@capguncowboy Newnan is our go-to stop for gas on the way to ATL so next time I’ll have to check that out! (But I’m not sure I want to spring for the $$ for a BJ card…)
@dmlivezey Years ago, when the 'net was young and new, my sister was talking with her son about some sporting goods item he was looking for. The possibility of finding it at Dick’s was mentioned, so she suggested a web search. Needless to say dicks.com did NOT take her where she intended to go, and her son was mortified beyond belief! He still talks about that day… (they have since bought that domain name)
@gertiestn I considered working for them because of how well they treat their employees and how happy everyone seems to be when I walk through there. It’s amazing how employee morale changes the atmosphere of a place, even in a relatively self-serve kind of place like a warehouse store.
@HemlockTea
IMHO, employee morale at Costco and at Sam’s are galaxies apart.
Some financial studies indicate that Costco employees wind up being cheaper per dollar of operating cost or dollar of profit than those at Sam’s, in spite of receiving much better pay and bennies.
@travo I walked into a Winco in Boise many years ago and considered (jokingly) moving to Idaho just to shop there regularly. That store was absolutely amazing.
There’s a rumor that we might be getting a Costco. I’m hoping. Currently have a Sam’s about five minutes away, which is better than nothing but from what I’ve heard Costco is a lot better. And Sam’s doesn’t take coupons.
{
The best “warehouse club” is $WholesaleClubHighBidder hands down!!! They have a much better selection than $WholesaleClubLowBidder, and the prices are always right… I also think the free samples at $WholesaleClubHighBidder are bigger.
Unless $WholesaleClubLowBidder steps up its game I will be dropping my $WholesaleClubLowBidder membership and sticking with WholesaleClubHighBidder!!!
I love warehouse stores but I am single and live in a tiny efficiency. I tag along with my parents when they go to Sam’s or Costco and pick up a couple of items and scope out kitchen stuff (which is a good way to drop hints about useful things for bday/xmas gifts with my mom). I prefer Costco and might get a membership in the next couple of months so I can buy large quantities of produce for my smoothies and see if it’s more cost effective than the regular grocery store. What I find annoying is they tend to have products I use and would like to buy larger quantities of, but not in the flavor/variety I prefer. For example, they’ll have Silk soy milk, but only in vanilla (I only buy unsweetened plain because vanilla mashed potatoes are not my thing).
@HemlockTea I understand that; I needed a new bottle of bleach recently and figured it would be a better deal there, but I can’t imagine how long it would take me to go through 3 gallons of bleach, so I went to the grocery store instead.
I’ve had two free 3 month memberships at Bjs in the last 4-5 years. I didn’t really miss it when it was gone.
I live by myself now, so buying that much in bulk is usually a waste except for toilet paper and things that don’t perish. My grocery store frequently has BOGO free on packages of meat, and I’ll throw those in my deep freezer, but besides that, I just buy normal sized stuff.
I have a Sams Club nearby and it’s been there for a long time, so I’m a member. There was no such thing as a Costco… until a few months ago. But it’s really out of the way (40 minute drive vs 10) that I have a hard time justifying being a member.
Nope. 94 miles to the nearest warehouse club. Internet by $satellite$ or dialup (when working). We did get to keep our P.O. and it’s open 2 hours every weekday. Yep, boonies. Great views beat city traffic every time.
We’ve only had Sam’s Clubs and BJs in our area for years. This year we finally had a Costco set up shop, but it’s out of my way. I’m hoping this means more are to come, because I’d honestly rather my money go there than to Sam’s Club.
We go to Costco all the time. They put one in just 15 miles away.
Their meat department is very good, even carrying prime cuts of meat. Their bakery always turns out high quality baked goods, the veggie, fruit, fish, cheeses, it just goes on & on… I get my motor oil there for much cheaper, they have great selection of tires & good batteries, our last 2 large TV’s are from there, my last couple jackets are from there, their booze selection is nice, they feed you snacks as you wander through the large isles, the membership fees pay for themselves within the first few months.
