Getting the best deals out of a warehouse store

By: Michelle Carolla | SCNOW
Published: November 18, 2008

More and more people are turning to warehouse stores to save money. If you're going to buy in bulk, do a little price checking to make sure a deal is really a deal. Not everything is a good deal in a warehouse store. It really just depends on what you need and what you will use.
If you waste items, then no matter what the price, it wasn't a good deal.
Rosalee Joseph of Georgetown shops in Costco three times a month. She said everything she buys is cheaper in a wholesale store. "I always buy paper products. I usually buy meats, I buy all baking products. You name it, if they've got it, I buy it,” said Joseph. She also said she only buys a few items in a traditional grocery store because of the price savings she gets in the wholesale stores.
Take Heinz ketchup. Costco sells three 44 oz bottles for $5.69 and at a regular grocery store, the same size is $2.89 a bottle. One popular item at wholesale clubs is paper towels. Costco sells 20 rolls for $13.99, Sam’s sells theirs for $14.22 and at the traditional grocery store, they sell an eight pack for $5.82 that's 4 cents more roll than the wholesalers, so not that huge a savings.
We looked at some other basic items, starting with banana's. At Costco you can buy 4 pounds for $1.76 and Sam’s sells 3lbs for 99 cents.
Tide, the 170 oz size at Costco $20.49 and Sam’s sells the same for $20.89.
We compared Kirkland brand diapers to Sam’s Member’s Mark. Kirkland’s size 4, 186 count is $37.99 while the same diaper sells at Sam’s for $32.04. However, there are only 176 in the Member’s Mark.
Ibuprofen is a good deal. You can buy a 1000 count store brand at Costco for $8.99 and it's $8.88 at Sam’s.
The other factor to consider is you will pay a yearly membership fee to shop at a wholesaler and not a grocery store.
To help you decide whether to join a wholesale club, track what you buy for one month at a grocery store and get a day pass at a wholesaler and compare prices. You will see which is the best deal for your household.