Sam's Club

[TechnoLoGs]

Any point to shopping at Sam's Club? They had one, when I went to Harbor Freight for that timing light. I went in there.. Lots of HUGE TVs, and good prices. Then they said it was $40 a year for a membership, up to $120 a year for a different type of one.

There is also a BJ's Wholesale near me.

Not that I actually SHOP, (I go to Walmart and parts stores, Shoprite for food sometimes) but. For average people.

Worth it?

 

[JHZR2]

I generally found that it wasnt, until we needed to buy tires, and costco was such a better price on the michelins we wanted that it justified the price.

Not sure if sams has the questionable quality WM stuff. Costco house brand is rated highly it seems.

Weve bought stuff from costco since we have a membership. IMO stuff on sale at shoprite can be just as good of a price or better. Plus closer.

 

[FocusZTW]

My last set of Michelin's from Sams had a 4 yr time limit on warranty per Sams, and Michelin's factory warranty was 6 yrs time limit. If this is an important detail, check it out before you buy Michelin's thru Sam's Club.

 

[JayhawkRoy]

For a single person, probably not. We have never purchased any electronics from Sam's. On my side of the KC Metro, Sam's has the cheapest gas and milk ($1 per gallon savings, consistently). We purchase organic produce like carrots and spring mix salad that the local groceries tend to price much higher.

They carry a lot of name brands, but you need to be able to use the large quantities you have to purchase. A sister in law who lives in Maine prefers BJ's membership vs Sam's.

Suggest you watch for the days when Sam's or BJ's open their doors to the public as membership promotions and stock up then.

 

[Win]

Originally Posted By: TechnoLoGs

Any point to shopping at Sam's Club?
...
Worth it?


Depends on what you're buying.

I find that I can buy many things significantly cheaper through Sam's than I can traditional wholesalers, although it is less convenient - the traditional model includes delivery to your place of business, but somebody has to go to Sam's and fetch the merchandise or supplies.

I don't think membership is $40 around here, but maybe it is. We always add the people that work for us to our membership. I've never had anyone refuse it.

Aldi is inexpensive, but they've raised their prices lately, and dropped some merchandise.

 

[Touring5]

I found that I wasn't really get my money's worth at Sam's. The way they made everyone that entered the building show their membership and then inspect your cart when you exited the store (just 20 feet from the cashier) kind of annoyed me.

The good news is that they don't check membership anymore (at least the one in my area). Once or twice a year I just go there with my neighbor and throw my stuff in his cart.

As to the quality of the merchandise compared to Walmart, I found it to be both better and worse. The selection on a lot of things is better, as are the quantity & prices. On the other hand, I got rancid almonds from Sam's and what had to be factory second (or thirds) in clothing items. The worst was a nice, heavy waffle weave shirt that had chest and sleeves in the correct size L, but the length appeared to be for a small. When I put it on, it was almost like a "dickey".

 

[The_Jeff]

I had a sams membership eons ago and got a good deal on tires (BFG Club ADVs... I loved the tires, but on a mushy ciera).

I let it lapse, and tell the person at the door I'm there to buy alcohol. They have to let me in!

Then on my way out, I bypass the receipt checking. No stopping this cowboy!

 

[Donald]

Their tires are normally a good price and their $9.95 mount and balance includes lifetime balance and rotation.

The guy in the optical dept always fixes the cheap reading glasses I buy there for free. They get sat on or whatever. I brought in a pair that was flat and he bent them and cleaned them.

The TVs there are always good price.

Dog food and dog bones?

I share a membership (although I pay) with my daughter who lives in another state. She buys all her diapers there.

The pizza and soda combo on the way out is usually good.

Lots of samples on weekends.

 

[97prizm]

I had so many run arounds with Sams's club I won't shop there again. My parents purchased tires for me and they told me I could go to any sams club and get them rotated or repaired. Every time I went back it was a different story.

 

[Russ300H]

COSTCO is the class act of wholesale clubs. I have dealt with SAMS and BJ'S but find COSTCO the best for my purchasing preferences.. BJ's continually offers free 60 day memberships, give them a try, nothing to loose for 2 months.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Touring5
When I put it on, it was almost like a "dickey".


I just had to chuckle at that image.

 

[KenO]

Depends on what you want. Take a day and walk thru the store. See whats there, take a notepad (or I use a notepad app on my phone) and take note of prices of things you might buy, and also the package size. Calculate cost/oz/unit/whatever it is, and compare them across the stores. I know BJ's will give you a 60 day free trial. They all fit a niche, and they all have slightly different products. I, overall, like Costco, but I can't stand the 'smug' factor of my friends that go there, so I don't shop there.


For me, as a single man, it wasn't worth it. Anything remotely perishable went bad far before I could use all of it. Some things, while in huge quantity, weren't enough of a savings to worry about. You'd tie up $50 into something that would take 2 years to use, whereas $4 would take care of you for a month. That $46 could be sued elsewhere.