't want to leave Costco and I can't justify two memberships for the two of us
Posted by ChristineNB[/QUOTE]

<div>I don't know who told you that you only get one card-next time you're there, go to member services.  FI and I have had two cards for years now.</div>

MrsGandthebeag

We have a BJs membership.  I think the price of milk alone is worth the membership fee.  A gallon of milk is usually $2.50 where it's about $4 at the grocery store.  We will also buy toliet paper, tissues, papertowels, vitamins, soap, dishwaher detergent and water there.  Sometimes we buy other things as well such as cans of beans or rice.  

egeurts

I am on a low-carb diet, and I got a Costco membership because meat and cheese are so much cheaper there than normal grocery stores. I can buy cheese in bulk for significantly cheaper, plus big packs of hamburger patties and frozen chicken breasts which I eat pretty much every day for lunch. I also like to buy big packs of peanuts and almonds that would be super expensive other places. That alone has made up for the membership cost, not to mention dishwasher and laundry detergent. I also like to buy large packs of soda, water, and paper products. 

The only thing I don't like about it is that I still have to go grocery shopping at smaller stores for produce because the fruits and veggies are too bulky for just H and I, and we can't eat them fast enough before they go bad. 

HuckSC

I now have a Costco membership through my bf, although completely by accident. I did have a Sam's membership and used it a lot for gas and some food items. You can normally find spices and baking supplies much cheaper at these places. Chicken is typically 2.99/lb at Costco, but that price only happens at my close Publix about once a month. I have price checked somethings and found that I can get the same price or so close +/- with coupons that the drive to Costco isn't warranted. I can see a day come when couponing will take up too much time and the prices are so close to the same with Costco, that I will just go to Costco.

Sidenote: Since I'm used to couponing, I'm also used to storing large amounts of food/non-perishables. Confession - I have 7 bottles of tide, 3 bottles of cascade, and 5 tubes of toothpaste in my laundry room.

kaos16

BJs has by far the cheapest milk and eggs around for our location.  We also get deli meats from there, they are great quality.  They have a huge fruits and vegetable selection that we take advantage of.  Greek yogurt is relatively inexpensive there, but the flavors are often limited at the one near us. 

Also, if you travel, the discounts on travel packages associated with these stores are great.

RamonaCollins

Thank you all for your insight! In addition to our wide selection of quality groceries, electronics and other items, Sam’s Club also offers free health screenings at our pharmacies. Please feel free to email us at social@samsclub.com with any additional questions. Thank you! – Ramona from Sam’s Club