Sam's Club...Why?

[Carta]

Please give me reasons why i need Sam...Just my wife and i,,,61 & 59 years old....I received a $20 discount card in the mail today; on a Plus Member accnt. So that would be $80...What's the difference between Advantage and Plus? Thanks

 

[Timeshare Von]

I don't know that anyone "needs" Sam's Club.

Maybe you should ask your local Sam's club what the differences are between the two types of membership.

For us (DH 50 + me 54) we find plenty of savings in buying bulk but our annual membership is only something like $35 or $50/year.

 

[Carta]

I don't know that anyone "needs" Sam's Club.

Maybe you should ask your local Sam's club what the differences are between the two types of membership.

For us (DH 50 + me 54) we find plenty of savings in buying bulk but our annual membership is only something like $35 or $50/year.

=========================================Thx Yvonne,,, Just talked to Sam...$40 for Advantage; so that equates to $30 w/ a $10 savings...I'm going tomorrow...
Whether i need/want it or not, i'm gonna get it....

 

[Carta]

Boss (my wife) says we don't need it...Thanks anyway

 

[JeffW]

From the Sam's website, it looks like Plus gets you:

- eValuesSM*
Extra savings, on top of our already terrific prices, that are loaded on your Plus Membership card and applied automatically at checkout.

- Early Shopping Hours
Plus and Business Members can beat the crowds starting at 7 am Monday – Saturday

- Enjoy more Pharmacy savings
Save even more on top of our already low cash prices, including 8% on name-brand prescriptions and 40% on generics not part of our $4/$10 generic prescription plan.

- Service Plans - Save on premium plans that start after the manufacturer's warranty ends. Plus Members also receive an additional 12 months of coverage with purchased service plan at no charge.

Jeff

 

[Mel]

Sam's Club, BJ's and Costco can all be great, but I see them as similar to timeshare. They're not for everybody, and they best way to use them is to understand the membership.

We are BJ's members, and have been since they built one near our home when we were in Maryland. I had been a member when I was in college (before the current paid membership model - membership was restricted to certain groups). When the kids were small, they had the best prices on diapers - the savings on those alone paid for the membership. As they grew older, we reconsidered, and have always ended up renewing because of certain things we buy (like their rotisserie chicken which is so much bigger and better than the grocery stores - and cheaper too).

BJ's sometimes offers a shopping pass where you can try them out for a month, and pay an extra 5% on everything (which they will then apply to membership if you decide to join). If Sam's offers something similar, it may be worth stopping in to check them out. But with 2 older adults, membership might not pay for itself.

 

[chriskre]

I'm single with two cats so I really don't need Costco, Sam's or BJ's but for many things it makes sense.

Examples are the bulk nuts like cashews,
buying cakes for work parties,
buying 1 huge chunk of Dubliner Cheese for $10 when I can get an itsy bitsy piece at Publix about 1/5 the size of the Costco brick for $6.
buying my eyeglasses there way cheaper than anywhere else,
vitamins in humongous sizes for cheap prices and good quality,
liquor store, photo processing or making picture discs
and many more things that are good deals.

They also give you cash back if you get the upgraded card and use Amex. I don't have either but if you buy alot I guess it makes sense.

You gotta be in good shape to shop at these warehouses cause the boxes sometimes weigh as much as me and can be kind of tricky getting them into the car and out when I get home, especially the humongous kitty litter which weighs 40 pounds.

 

[Timeshare Von]

I'm single with two cats so I really don't need Costco, Sam's or BJ's but for many things it makes sense.

Examples are the bulk nuts like cashews,
buying cakes for work parties,
buying 1 huge chunk of Dubliner Cheese for $10 when I can get an itsy bitsy piece at Publix about 1/5 the size of the Costco brick for $6.
buying my eyeglasses there way cheaper than anywhere else,
vitamins in humongous sizes for cheap prices and good quality,
liquor store, photo processing or making picture discs
and many more things that are good deals.

That's a good list of items that make it worthwhile.

I wear contact lenses and buying at Sam's saves me a pile of money! My DH (who does the shopping for the house) swears by their dairy prices (milk, butter, eggs as well as the previously mentioned cheese) . . . better than any grocery store in the area.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Car rentals are the best reason to keep our Costco membership. I can never find a better deal than with the Costco codes.

Sam's is a membership we no longer care to keep. Costco had some great toys at Christmas this year, and I went to Sam's with my stepdad and didn't see a thing worth buying. Big difference between the two warehouses.

We have no BJ's in Colorado yet.

 

[dioxide45]

Every time we visit Sam's Club, they ask if we want to upgrade our membership. Every time we say no. This is just a way to get some more money out of you for benefits you are most likely never going to use. The one good thing about the Costco upgraded plan is that if you don't shop enough to make it pay for itself, they will reimburse the difference back to you or apply it to renewal. Unfortunately we are too far away from a Costco to make them worthwhile. Only two Sam's Clubs close by.

Our favorite items from them are:
Parmesan Cheese - The big gallon size tub.
Tyson IQF Chicken Breasts - These things are huge in 6lb bags. Great taste and cook up great.
They are also good for over the counter medications. We don't use the pharmacy but have price matched their contact lenses that we actually buy at where we have our annual eye exam.

We don't like their cheddar cheese. I don't know if it is sourced locally but the stuff we have bought there was just plain bad. I would much rather buy it in smaller packages at our local grocery when it is on sale.

We have found their milk and eggs to be higher than most grocery stores.

