Sam's club "worth it" for 2 people

[travelbug]

One person household here, and I became a Sam's Club member just a couple months ago, courtesy of a really good Groupon deal. Thought I'd give it a try for a year and see. I'm already really impressed by how much I save getting gas for my car there, and getting discounted Disney gift cards there or through their website. They also sell numerous other gift cards that are discounted as well, for places I go anyway.

I don't buy a ton of groceries there, as I can do better price wise on most things by coupling coupons with sale prices at Meijer, Kroger, etc. But there are definitely a few things that I have found there for an excellent price.

All in all, I will have no trouble recouping the membership cost even if/when I renew at regular membership prices.

 

[dougsmom98]

I think we save money, not because their prices are so good, but because I don't have to go to the grocery store as often because we have a stock pile. The more I stay out of the stores, the more money I save.

 

[si-am]

We are two adults with a membership at Sams. Honestly, we don't buy much there, but I enjoy looking around. The best deals for me are on my face cream (the 2 packs are a really good deal) and magazines. Their gas is cheap, too. If money was tight, I don't think the membership is worthwhile. If you've got some extra money lying around, though, then it might be worth it for the occasional bargains to be found,

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

We were Sams Club members when we had our teenagers living at home, but now that it is just my wife and I, we let our membership expire without renewing. We really don't miss it a great deal either.

 

[hpfan100]

We have a SAMs club and Costco membership and there are just two if us. We split the cost of the memberships with family to keep the cost down. I don't make it to Costco much since it's far away and won't rake my reward credit cards. At SAMs I buy books, movies, shoes, some clothes, bottled water, sparkling ice and vitamin water regularly. On occasion I buy cheese, frozen veg, veggie burgers, bread, chips and nuts. Every month they have sale items that make the prices even better. i go about 5 times a year which makes my share of the membership worth it.

 

[blondietink]

We have a membership at both Sam's and BJ's. I prefer BJ's because they have a larger variety of things food wise and the quantity you need to buy is smaller, especially in fresh produce, meat, etc. My DH prefers Sam's because they usually have good deals on men's clothing (work pants for $10, etc.) tools and garden equipment, and photography developing. He takes tons of photos and he goes there to develop them instantly and he saves a ton of money. There is no Costco within 8 hours of us.

 

[Peridot83]

I have a Sams Club 5 minutes away, and Costco is 20-25 min. I joined Sams Club one year when there was a groupon even though I have been sharing a Costco membership with my Mom for 12 years or so (not sure on the official rules, but you get a second card for a family member so you could split the cost with someone). Honestly, most of the time I went in SC I would walk out empty handed because I could get better quality/prices at Costco. I would say SC has a better selection of name brands, which I personally can do better on with coupons at a regular store. What I love about Costco is their Kirkland brand products. Most of the time they are equal, or even better in quality to the name brand but much cheaper.

 

[mrp4352]

It's just my mom and I and we buy bulk meet at Sam's then freeze it after portioning it into smaller amounts. We've found it's worth it for us between that and the other few things we buy there.

 

[willowsnn3]

My dd has Sam's card thru her employer. They have allowed my other dd & I to tag along on the account as 'partners' so for the first two years we paid $18 dollars each for a business account pass (extended hours) and this past year something happened when dd's boss was there and she made a complaint. Wound up getting a free year for everyone. We buy the 36 pack of tp and all our celebratory cakes there and maybe a few other item occasionally.
The savings in gas alone would be worth paying the full price to me. Gas is generally around 20 cents cheaper there. And its on the way to/from work so not out of the way. Works for us.

 

[hsmamato2]

my Sams club - the gas prices are not much different that the regular gas prices....last time I stopped by it wasn't worth the long wait... and their food choices seem to be limited compared to costco. I think they sell more 'junkfood' IMHO and since I rarely spend on stuff like that Sams is a waste for me overall (except that the cost to try it out was MORE than free) gonna check out Bj's today for another free deal, see how they compare to Costco (we are 4 people)

 

[lvillotta1]

I share my mom's card with her. She is in charge of the funeral committee at her church so Sams is where she buys all that stuff. I fill all my prescriptions there and they are the cheapest pharmacy in town. They carry some Eddie Bauer clothes that I love. I am a big Aldi's shopper and my grovery budget has been cut in half. I can much better deals there on everyday household items. I am not picky about brand at all. I would not have a membership on my own though.

 

[Arkansan]

We have a Costco membership, but have been members at SAMs Club when we lived somewhere without a Costco. I prefer Costco, however I have seen newspaper ads and heard radio ads for a free rotisserie chicken, a free special salad, and 8 free gourmet cupcakes with the purchase of a SAMs membership. I don't know the price of these items, but I would guess that if you would eat them they would be at least half the cost of joining. May be worth checking out if they are available to you.

Also, my parents are Costco members (different state from me) and they find it beneficial for their 2 person household.

 

[hsmamato2]

Well, now that I have officially tried Sams Bj's and Costco.... Costco is my favorite- Bj's a close second, and Sam's a distant 3rd. That said, Sams and BJ's are everywhere, and I have to drive a 1/2 hour out of my way to get to Costco. And I like that BJ's allows al forms of payment- it's easier. (At Sams I have to use my mastercard,at Costco my Amex)

 

[usnuzuloose]

I used to shop at Price Club (now Costco) and Sams Club. But that was before we had ANY Walmarts here. Now that we have not only Walmart, but Super Walmart and Walmart neighborhood markets, I can get good prices on sizes of products I actually can use. And Smart and Final, and "non-membership" club store has expanded vastly in this area in the past year. They are pretty close on price too. And all those other options are a mile or two or three from home, where as Sams Club is 6 miles away, and costco about 8 miles away.

We finally got a Smart and Final around the corner. YaY! I love their sales