I like it. Just remember to go during ‘off times’ (early when they open or in the evening)…
I belong to all three. Buy certain things at each one. Costco is by far my favorite, but its 25 miles away. But BJ’s has individual size everything-comparable in size to, but way cheaper than a supermarket. Or course, it doesn’t hurt that Costco treats their employees like human beings rather than slaves (Sam’s) and I own stock in Costco and it has gone up from 45 to 160 in 3+ years.
@dannybeans Lucky you and your nearby costco. The closest to me is 183 miles, but I’d have to renew my passport. The nearest costco that is in the US is 320 miles away.
I have a Sams club in my state (230 miles away). And I just now realized that I technically live closer to a Costco than to a Sams club. How hard is it to get Costco purchases through customs?
@f00l Small town in MD, though I work in DC. ‘Walks everywhere’ is oversimplified since I take a train to DC, but I was more thinking ‘I can easily walk a mile to Costco, but would never want to carry back the quantities of things I’d have to purchase’.
@brhfl I’m in an apt. in DC & go to Arlington for the Pentagon Centre Costco. I ride Metro & use a cart. My kitty likes to be rid of me every so often.
@gertiestn Wish I could have a kitty more than I wish I had a closet… but the new neighbor’s Siamese has taken to greeting me every evening, which is nice.
I am actually really close to the Frederick Costco, it’s just impractical in every regard. Though with everyone in this thread spouting about how well they treat their employees, perhaps I’ll have a different motivation in a few months…
Anyway none of this was about feeling left out of the warehouse shopping experience, just that it has never made sense to me to be a ‘yes’ option sort of person. Rather antithetical to how I operate.
Generally prefer Costco’s products to Sam’s though their hours are not as convenient. Have a membership to both, over 30 years with Sam’s (they were here first) and now 9 years with Costco) It was a no-brainer when Costco took AMEX and Sam’s only took Discover (I even used my AMEX card to buy Sam’s/Walmart gift cards at the local Walmart so I could generate those Delta FF miles then used the cards at Sam’s). Now not so much… To me: Costco is to Sam’sasTarget is to Walmart (to quote a famous college prep test).
Business Week reported in June that Costco pays its hourly workers an average of $20.89 an hour, not including overtime, while Wal-Mart/Sam’s Club’s average wage for full-time employees in the U.S. is $12.67 an hour. Eighty-eight percent of Costco employees have company-sponsored health insurance while Wal-Mart said that “more than half” of its do.
I joined Costco on a weird whim earlier this year. It was kind of fun to go the first couple times, just for the novel spectacle of it. But the feeling quickly curdled. It’s like a cross between QVC and Bartertown. I hope I never go again.
I’m surprised how uncompetitive the prices are there, given how little else about the experience is attractive.
My personal warehouse club strategy is to go with a family member or friend wherever they have a card, stock up on toilet paper, paper towels, and nonperishable snacks, then avoid going back for about 6 months. No membership fees and I get to marvel at enormous containers of mayonnaise and automated rice krispie treat sample dispensers with my brother for an afternoon.
Costco is great but you have to be a smart buyer. You can save on staples like milk,eggs, & canned soup but when you pick up that tasty box of frozen scallops wrapped in bacon or the fresh stuffed salmon you will pay. But where else do you get those things? And the annual Kirkland scotch is usually a pretty good deal
Went to Costco this afternoon. Bought a little over $ 200 worth of stuff. Very difficult to get out of there spending less than a couple hundred dollars. You always see something else you want to pick up.
Bought a lot of food-container of crab meat, smoked salmon, fresh salmon, 3 rack of lamb rib roasts, container of store made chili (for 12.99-will get 4 meals out of it) plus some other food items.
For those of your questioning how much you will save, they have gift cards to local and national restaurants for $79 for 2 $50 gift cards. Buying those three times during the year pays for the membership.
