We called our December story about warehouse club shopping “Join the club!” because the results of our latest secret shoppers price scan showed very clearly that membership is worth it. For the $40 (Sam’s Club), $50 (BJ’s), or $55 (Costco) membership fee, you get enough big bargains that you can easily recoup your initial investment in just one visit.
Let’s take the biggest bargain we found, Duracell AA batteries, to illustrate how this works. Batteries are 33 cents apiece at Costco and they come in a pack of 40. They are 63 percent cheaper here than at supermarkets, where they cost 90 cents per battery on average. So if you paid 90 cents for 40 batteries, you’d pay $36. At Costco, those 40 batteries cost around $13. So already, you’ve saved $23.
The other biggest bargains we found were Kleenex, Puffs, Cheerios, Reynolds Wrap Heavy Duty, Glad Force Flex Tear Resistant Tall Kitchen Bags (13 gallon), and Thomas’ Original English Muffins. Stock up on a few of those items too and you’ll easily save another $32. And there’s your $55 membership, paying for itself in your first visit alone. Those aren’t the only bargains we found, though. And we did find four items that aren’t worth the trip—unless you’re buying some of the big bargains too.
Sure, you have to factor in the gas to drive to a warehouse club if you don’t have one around the corner. And if you’re really watching your budget, you’ll want to make a list of the everyday items you need—and stick to it! The clubs also stock lots of tempting items, as we also reported. Many are great holiday gifts, though, so if you’ve been debating whether it’s worth it to join a warehouse club, this is a good time of year to go for it.
BJ’s will even give you a free 60-day trial membership (details in clubs or at BJs.com), and Sam’s Club has free one-day trial passes available from November 18 to 20, just in time for the holiday stock up. Costco doesn’t offer a free try-out.
See the December issue, on newsstands now, for more on warehouse shopping, and start saving!
Happy shopping!
K. Fitzsimons
04:57:46 AM on Fri Nov 18 2011
You say that Sam's Club is offering free trial memberships this weekend, but I can't find any information about it online anywhere but here. Can you give us a little more information about how to take part in this?
Jody Rohlena
03:20:41 PM on Fri Nov 18 2011
Sam's Club told us that you can get a free one-day pass during its Holiday Taste of Sam's Club this weekend, November 18-20.