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+--- Thread: Costco/B&J/Sams Club membership: worth it or not? (/showthread.php?tid=92074)
Re: Costco/B&J/Sams Club membership: worth it or not? - olnacl - 01-30-2010
I share a friend's Costco membership and she shares mine at Sam's, so it's a 2-fer and you can't beat that with a stick. OTOH, I don't visit either during the winter "silly season" in S FL because the snowbirds make a trip to either store, but Costco more so, painful.
Re: Costco/B&J/Sams Club membership: worth it or not? - vision63 - 01-30-2010
I shop at ALL of the stores. Costco for bulk items and electronics, etc., Safeway for sale stuff, Lucky for sale stuff, Grocery Outlet for cheap groceries, Big Lots for cheap stuff and Berkeley Bowl for fresh produce, cheese and their deli.
When Safeway asks if I have my membership card, I tell 'em yeah, cuz if it it ain't on sale, it's not in my cart.
Re: Costco/B&J/Sams Club membership: worth it or not? - Grateful11 - 01-30-2010
OTC drugs is the only thing that really makes it worth it for us to be members at Sam's.
BJ's and Costco are at a minimum 30 miles away so they're out of question for us.
I can get 350 generic Zrytec's for like $17 at Sam's the saving twice a year on that
alone pays for our membership, they're prices on other stuff are not that great. We
save small bits here and there on other things.
Re: Costco/B&J/Sams Club membership: worth it or not? - Jack D. - 01-30-2010
I've had memberships at all three at various times and one of the problems for me is the larger sizes of product. I have to buy more/larger than I will use and then end up throwing out the older excess. This ends up costing me more in the long run than if I just buy what I need at the local grocery store.
They all have their pluses and tires or any major appliance/furniture purchase will save you the cost of membership. But I think my two universal gripes about all the warehouse clubs is the lack of staff at the checkouts that makes for a long wait to pay. And the receipt Police at the door. I don't like having to prove that I didn't steal anything before they will let me leave the building.
Currently I don't belong to any of them.
Re: Costco/B&J/Sams Club membership: worth it or not? - vicrock - 01-30-2010
Jack D. wrote:
But I think my two universal gripes about all the warehouse clubs is the lack of staff at the checkouts that makes for a long wait to pay. And the receipt Police at the door. I don't like having to prove that I didn't steal anything before they will let me leave the building.
The receipt police have actually SAVED me money on a couple of occasions where something was double scanned -
Re: Costco/B&J/Sams Club membership: worth it or not? - Mini 9 - 01-30-2010
(have not read any comments)
1. spend a year buying from Costco with their markup for non-members.
2. Analyze if it would be worth it in the coming year(s) to buy a membership.
Re: Costco/B&J/Sams Club membership: worth it or not? - space-time - 01-30-2010
vicrock wrote:
The receipt police have actually SAVED me money on a couple of occasions where something was double scanned -
I always though they could not tell if there is an extra item (or a missing item) in the cart. How can they count so fast how many items you have in the cart, and then make sure they match what it on the receipt? they look like what, 5 s or so?
anyway, good to hear that they caught the mistake and refunded your STOLEN money. I don't see that as a saving, but as a restitution of what was taken away form you (by their own cashiers)
Re: Costco/B&J/Sams Club membership: worth it or not? - Microman - 01-30-2010
Rebate from Executive Membership pays for itself.
American Express gives me $500 or so, ....
by milk, electronics...
Re: Costco/B&J/Sams Club membership: worth it or not? - space-time - 01-30-2010
Mini 9 wrote:
(have not read any comments)
1. spend a year buying from Costco with their markup for non-members.
2. Analyze if it would be worth it in the coming year(s) to buy a membership.
huh? that was not really the question. The question was about their prices compared to other grocery stores sales/coupon prices. Not about costco vs costco.
if I spend $1k per year (I do), then the extra 5% markup is in fact the membership fee ($50).
Re: Costco/B&J/Sams Club membership: worth it or not? - Mini 9 - 01-30-2010
You have an inability to determine if the money you spent on items compares favorably to your alternatives?