Also have to stop at the food court-had a very delicious beef barbeque sandwich for $ 4.99. Also they have a foot long beef hotdog and soda for $ 1.50. They have never raised the price on that since they opened as they also have never raised the price on their rotisserie chicken from $ 4.99.
I miss Costco from my years in San Jose, CA… all we have in Waco, TX is Sam’s Club. I do buy things there… but the only thing that makes the membership fiscally worth while is the bargain price on Ranitidine.
I used to but now I don’t. I used to thow away a lot of freezer burned stuff now I don’t and aldi has everything sams and costco had that I normally bought and the other stuff I find on amazon or ebay for about the same price and there’s no yearly membership bullshit. So I don’t buy bulk any more.
@Pavlov Sorry… gotta disagree on that one!
Aldi is great place to get inexpensive produce, as well as certain items that are imported and just ‘different’ from what you can normally find locally.
BTW did you know that Aldi and Trader Joe’s are part of the same company?
@RiotDemon I don’t buy meat there often, unless they have super chicken on sale for $1.50 a pound. But normally its eggs milk cheeses and sausages and can good. I buy veggies at Publix, and grass fed beef from the butcher or from a farm family nearby. I don’t eat beef often though.
I miss Costco. We have BJ’s and the pricing and selection just aren’t as good. Plus, the Kirkland branded items hold up better than the Berkeley and Jensen.
@Pavlov especially here in the northeast. Something about the culture? I wouldn’t know, being from a Costco state, myself. (there needs to be a “waggling eyebrows” emoji.)
@Thumperchick well it is, of course, but that wasn’t the context i intended, i used it to indicate that i thought your domicile was closer to TX in Central Time (CT), leaving out the D or S in between so it would be accurate in whatever month the reader consumed the content of my characters.
I once picked around 10 items and price compared the per unit price between Sams Club and Walmart, and per unit, they were the same. It was years ago but it prompted me to cancel my membership. I’d be interested to see if things have changed.
@alexthegirl I know that for BJ’s, the pricing is a toss up. Sometimes BJ’s prices are better, sometimes worse. You have to know what you’re looking for an stick to what you know works out best. It’s a pain in the butt.
@communist Yeah, they (Sam’s, Costco, etc) almost never have better prices on certain name brand items like Coke, Pepsi etc than local grocers who offer them as sale items to get you in the store ( think: loss leaders)
@alexthegirl they still do it with some things… but as mentioned the apps make it much easier.
weird things too… like air filters at walmart are $10 each and at sams are $13 each and you have to buy 4… makes no sense… well to me, I am sure the “data” shows it works.
We’ve been with Sams Club since 1998 or so. Then a few years ago my employer bought a Costco business membership. There are products I like from both but I go to Costco by default; better selection, excellent (if very expensive) prime meat, and they seem to get the random fun things in that are worth considering (generators, camp ovens, shelf-storable foods, so many more). But now I have to pay for the Costco membership because my company dropped theirs.
AOBTW Costco still has the real 4.5" wide toilet paper from name brands (not just their store brand); I don’t know of anywhere else that is still available.
@duodec yeah, considering the size of the average American’s ass is constantly getting larger, why are they making toilet paper skinnier?? Are we headed toward anal floss…? …Yewwww…
@sammydog01 Regarding coupons, you can use a couple on a single product. For example, if you have a BJ’s coupon they give you at the door and a manufacturer’s coupon for the same product, you can apply both.
If you are buying a two-pack of something like Egglands Eggs, you can use two manufacturer’s coupons. I think you can also combine that with a BJ’s coupon for 3 coupons total.
BJ’s has coupons they have in the store, some in the Journal, some you can print from online, and some from a book they send once a month. You can combine multiple coupons from different sources for the same product.
Example: Huge bag of Cape Cod potato chips for $4.79. BJ’s coupon $2.00 off. Manufacturer’s coupon $1.00 off. Final price $1.79 for a huge bag.
