Is Sam's worth the membership?

[rnorwo1]

I stopped renewing my Sam's membership a few years ago after I felt like most of their prices were too close to Walmart or sale prices, and they are much further away from me than walmart. All I found that was considerably cheaper were a few cleaning items and a few can goods. There have recently been a few times that it would have been convenient for me to go there for, but I'm not sure it's worth it. We don't have a costco or other discount stores around here, and walmart is where I do most of my shopping as target and other stores are very far away from us.

So do you think you save enough money to justify the membership? What sort of things do you save money on? I'm also interested in ordering one of their outdoor play sets... do you have to have the membership to order online? If so, I guess that would make it worth it right there. We will hopefully only have about 6 more months of diapers, not sure if they're cheaper there? Thanks for sharing your experiences!

 

[bridget]

I think it is worth it. This is what I buy
Tuna
Milk
Oj
Cheese
Lunch meat
Frozen fruit
Rice

 

[hanutedmansionmomma]

Savings on food...I say "meh"

Milk is cheaper, packages of snacks are cheaper, but I'm a coupon shopper and can get same prices at the grocery store with a shopper club card. I ALWAYS spend more $ when I shop at Sam's. Sometimes bigger isn't better I think.

Savings on other big stuff...I say YES! 3 out of 4 of us got glasses there in the last month and the savings was in the $100s as compared to the optometrist or Lens Crafters.

Maybe just get the $40 po' folks membership like I have. They're pushing a $100 fancy membership every time I check out. Uh, no thanks.

I'm actually thinking about not renewing, but the glasses were a big savings.

Will be interested to see others' opnions

 

[minniebeth]

I think it really depends on your family and their needs...

I feel like I can get a better buy with double coupons at our local grocery store (Kroger, Giant Eagle) for a lot of items.

BUT still, we save a tremendous amount of $ on a lot of other items we get from Sam's as well.

I have 3 kids though, DS16, DD13 and DD9. They all eat a lot between meals, snacks and lunches (as we don't eat out much) and they all have friends over often. Sleepovers alone make our trip to Sam's worth it.

I can't comment on diaper savings...
I can say I don't think their toiletries items are much of a savings (shampoos, tootpaste, shaving cream, etc.) as I can get those with coupons much cheaper.
Same for laundry soaps and certain cleaners...

Things we KNOW we save a lot on because I do price comparisons at the grocery store:
K cups: Sams has Carribou coffee K cups for 40cents each, definite savings
Cases of bottled water
Cases of juice boxes, individual juices, Gatorades, etc.
Juice (Mott's apple in particular, you can get 2 huge bottles for the cost of one at the grocery)
Milk
Orange Juice
Individual packaged snacks
Tortilla chips
Salsa
Bisquick**huge savings
Sunmaid Raisins**huge savings
Carnation Instant Breakfast drink shake packets**huge savings
Kraft Mac and Cheese
Spices (garlic powder, etc.)
Ketchup**big savings
Chips
Bread**huge savings
crackers
cheeses (I buy the big blocs of cheddar, colby jack and shred and use them for recipes...big savings!)
String cheese
Hummus (make my own pita chips with whole wheat pita bread)
fruit
veggies ( I par cook a lot of them and then freeze in batches)
Castle Brand lunch meat
Cascade Dishwasher soap** big savings
Bounty Paper Towels**big savings

So, I do think it is worth it for our family. We do spend a lot when we go, usually around $300 to $400 every 3 months, but we stock up and it usually gets us through in combination with our regualar grocery shopping. A lot of items last longer than that too.

 

[Nik's Mom]

There are some things that make Sam's Club a real bargain, others not so much.
I usually buy the following from Sam's:
milk
bread
baked chicken
capri sun juice
paper towels
toilet paper
chips
some fruit (strawberries when in season, grapes when in season).
Dove shampoo and conditioner
kid's shampoo

I have compared prices between Costco, Sam's and our grocery store, so I only buy things at Sam's when I know I can't beat the price somewhere else. Milk is always losest at sams. The rest are usually lowest at Sam's, unless there is a big sale at the grocery store.

 

[Kay1]

We belong to Costco but they're pretty similar. We save big on OTC medications and supplements, and cheese and paper goods, too.

Good luck making your decision.

 

[jmpellet]

I just returned from Sam's a little while ago and here's what I purchased:

Milk $2.42 ($2.99 at Walmart)
Bread (cheap and always in good supply unlike my Walmart)
Castle hood lunch meat
pre-cooked chicken (always $4.99)
boneless checken (always $1.97/pound)
canned veggies (always as cheap as the market's sale price)
Sliced cheese (5 pounds for $11.72)

Plus free lunch as they had so many samples!

Other no so often stuff includes tires, mattresses, and the holiday cards were dirt cheap this past year.

