Red Plum had a great article online the other day and I figured I'd share it with you. Basically it outlines whether or not you should buy products at a Warehouse Club like Costco or Sam's. Things you have to remember are most Wharehouse clubs have Membership Fees and you have to buy large quantities. You have to weigh the cost of the fee + discounts / visits = profit. And can you use all the item before it expires.
By Sally Herigstad
If you already go to a discount warehouse, like Costco or Sam’s Club, you know what great bargains you can find. When you get to the cash register with a cart full of giant boxes of food, not to mention the clothes and electronics you hadn’t planned on, however, you might wonder if you can afford to save that much! If you stick to your list, though, you can save money and get great deals:
Say Yes to…High-markup staples that keep forever are your best deals at warehouse stores. According to ConsumerReports.org, you can get tall kitchen trash bags for seven cents a bag vs. 19 cents a bag at the supermarket. That’s a savings of 63 percent. Vitamins, over-the-counter medications and cosmetics are sold at significant savings. You can buy a three-pack of mascara for not much more than the cost of one tube at the drug store.
Say Maybe to…Most nonperishable foods are good deals. You can save about 35% on peanut butter, for example, or 47% on breakfast cereal.
Savings on electronics vary. You may save five to ten percent on some items. Printers or shredders may be found at a lower cost than your local electronics store one week, and not the next. It pays to shop around for big-ticket items.
Say No to…What products are sometimes not such a great buy? Nothing is a good deal if you don’t use it. Buy just the things you need, in sizes you can use before they go stale. Avoid too much of something you’ve never tried.
Be careful of cases of vegetable or fruit. Face it - you’re not going to eat that giant bag of cucumbers before they go bad. And it’s cheaper to buy three bananas at the grocery store if that’s all you need.
And remember, discount warehouses are not the only game in town. The trick is to shop around and know what staples should cost. Restaurant supply stores are often open to the public and give great savings. And when your grocery store has a two-for-one special on cereal, it may be just as cheap as it is at the warehouse store – especially if you bring a coupon.
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