We just got a Costco not 5 minutes from my house, and I was excited because my friends said the gas savings alone are worth it. Except, we have a Kroger right next door, and they do gas too. If you have a Kroger card you automatically save 3¢/gallon. That price is often the same, ±3¢, as Costco’s. If you spend $100 in a month at Kroger, your fuel savings go to 10¢/gallon, and you can save an additional 10¢ for every $100 you spend, up to (I think) $1 off per gallon. If you get a prescription filled at Kroger, they give you points equal to having spent $50, even if the prescription only cost you $5. So I’m a little annoyed that the gas costs basically the same or cheaper with a free card as it does with a card that requires a $55 annual membership.
“Yo mama so fat, Sam’s Club was forced to stop selling items in bulk.”
That was the latest “Yo Mama” joke my 12 year old brought back from his Scouting overnight this past weekend.
. . . not sure exactly what they’re really teaching him.
Little turd still can’t tie a knot.
@Pavlov knots are so last century
You said, “BJ’s”
@hems79 I like Costco, but you can’t get BJ’s there…
…yet.
@2many2no @hems79 There aren’t BJs where I live.
@marklog No BJ’s for me either.
@hems79 married, eh?
@hems79 my brother lives in Newnan, GA. There is a BJ’s right next to Dick’s Sporting Goods. I laugh every time I drive through there.
So, in case you’re wondering. If you’re looking for BJ’s, look at dicks and find your way there.
@eeterrific so true
@capguncowboy i get the map graphic relative to the dick bj thingy,
@capguncowboy Newnan is our go-to stop for gas on the way to ATL so next time I’ll have to check that out! (But I’m not sure I want to spring for the $$ for a BJ card…)
@dmlivezey Years ago, when the 'net was young and new, my sister was talking with her son about some sporting goods item he was looking for. The possibility of finding it at Dick’s was mentioned, so she suggested a web search. Needless to say dicks.com did NOT take her where she intended to go, and her son was mortified beyond belief! He still talks about that day… (they have since bought that domain name)
Costco treats its employees well, pays them well, & has terrific stuff at good prices.
@gertiestn
The prices seem reasonable, but we always somehow end up paying near or over one hundred dollars for just a few items.
@gertiestn I considered working for them because of how well they treat their employees and how happy everyone seems to be when I walk through there. It’s amazing how employee morale changes the atmosphere of a place, even in a relatively self-serve kind of place like a warehouse store.
@gertiestn @HemlockTea Good to know re: the employee-friendliness…
@HemlockTea
IMHO, employee morale at Costco and at Sam’s are galaxies apart.
Some financial studies indicate that Costco employees wind up being cheaper per dollar of operating cost or dollar of profit than those at Sam’s, in spite of receiving much better pay and bennies.
@f00l unhappy employees always cost more in the long run. Unhappy employees are more likely to use sick pay and be less productive.
@DVDBZN don’t buy stuff you didn’t go there for
Costco is pretty good when you are a coupon clipping lunatic like me
I’ll go to Costco when I can tag along with someone that has a membership. SAMs club doesn’t exist in these parts
@PenguinOnTheRox +1
Not a warehouse club but Winco Foods is pretty nifty.
@travo Hellll yeah. I used to go to Costco until WinCo came into town. That’s actually what I came into this thread to say.
@travo I walked into a Winco in Boise many years ago and considered (jokingly) moving to Idaho just to shop there regularly. That store was absolutely amazing.
@Pavlov They are pretty rapidly expanding these days, I wouldn’t be surprised if they kept going East beyond Texas.
@Pavlov When I was house hunting, proximity to WinCo was a factor.
@narfcake
Yeah the worst thing about Winco is that they’re just far enuf away for it to be annoying
Come on, Winco. More stores.
There’s a rumor that we might be getting a Costco. I’m hoping. Currently have a Sam’s about five minutes away, which is better than nothing but from what I’ve heard Costco is a lot better. And Sam’s doesn’t take coupons.
