Should I shop at Sam's Club?

In this website forum, you will learn about the Sam's Club site. To bulk, or not to bulk. Now that is the question many consumers have. Is it more cost-effective to buy at a discount in large quantities, even when paying an annual membership fee at a warehouse club? We have data to help people. Generally speaking, many items are cheaper at Sam's Club than at supermarkets and big-box stores. You can usually save around 30 to 50 percent over the same trip to most grocery stores or about 15 percent compared to Walmart (Sam's Club's parent company). It's not quite so simple, though. Between membership fees and all the common mistakes, people make when shopping at Sam's Club. The single biggest mistake people make while shopping at Sam's Club is assuming everything there is cheaper.

For example, according to Kiplinger, you typically pay more for name-brand cereal, soda, diapers, tissues, and printer ink at Sam's Cub. Canned goods, toilet paper, pasta, laundry detergent, multi-packs of single-serving snack bags, disposable party supplies, books, and DVDs, also tend to be more costly, says Business Insider. According to Forbes, you're usually not better off buying dryer sheets, sports drinks, or office supplies at a warehouse club. Also, consider sales and coupons. Sam's Club does not accept any manufacturer or competitor coupons. You might not think of the seemingly innocuous floor of Sam's Club as the front lines of a raging psychological war. But it is. The Sam's Club masterminds have cleverly pitted you against yourself. Emotions versus logic. Beast versus brain. Id versus ego. And too often, the former wins, and your financial planning loses. Why did you pay $50 for a year's membership?

Therein lies the trap: You spend more to save more. If you fork over $10 for something you wouldn't have otherwise purchased, who cares that you got it for 50 cents less than it costs at Target? This phenomenon gets uglier if you spring for the Plus membership, which costs $100 per year as of this writing. You have more upfront expenditure to make up, plus you earn 5 percent cash back on qualifying purchases. This "reward" makes it even more tempting to get a bunch of stuff you wouldn't otherwise buy. Buying something cheaper isn't necessarily the same as spending less money. Since package sizes aren't the same, to make fair price comparisons. Some products aren't good purchases. Not everything necessarily needs to be used before its expiration date. We're talking about over-the-counter drugs. Now we're only talking about OTC products; for prescriptions — especially the life-saving-type stuff — respect the use-by date (or at least talk to your pharmacist).

Most mistakes we cover here relate to money. Sam's Club shoppers buy more of this junk food out of the drive to save — Sam's Club carries a lot of those foods, and they tend to have a longer shelf life. Now, most environments where you buy things include subtle encouragements to buy more things. Sam's Club is no exception. Warehouse clubs employ the tricks of the retail trade to get their shoppers to buy more expensive items, like clothing, fancy kitchen gadgets, and electronics. They also often spur you along by triggering some fear of missing out, labeling pricier products positioned for impulse purchases as "limited quantity" or "limited time only." If you're succumbing to these impulse purchases and buying things you hadn't planned or budgeted for, chances are you aren't saving money. So far, most of the mistakes you make at Sam's Club fit into the theme of buying stuff you don't need. There's a simple trick to prevent this: Make a shopping list beforehand. Oh, and remember to take it with you.

Armed with a shopping list, you only need to muster the strength to stick to it. If it's not on the list, don't buy it. Not every mistake you can make at Sam's Club involves buying things you don't need. When you need certain more expensive non-grocery items, your warehouse club may be the best place to buy. For example, you can save $30, $50, even over $100 by getting a new set of tires at Sam's Club instead of an automotive shop. Some televisions cost hundreds of dollars less than at an electronics retailer. Sam's Club probably won't be the first place that comes to mind when you want a new designer watch, but it may very well have the sweetest deal you can find. And where do you usually go for your caskets? The funeral parlor? Savvy consumers save hundreds on final resting vessels at Sam's Club. Your Sam's Club gas station is another good place to enjoy that warm, fuzzy, elitist members-only feeling. Laugh haughtily at the passing motorists who patronize regular old gas stations, knowing that you're filling up your tank at prices that are often 15 to 30 percent lower than what they're paying.

Take the time to appreciate the ease of getting in, gassing up, and getting out of Sam's Club gas station, too. While Sam's came in second place overall in a national survey of best places to get gas in its category for warehouse clubs, big box stores, and supermarkets (getting edged out by Costco), it ranked first for this consideration. That's thanks to its streamlined setup with a single designated entrance and exit, eliminating the typical nonsense of vehicles coming, going, and approaching pumps from every which way. Sam's took second place for other important factors like price, pump speed, fuel quality, and appearance. If you're buying your gas anywhere but Sam's Club, you're making a big mistake. If you've never paid any attention to the gift card selection at Sam's Club, you may be missing out on prime opportunities for significant savings. Sure, not buying wine and other alcohol is pretty much always a mistake. There are good deals to be had and good drinks. Member's Mark wines aren't the only alcohol bargains at Sam's Club. For instance, you might score macro beer for 35 percent less than you'd pay elsewhere.

Getting the best price on television is much more about timing than where you buy. You don't even have to squander your precious time shopping in the store at all. With Club Pickup, you can order everything you want and pay for it online, then pick it up as soon as four hours later. Books, CDs, and DVDs can be found cheaper on Amazon, according to experts. One of Sam's Club's biggest competitors is Costco, another big-box retailer known for great prices and especially for treating their employees very well. There are some reasons for this: one is that, according to Slate, Costco sells more pricey items than Walmart and Sam's Club do. Costco employees can also be members of the Teamster's union, while no Walmart employees are. As for more specific products, The Kitchn, for example, did a taste test comparing Sam's Club rotisserie chickens with Costco rotisserie chickens. They concluded that the rotisserie chicken at Costco tasted better. Now I hope this has answered your question. Should I shop at Sam's Club? If not, you can contact me at any time. Now you should also check out our Food City website forum.