What are you "do's" and "don'ts" for shopping at a warehouse club?

[maslex]

I'm trying to cut down on groceries. We're a family of 4 (2 teenaged boys) and I just had to up my budget to $250 a week!!! It's getting ridiculous. My husband suggested we try shopping at a warehouse maybe once a month for the majority of the stuff and then just pick up necessities throughout the week at our grocery store.

How are the meats & produce at warehouse clubs? The ones that we have around here are BJ's and Sam's Club (and they're both about 45-50 mins away).

Give me a run down on why or why not to use these places for groceries.

 

[goodeats]

We eat a fair bit of organic meat & dairy, and I find Costco is my best buy for these. I get organic eggs, chicken, and occasionally beef/bison. I get organic milk cheaper elsewhere. Also wild salmon is a good buy there. I also get non-organic beef, bacon, and italian sausage. I avoid buying the "junk" - i.e. the ginormous tubs of cheesy puffs or the big box of pop tarts. I also try to keep to my list.

The most important thing with costco is to know your prices. Some things are an outrageously bad deal, while others are great. Sometimes I'll buy things that aren't a great deal for convenience. The quality is typically high, and I always return if I'm not satisfied (moldy produce for example).

 

[Kim&Chris]

We belong to BJ's because they accept manufacturer's coupons.

In order to truly save money at these places, you have to have willpower (it's very easy to buy a massive box of Hershey bars, lol), and you have to know your prices. Sometimes their costs are actually higher than Target's, so keep that in mind. Buying in bulk doesn't always equal a cost savings.

I find that I save the most when I buy dairy products, some health & beauty items (soap & shampoo, mainly), and laundry stuff.

I've always been very happy with the quality of the meats purchased at BJ's.

 

[lovesmurfs]

I'm trying to cut down on groceries. We're a family of 4 (2 teenaged boys) and I just had to up my budget to $250 a week!!! It's getting ridiculous. My husband suggested we try shopping at a warehouse maybe once a month for the majority of the stuff and then just pick up necessities throughout the week at our grocery store.

How are the meats & produce at warehouse clubs? The ones that we have around here are BJ's and Sam's Club (and they're both about 45-50 mins away).

Give me a run down on why or why not to use these places for groceries.

This is just me personally -- I actually stopped using Sam's Club for anything other than specific events. I found myself buying stuff that was "there" and "at a good price" rather than what we really needed. I never got out of there for much less than $250 per trip, and that's when I was being careful.

Aldi's is a great market for staples, and I've been very pleased with the quality of the food. Then I supplement my shopping with our regular grocery store.

We've got two teens as well (DS19 and DD13), and they will eat. I've had to draw the line -- I go shopping X days -- if you eat things as soon as they get in the house, you won't have it. I have a running shopping list on the fridge, and that helps keep us centered.

Best wishes!!

 

[mamacatnv]

We recently moved to Central Texas - the produce in the grocery stores shocked us with its high price and low quality. We now buy almost all produce at Costco. The one thing we have noticed is that the produce doesn't last as long in our fridge, we assume this is due to shipping times etc and we have learned to adjust accordingly. We hit Costco once a week for the fresh produce and supplement with frozen.

We are a family of 3 now that DS is away to school. I buy all our meat, produce, laundry detergent, cat food, raw nuts, milk, frozen items, shredded cheese, bacon, butter, seasonings, some paper products and many OTC drugs at Costco.

I am not a fan of Sam's Club, its all name brand in large quantities whereas Costco has a lot of their Kirkland brand that I find to either be cheaper or I like it better. I cannot comment on Sam's produce or meat.

My weekly runs to the grocery store consists of:
Canned or boxed items
Grains/Pasta
Sauces
Condiments
All of the above due to Costco quantity just being too big
Dairy other than milk
Ice Cream
Frozen veggies
Deli meat - Costco is cheaper but I find the need to repackage the quantity to negate the savings

 

[Christine]

I have a Costco membership and use it for certain things that I know are a better deal. Generally, though, I don't like to buy bulk so I don't use Costco for food that much.

Chicken breast (Kirkland brand) run $2.99 per pound every day and each package contains about 6-7 lbs. As you know, sometimes the grocery store will have at least that good of a price if not better if they are having a sale. I do find the Kirkland brand chicken breasts can be kind of "tough" but I'm pretty picky about chicken--others probably don't even notice.

Romaine hearts - a bag of 6 at Costco is about the same price I pay for a bag of 3 at the regular store. The Costco ones are of better quality. Nice, full, crispy ones.

Grape Tomatoes - Twice as many as the regular grocery store sells for the same price.