@pooflady costco only takes there own coupons
{
The best “warehouse club” is $WholesaleClubHighBidder hands down!!! They have a much better selection than $WholesaleClubLowBidder, and the prices are always right… I also think the free samples at $WholesaleClubHighBidder are bigger.
Unless $WholesaleClubLowBidder steps up its game I will be dropping my $WholesaleClubLowBidder membership and sticking with WholesaleClubHighBidder!!!
Those places break my brain. I have a hard enough time shopping in human-scale stores.
I love warehouse stores but I am single and live in a tiny efficiency. I tag along with my parents when they go to Sam’s or Costco and pick up a couple of items and scope out kitchen stuff (which is a good way to drop hints about useful things for bday/xmas gifts with my mom). I prefer Costco and might get a membership in the next couple of months so I can buy large quantities of produce for my smoothies and see if it’s more cost effective than the regular grocery store. What I find annoying is they tend to have products I use and would like to buy larger quantities of, but not in the flavor/variety I prefer. For example, they’ll have Silk soy milk, but only in vanilla (I only buy unsweetened plain because vanilla mashed potatoes are not my thing).
@HemlockTea I understand that; I needed a new bottle of bleach recently and figured it would be a better deal there, but I can’t imagine how long it would take me to go through 3 gallons of bleach, so I went to the grocery store instead.
[insert easy “BJs” blowjob joke here]
@Starblind
@hems7
The joke about the BJ nobody can get?
i buy kraft blue cheese and ranch by the gallon for my brother business and Sams is the only club to have them
last month sams club started not carrying kraft ranch in gallon form
@communist Time to get deliveries from Sysco?
@jqubed Sysco doesnt have it
i checked with my sysco guy,
after checking with like 3 other distributors, i finally found one that carried it
I’ve had two free 3 month memberships at Bjs in the last 4-5 years. I didn’t really miss it when it was gone.
I live by myself now, so buying that much in bulk is usually a waste except for toilet paper and things that don’t perish. My grocery store frequently has BOGO free on packages of meat, and I’ll throw those in my deep freezer, but besides that, I just buy normal sized stuff.
I have a Sams Club nearby and it’s been there for a long time, so I’m a member. There was no such thing as a Costco… until a few months ago. But it’s really out of the way (40 minute drive vs 10) that I have a hard time justifying being a member.
A FoodSaver
is a great thing to have when you buy certain food in bulk.
I don’t always shop at warehouse stores. But when I do, I shop at Sam’s Club.
@driver8 are there sams clubs on mars?
I live close to Wal-Mart HQ, so it’s hard to avoid shopping at one. Wal-Mart Neighborhood Markets are bearable. But I choose to avoid Sam’s Club.
Nope. 94 miles to the nearest warehouse club. Internet by $satellite$ or dialup (when working). We did get to keep our P.O. and it’s open 2 hours every weekday. Yep, boonies. Great views beat city traffic every time.
@spiralroad
Skeeters. Snakes. Meth labs. No internet. Skunks.
Fresh air. Privacy.
We’ve only had Sam’s Clubs and BJs in our area for years. This year we finally had a Costco set up shop, but it’s out of my way. I’m hoping this means more are to come, because I’d honestly rather my money go there than to Sam’s Club.
Does Amazon Prime count?
Not until I need to buy diapers again (not an announcement)
love warehouses
We go to Costco all the time. They put one in just 15 miles away.
Their meat department is very good, even carrying prime cuts of meat. Their bakery always turns out high quality baked goods, the veggie, fruit, fish, cheeses, it just goes on & on… I get my motor oil there for much cheaper, they have great selection of tires & good batteries, our last 2 large TV’s are from there, my last couple jackets are from there, their booze selection is nice, they feed you snacks as you wander through the large isles, the membership fees pay for themselves within the first few months.
