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Did you catch our Savings Segment this morning on Fox?  We are honored to be a featured on Good Day Tampa Bay each Sunday to share our knowledge about coupons and how to get the most for your money!  This week’s topic was all about how you can save by shopping at the Warehouse Clubs! With the Holidays on the horizon, many people are going to be heading to the Warehouse Clubs in hopes of saving money on their Holiday meals. And that might not be the smartest option. Wouldn’t it be nice to know exactly what IS the cheapest at those stores, and what you should steer clear of? Here is the inside scoop to make you the Smartest Shopper out there!

HFox 13 Logoere is a little more information for you:

  1. Saving by “Buying in bulk” is a myth ~ Before I started couponing, I used to shop regularly at Warehouse stores and thought I was saving money by buying in bulk.  I’d go about once a month and “stock up” on all the things we liked (and more than a few things that just looked good) and by the time I made it to the checkout line, my cart was full and my total was rarely less than $300. But when you calculate the per-item cost, and compare it to the sale price paired with a coupon at the Grocery store, it will lose almost every time!
  2. The Three Clubs ~ There are 3 National Warehouse Stores – Costco, Sam’s & BJ’s. Costco and Sam’s clubs both offer Savings Books that have Store-Only coupons off of their already low prices. But BJ’s tops them all. They have Store Coupons and accept Manufacturer coupons as well. And they allow “Stacking”, so if you have a store coupon AND a manufacturer coupon for the same item you can use that too!
  3. Don’t forget the Membership Fee ~ You cannot compare these stores without factoring in the annual membership cost to join. An annual basic membership costs $45 to join Sam’s, $50 to join BJ’s and $55 to join Costco. You need to consider that for your overall savings. If you are patient, they regularly have 30 and 60 day free guest passes to check them out though! You can also keep an eye out on our website for membership deals from LivingSocial, Groupon and AmazonLocal.
  4. Items you should ALWAYS buy at a Warehouse Club ~ Meat, Dairy & Batteries. If you do not have a good meat market where you can get quality meat at exceptional prices, then your best bet would be Costco, Sam’s or BJ’s. Butter is always 50¢ cheaper than the Grocery Stores sales and Milk & Cheese is the same price as Grocery store sales, so you can buy it when you need it, instead of purchasing ONLY when on sale. Batteries are consistently priced the lowest at Warehouse clubs. They just are.
  5. 3 Items you should NEVER buy there ~ Razors, Toothpaste & Paper Goods. I used to always buy Razors refills at the Warehouse clubs for $30 a pop! That was the number one convincing savings I saw with coupons — Razors are consistently free or cheap at other stores when there are deals and you use coupons on top of that. Toothpaste is the same way. If you do not require a specific brand, then you can easily stock up for low prices at the Grocery or Drug stores. Paper towels and bath tissue are no cheaper there. Even the generic is no cheaper than Walmart. You wanna know the best place to stock up on these items? Amazon. They offer a Subscribe & Save option, and regularly even have a digital coupon to clip.
  6. My Bottom Line ~ All of the warehouses’ prices are very similar. Costco costs more to join yet BJ’s has stacking coupons. If you are a couponer and live near BJ’s, then that would be your clear choice. Otherwise, join the club closest to you, and shop only buying the items that are at their lowest ignoring coupons altogether (meat, produce & dairy) and shop the sale circulars from your local grocery store for the rest!

Basically, the most important way to save at the Warehouse Stores is to exercise willpower. Make a list and stick with it. There are loads of tempting distractions inside. Just know that, and don’t give in! If you do, you will find yourself calling the warehouse clubs the “$100 Stores” because every trip will cost you at least $100!

~Happy Warehouse Shopping & Saving!

 

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