Barilla Thin Spaghetti - Works out to be about $1.00 a box (sometimes they are discounted). It is anywhere from $.20 - $.40 more at the grocery store.

Costco sends out coupons once a month or so and during that time I will use them to buy bulk paper towels, toilet tissue, and whatever is in the coupons that I want.

 

[burnurcomputer]

I agree with know your prices. I have a family of 6 and some items are a great value for us in bulk and some do not add up for savings.

I find the fruit clamshells of blueberries, strawberies, and raspberries are awesome in my local clubs (I belong to Costco and Sams). The meat is much more fresh and a better price per pound then in any of my local stores. I buy and recut for portion when I get home. Some of the other fuit is a great value if you eat that item frequently. Sometimes Mom and I will buy items with the intent of splitting between our households. In fact, thats why I have membership at 2 clubs. Mom pays for one, and I for the other. You do not have to be in the same household to get a bonus membership. (For those who disagree, Mom and I used to live together and when i remarried years ago i moved out. We told our local clubs just so we weren't breaking rules and they said that it was allowed)

I purchase my toilet paper and paper towels at Sams, on the Generic level. I do not like super soft and squishy tp so I buy the big case for less then $20 and also get the club level soft and squishy for those in my home who like it. With 5 men and myself, we go through quite a bit of tp on a normal day, lol!

I don't visit my club on a set basis, but just when I am running out of items or I know that I can get something for a good price. For example, Costco has a generic brand of leather sneaker for men that are $20 a pair here. My oldest son is not picky about brand and gets these for gym class.

 

[mikehn]

Good luck saving money at Costco. They are masters at marketing. They could sell most people a bridge to nowhere. The best strategy for shopping at Costco is to go in without a shopping cart and just buy what you can hold in your hands.

 

[Sorsha]

We are a family of 5, and I tend to shop at Costco for about half of what I buy on a monthly basis. There are 3 reasons for this; price, quality, and bulk convenience.

Price: I find prices on some of the things I buy, like butter, bread, dry cereal, grated cheese, butter, large amounts of produce, etc to be cheaper than I can get them anywhere else. Now you have to look at the prices straight across the board when you compare (exact same brand, same weight) or be willing to accept the Kirkland brand instead of a name brand, but I still quite often find it cheaper.

Quality: especially in meats and produce, their quality is SO much better than my local market.

And Bulk: I really only like to shop 2-4 times a month, especially for staples. If I buy things in bulk, I don't have to go get them again for a while. Saves gas too.

 

[maslex]

OP here. I just checked the locations and it looks like if I were to join one, I'd go with BJ's. Just a lot closer (even if it's in a different state. LOL)

 

[clh2]

Do not go in, unless you have a list. Do not get anything that is not on the list.

 

[daughtersrus]

I buy almost all of our meat at Sam's Club. I have a business membership so I go early in the morning. Generally, they mark down all of the meat that has a sell by date of the following day. The discount is pretty significant on most items. I haven't paid more than $2.20 for 90% lean ground beef in a long time.

My DH got me a Food Saver a few years ago. I repackage the meat into portion sizes that we will use and put it in the freezer in our basement.

Other than that, I walk each of the food aisles and look for items that they have discontinued and are reduced. If it's something that we use, I stock up.

Sam's has some items that are their brand (Member's Mark) as well.

I'm also a big Aldi shopper. If I'm just running in for a few things, I go without a cart. That way I don't over spend on impulse items but I do stock up when they have discounts as well.

 

[storzo]

I have a BJs card and a Costco card and I have to say I prefer BJs. I think their prices are better, they accept all credit cards, they have better hours, they're not as crowded and if you use their coupons combined with manufacturer's coupons you can get some great deals. Plus BJ has a real deli counter that slices to order so you can get as little or as much as you need and you can have it sliced thick or thin.

 

[SpecialK]

I won't buy produce at Costco anymore. It ends up getting thrown out either because it's flavorless or in such a huge quantity that it goes bad before we can eat it.

I usually buy organic chicken and eggs, meat, butter, bacon,coffee beans, paper goods and cleaning supplies.

 

[almburr]

I really think that I need to join. It would have to be Sams club. that is the closest one to us. 2hrs. It would be on the way to DD18 college. I have 4 kids still at home and DD14,DS12,DD11 and DS8 are eating everything. Christmas break was crazy, they eat so much. I cant keep enough on hand. They go through yogurt and fruit like crazy. I run through laundry detergent like there is no tomorrow.

I like to buy frozen chicken breasts and I pay $7 for a #5 bag. I know I would have to continue to buy fresh fruit and veg here. but when we go I could stock up on everything else.

 

[npmommie]

We belong to BJ's because they accept manufacturer's coupons.