I like it. Just remember to go during ‘off times’ (early when they open or in the evening)…
@daveinwarsh
google maps has a neat semi new feature for this
it uses android phone to determine when the busy time of a store usually is so you can avoid it
I belong to all three. Buy certain things at each one. Costco is by far my favorite, but its 25 miles away. But BJ’s has individual size everything-comparable in size to, but way cheaper than a supermarket. Or course, it doesn’t hurt that Costco treats their employees like human beings rather than slaves (Sam’s) and I own stock in Costco and it has gone up from 45 to 160 in 3+ years.
We would, but the nearest one is 40 miles away.
@dannybeans Lucky you and your nearby costco. The closest to me is 183 miles, but I’d have to renew my passport. The nearest costco that is in the US is 320 miles away.
I have a Sams club in my state (230 miles away). And I just now realized that I technically live closer to a Costco than to a Sams club. How hard is it to get Costco purchases through customs?
These places don’t make much sense for the sort of person who walks everywhere and has no closets.
@brhfl
Manhattan? D.C.? Boston? Chicago? SF? Where?
@f00l Homeless?
@f00l Small town in MD, though I work in DC. ‘Walks everywhere’ is oversimplified since I take a train to DC, but I was more thinking ‘I can easily walk a mile to Costco, but would never want to carry back the quantities of things I’d have to purchase’.
@brhfl
If it might be worth it, Uber or Lyft or similar?
@f00l Still no place to put larger-than-normal quantities of things. I’m a-ok with this setup, just not the target customer for such a company…
@brhfl I’m in an apt. in DC & go to Arlington for the Pentagon Centre Costco. I ride Metro & use a cart. My kitty likes to be rid of me every so often.
@gertiestn Wish I could have a kitty more than I wish I had a closet… but the new neighbor’s Siamese has taken to greeting me every evening, which is nice.
I am actually really close to the Frederick Costco, it’s just impractical in every regard. Though with everyone in this thread spouting about how well they treat their employees, perhaps I’ll have a different motivation in a few months…
Anyway none of this was about feeling left out of the warehouse shopping experience, just that it has never made sense to me to be a ‘yes’ option sort of person. Rather antithetical to how I operate.
P.S. Hi, neighbor!
Generally prefer Costco’s products to Sam’s though their hours are not as convenient. Have a membership to both, over 30 years with Sam’s (they were here first) and now 9 years with Costco) It was a no-brainer when Costco took AMEX and Sam’s only took Discover (I even used my AMEX card to buy Sam’s/Walmart gift cards at the local Walmart so I could generate those Delta FF miles then used the cards at Sam’s). Now not so much… To me: Costco is to Sam’s as Target is to Walmart (to quote a famous college prep test).
@chienfou you know Costco has transitioned their cards to VISA now right?
@jbartus yeah… that was the “now, not so much” reference… I want to use my AMEX card…
@chienfou for what it’s worth their Citi VISA card is very nice.
http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/01/31/sams-club-vs-costco-do-lower-prices-trump-employee.aspx
More Costco facts here:
http://www.neatorama.com/2013/09/09/10-Most-Fascinating-Facts-About-Costco/
@narfcake Dang, that’s more than I made in my last job as a television engineer!
@jqubed
?
@matthew No, that’s Mr. Conductor. More like this:
I use to a lot when I had a car. Costco all the way.
I joined Costco on a weird whim earlier this year. It was kind of fun to go the first couple times, just for the novel spectacle of it. But the feeling quickly curdled. It’s like a cross between QVC and Bartertown. I hope I never go again.
I’m surprised how uncompetitive the prices are there, given how little else about the experience is attractive.
@matthew
@thismyusername I say this out loud probably 70% of the times I walk into a Costco, and think it EVERY time
My personal warehouse club strategy is to go with a family member or friend wherever they have a card, stock up on toilet paper, paper towels, and nonperishable snacks, then avoid going back for about 6 months. No membership fees and I get to marvel at enormous containers of mayonnaise and automated rice krispie treat sample dispensers with my brother for an afternoon.