 

[Crystal824]

We didn't renew our membership for a couple of years. Now that we have dd, we get diapers and wipes there. We also get snack foods, produce, and meats there too.

 

[TheBigBadWolf]

It wasn't worth it for us. We let our membership expire and haven't gotten another one.

 

[momof1princess]

sam's is definitely worth it for us. we buy all of our meat there at a much lower per pound price than the local grocery stores. we also get pre-cooked bacon, frozen chicken breasts, juice, crackers and microwave popcorn MUCH cheaper. i buy OM turkey lunchmeat at sam's, and what i pay for 2 packs at sam's is the price for ONE pack at wal-mart. i definitely get my money's worth.

 

[Granfan]

It is worth it for us for sure, but I stick to the $40 membership. It took me a couple of years of trial and error to learn what we will really use and what kinds of things not to buy. I buy canned fruit and vegetables, nuts, bags of apples, oranges, bread, milk, eggs, and lots of items others have mentioned. A very large bag of salad is just a little more than a tiny bag at the market. We don't use it all but we can have big salads for about a week! Don't shop hungry and make a list before you go of the kind if things you need.

 

[mfduddy]

We are a family of 4.(2 teenage boys) I go every week. 5-6 gallons of milk, bread, oj, pasta, sauce, meats, paper products and shower gel. I spend between $80 -100 each week. Can't imagine NOT shopping at Sam's. I get my moneys worth renewing within the first month.

 

[walkdmc]

I like Sam's rotisserie chicken the most. I've had the chickens from Costco and BJs and neither come close in tastiness, IMO. I also like their cook's aisle, where they sell cheap restaurant supply things that I use around the house (cookie sheets, white table cloths, chef's scissors, plastic cutting board, huge serving spoons and big mixing bowls). I but other odds and ends and food, but the chicken is probably THE reason I just paid $100 for my annual membership.

 

[amez]

We get our $40 membership at my dh's work when Sam's club comes in because they give a $20 gift card so it cuts the membership in half. In addition to many of the savings others have mentioned we try to get our gas there--it's always the cheapest

 

[worm761]

We buy our dog food at Sam's. We buy a 50 lb bag of food every three weeks. I have two dogs one of which is a large breed dog over 100 lbs.
We buy flour, both bread and AP, spices, tomato sauce (2.47 for a giant can!), and salsa. We only get some odds and ends there. Things that I know we will use in bulk. I can get basics for cheaper with coupons. I got pasta a while back for less than 10 cents a pound.
I buy my allergy meds there. I take OTC Claritin and use a generic. The generic at Sam's was 12.98 for 360 pills. The generic at Walmart is $10 for 30 pills. I save my membership cost in allergy meds alone.
I second not going hungry. We did that last month. I went in for dog food and flour. I walked out with so much junk it wasn't funny. It was yummy though!

 

[SookieStackhouse]

For us it isn't, I bought a membership last year because I had a promo to get $10 GC with purchase of a membership. I shopped there about 4 times or so during that year. However, I found a deal on like fatwallet where I could renew for FREE and get a premium membership so I did that. I've been once so far under the new membership.

I think it depends on how much you buy and what you buy.

 

[budafam]

I go there mainly for snack foods and some frozen. We live about 40 min. away from the closest one so we go maybe once every 2 months if we're lucky. I always go right before my membership runs out and load up then I can go a few months without having to go there and reup a new membership (they don't cut any deals to renew right away otherwise I would do that). It's worth it just for the fruit snacks, animal crackers, goldfish crackers & fish sticks.

 

[hpfan100]

I've had a Sam's membership for awhile and I don't think it is right fro everyone.

Stuff I buy there on a regular basis:
gas for car, contact lenses or glasses, berries when in season, used to buy bottled water there when I drank it

If you are interested consider taking a friend with you and share the membership fee. I am the second person on my mom's account which saves a ton of money up front. Also find a friend who already has a membership and go shop with them once to see if it is worth it to you.

 

[disneymarie]

For the Gas, the $4.99 roasted chickens alone it is for me.
But electronics, you can not beat the return policy and extended warranty plans.

Bakery birthday cakes and other special occasion are unbeatable.

I buy all our socks, leisure pants, tops, and chicken salad in the containers.

There are just some things that you can not do with out at SAMs.

 

[Mom of 3 Princesses]

That is a great question.

We just started really 'using' our membership. In the past 3 months, we have revamped the way we grocery shop. We were spending about 150.00 a week for groceries. With doing some comparison shopping based on price per ounce and stocking up on staples.. i.e. cheese, juice and other things that we use a lot of.. we have cut out bill down to....TAH DAH.. drum roll please

98.50 for this week!!!!

I love it. We freeze a lot and plan menus as well.