In order to truly save money at these places, you have to have willpower (it's very easy to buy a massive box of Hershey bars, lol), and you have to know your prices. Sometimes their costs are actually higher than Target's, so keep that in mind. Buying in bulk doesn't always equal a cost savings.

I find that I save the most when I buy dairy products, some health & beauty items (soap & shampoo, mainly), and laundry stuff.

I've always been very happy with the quality of the meats purchased at BJ's.

this too for us.
I have to stick to my list and I do good. even if the price is the same as the grocery store, just going into bj's and buying in bulk saves me from making mulitple trips to stop and shop, which in itself for me is a huge money saver!
the things I buy consistently at bj's which are a great deal are grated cheese, pasta sauce, pizza cheese, butter, TP, paper towels, shampoo, chicken breast.

This is just me personally -- I actually stopped using Sam's Club for anything other than specific events. I found myself buying stuff that was "there" and "at a good price" rather than what we really needed. I never got out of there for much less than $250 per trip, and that's when I was being careful.

Aldi's is a great market for staples, and I've been very pleased with the quality of the food. Then I supplement my shopping with our regular grocery store.

We've got two teens as well (DS19 and DD13), and they will eat. I've had to draw the line -- I go shopping X days -- if you eat things as soon as they get in the house, you won't have it. I have a running shopping list on the fridge, and that helps keep us centered.

Best wishes!!

OP here. I just checked the locations and it looks like if I were to join one, I'd go with BJ's. Just a lot closer (even if it's in a different state. LOL)

 

[bedogged]

I have a Costco membership and use it for certain things that I know are a better deal. Generally, though, I don't like to buy bulk so I don't use Costco for food that much.

Chicken breast (Kirkland brand) run $2.99 per pound every day and each package contains about 6-7 lbs. As you know, sometimes the grocery store will have at least that good of a price if not better if they are having a sale. I do find the Kirkland brand chicken breasts can be kind of "tough" but I'm pretty picky about chicken--others probably don't even notice.

Romaine hearts - a bag of 6 at Costco is about the same price I pay for a bag of 3 at the regular store. The Costco ones are of better quality. Nice, full, crispy ones.

Grape Tomatoes - Twice as many as the regular grocery store sells for the same price.

Barilla Thin Spaghetti - Works out to be about $1.00 a box (sometimes they are discounted). It is anywhere from $.20 - $.40 more at the grocery store.

Costco sends out coupons once a month or so and during that time I will use them to buy bulk paper towels, toilet tissue, and whatever is in the coupons that I want.

I have both a Sam's Club and Costco membership. Regarding Costco, I always buy my meat there as the quality is far superior to any grocery store. I think that needs to be in the equation when comparing prices. I LOVE the Costco fresh chicken because it comes in those heavy vacuum sealed packages. I can freeze those with no freezer burn for many months so there is little to no waste. If I have to package chicken myself, even using the vacuum sealer, the chicken never lasts as long in the freezer.

One thing I would advise at either store is to buy something you like as soon as you see it. Often it will not be there the next time you go.

 

[lizabu]

Good luck saving money at Costco. They are masters at marketing. They could sell most people a bridge to nowhere. The best strategy for shopping at Costco is to go in without a shopping cart and just buy what you can hold in your hands.

Yes! Never bring a cart. You are likely to buy things you don't need. You have to really know your prices. I go to Costco and I will buy whatever cereal they have on special. The regular prices for cereal are more than what I pay in the grocery store. We only buy a few odd items here and there and fill in the rest at the grocery store. Costco is good for those fancy foods. Like they sell St. Andres triple cream Brie for much less than anywhere else. We don't eat that stuff on a regular basis though. Movie ticket bought at Costco alone more than pay for my membership. I like getting books there too. Amazon is cheaper but it's good for when you want the book in your hands now. Not in a couple days. We live so close to Costco we go there a couple times per week. They have rotisserie chicken for the same price as the grocery store but its bigger and then we'll get a salad to go beside it for those nights when you don't want to cook.

 

[mhsjax]

I love Costco. Their meat is better, the produce is WAY better than my grocery store. Yes you can over spend there, they have such cool stuff.

Personally, I can't stand BJ's ours seem dirty and I got some bad meat there, I got to the check out line and I looked closer at it and it was actually green in one area. That did it, I will never go back. I also don't find them to be any cheaper than what I purchase at Costco and I love their brand, (Kirkland).

 

[Disney Doll]

We are 2 people so we don't buy anything in a large size that will spoil quickly. You're not saving money if you are throwing it out!

We buy mostly non-perishables and things that can be frozen.

And I agree with the PP who said know your prices because everything is not necessarily a good deal.