 

[antjmar]

free BJ's trial

BJ's sometimes offers a shopping pass where you can try them out for a month, and pay an extra 5% on everything (which they will then apply to membership if you decide to join).

We were BJ's member for a while but let it run out a few months ago. If anyone wants to try it free for 60 day with no surcharge click this link must do it by the end of the year! they have this promo every few months I think.

http://www.bjs.com/biz/minisite_map/images/pass.gif

 

[SunSand]

Sam's has good restaurant grade packaged meats and fish. Cheese, pasta, tomatoes, olive oil, and wine prices are what keep us going back. We probably stop at Sam's once a month. They've also been very good about forcing our city to keep Costco out.

 

[Passepartout]

No Sam's hereabouts, but we manage to stay ahead at Costco- especially with DW's business. She gets copy paper and office supplies there and we buy some household products there. TP, laundry soap, coffee. Noshing Costco on the weekends keeps me from cooking. I'm not sure we'd buy enough there to justify the membership cost for just 2 of us without the business, but we would probably do it anyway.

Hard to beat their spiral sliced ham for Christmas.

Jim

 

[Cheryl20772]

I wish the big box stores in Maryland were allowed to sell wine and beer. We have a Cosco membership and have found great deals on cameras, batteries, and printer ink. We've bought a computer there and I think the Fiber One bar package I get there is a great deal. We also buy stuff for the medicine chest like Pepto and mouth wash. Paper products can be a good buy unless you are using coupons and sale prices elsewhere. They only accept their own coupons; so if you are into couponing, it's an extra challenge.

 

[Timeshare Von]

She gets copy paper and office supplies . . .

Yikes, yes. Copy paper. I just recently paid $6/ream (for two) at Office Max and now see that it is $30/case (of 10) at Sam's. DOH!!!

 

[Sea Six]

My wife and I tried a club like this many years ago. Wasn't worth it to us, as our house became cluttered with huge quantities of bulk items. Cheaper, yes, but not worth the price of having to store huge packages or containers for several months at a time. I think large families benefit the most.

 

[SmithOp]

I dropped Sams this year, keeping Costco because of the better customer service. Sams is too agressive pushing upgrades and credit cards at the checkout, its always slow as they have to explain it. I also hate having to run the gauntlett of DirectTV and cell phone salesmen. I've had them wander around accosting people. I complained to mgt several times, to no avail.

 

[Hophop4]

One of our Sam's close by us has very good prices on gas too.

 

[MichaelColey]

We like Costco better than Sams, but both are great. Their meat is very high quality (I love thick, well marbled steaks) and a great price. I like Costco's precooked bacon (and it's about half the price per pound of the precooked stuff you find in stores). When we go to Hawaii, Costco saves us a TON compared to grocery stores. Gas is usually about 10-30 cents per gallon cheaper. Most bulk stuff is cheaper there, but not everything -- know your prices.

As for the higher levels of memberships, I don't think they're really necessary.

 

[jehb2]

I am a big Costco fan. Costco's is why we can afford to spend 6 weeks in Hawaii and 2 weeks in Manhattan. I do have the upgraded or Executive membership. I get 2% back on all purchases. Last year I got a check for $236. So my membership is free plus an extra $136 in pocket.


My sister also has the Costco AmX card which gives her an additional 1% back.

 

[suzanne]

Question regarding Costco meats. Are they all huge packages or do they have smaller packs on steaks like BJS does. BJS has packages of 2 to 4 steaks on T-Bones, NY Strips and Ribeyes. I would like to join Costco since its close to my home and be able to use it in Hawaii next year but there is just 2 of us. So huge packs of meats is a waste for us.

Suzanne

 

[Passepartout]

Suzanne, the meat packages are definitely larger than what you find at the regular supermarket, but if you have a freezer, you can subdivide, portion and freeze what you want later. My experience is the quality is superior unless you regularly buy meat from a butcher who cuts onsite- which is what Costco does.

It this worth the membership price? Probably not in and of itself, but with other savings, car rental deals, cheaper gas- if you don't go out of your way for it, and a great return policy. If you are in the market for a big-ticket item like a computer or flat screen TV or appliance(s), a one year membership would save you money and really give you a number to compare with other shopping you do.

Jim

 

[JeffW]

I think all (BJ', Sam's, Costco) will let you both take a look around w/o a membership (BJ's will let you buy, with a 5% surcharge), and will also refund your membership if you aren't happy.

Jeff

 

[suzanne]

Thank you. I will see if Costco will let me do a walk thru. It's only about a mile or so from my house and they do have a gas station there. I am also interested in the rental car for Big Island of Hawaii next year. We will be there for two weeks so any savings for food and rental car will be a big help as air fare from SE Florida is going to be pretty expensive.

Suzanne

 

[Twinkstarr]

Thank you. I will see if Costco will let me do a walk thru. It's only about a mile or so from my house and they do have a gas station there. I am also interested in the rental car for Big Island of Hawaii next year. We will be there for two weeks so any savings for food and rental car will be a big help as air fare from SE Florida is going to be pretty expensive.

Suzanne

The Alamo car discount is worth it! It saves me around $70-80 on an Easter car rental in FL for a week, renting either in Orlando or West Palm.

We used Alamo when we went to the Big Island/Kauai summer of 2010. Full size SUV's with all the taxes etc were around $300 per week. I was kind of surprised because that is less than a full size car at Easter in FL.

We are up by our Costco at least 2x per week(karate class down the street). Vitamins, water, Quaker Oats Chewy granola bars, blueberries, flank steaks(2x pack) show up regularly on my list, along with filling up the gas tank.