@harrison what… you don’t buy your mayonnaise by the gallon?
Costco is great but you have to be a smart buyer. You can save on staples like milk,eggs, & canned soup but when you pick up that tasty box of frozen scallops wrapped in bacon or the fresh stuffed salmon you will pay. But where else do you get those things? And the annual Kirkland scotch is usually a pretty good deal
@Boiler3k Locally they are also the only source of fresh mussels and several other (think good cheeses, certain imported wines etc) things.
@Boiler3k No discount liquor in NC; all liquor purchases must be made at the state-owned, county run ABC stores.
Went to Costco this afternoon. Bought a little over $ 200 worth of stuff. Very difficult to get out of there spending less than a couple hundred dollars. You always see something else you want to pick up.
Bought a lot of food-container of crab meat, smoked salmon, fresh salmon, 3 rack of lamb rib roasts, container of store made chili (for 12.99-will get 4 meals out of it) plus some other food items.
For those of your questioning how much you will save, they have gift cards to local and national restaurants for $79 for 2 $50 gift cards. Buying those three times during the year pays for the membership.
Also have to stop at the food court-had a very delicious beef barbeque sandwich for $ 4.99. Also they have a foot long beef hotdog and soda for $ 1.50. They have never raised the price on that since they opened as they also have never raised the price on their rotisserie chicken from $ 4.99.
I went to a Wearhouse once. Does that count?
I miss Costco from my years in San Jose, CA… all we have in Waco, TX is Sam’s Club. I do buy things there… but the only thing that makes the membership fiscally worth while is the bargain price on Ranitidine.
I used to but now I don’t. I used to thow away a lot of freezer burned stuff now I don’t and aldi has everything sams and costco had that I normally bought and the other stuff I find on amazon or ebay for about the same price and there’s no yearly membership bullshit. So I don’t buy bulk any more.
@cranky1950
@Pavlov You’re wrong, aldi generics are pretty high quality, plus they got bitchin chocolate.
@cranky1950 We can agree to disagree. And you’re cranky.
@Pavlov How did the Aldi hurt you? Was it the delicious imported chocolate?
@cranky1950 their chocolate is good. The quality of their ground beef wasn’t that great when I tried it.
@Pavlov Sorry… gotta disagree on that one!
Aldi is great place to get inexpensive produce, as well as certain items that are imported and just ‘different’ from what you can normally find locally.
BTW did you know that Aldi and Trader Joe’s are part of the same company?
@Pavlov …But I am definitely a fan of FoodSaver comment (made a sous-vide steak last night in a styrofoam cooler that was AMAZING…)
@RiotDemon I don’t buy meat there often, unless they have super chicken on sale for $1.50 a pound. But normally its eggs milk cheeses and sausages and can good. I buy veggies at Publix, and grass fed beef from the butcher or from a farm family nearby. I don’t eat beef often though.
Americans will spend any amount of money to appear frugal - Lee Iococca
I miss Costco. We have BJ’s and the pricing and selection just aren’t as good. Plus, the Kirkland branded items hold up better than the Berkeley and Jensen.
@Thumperchick Problems with pricing and selection of BJ’s is perpetually an issue.
@Pavlov especially here in the northeast. Something about the culture? I wouldn’t know, being from a Costco state, myself. (there needs to be a “waggling eyebrows” emoji.)
@Thumperchick :groucho:
@Thumperchick srsly? northeast? i had you begged as CT or wester
@Yoda_Daenerys What’s a wester? (I’m originally from CA.)
@Yoda_Daenerys …CT is northeast in my book…
@Thumperchick @chienfou CT meant central time zone, and wester(er) was a made up word meaning further west than CT
@Yoda_Daenerys @chiwnfou CT isn’t Conneticut?
@Thumperchick well it is, of course, but that wasn’t the context i intended, i used it to indicate that i thought your domicile was closer to TX in Central Time (CT), leaving out the D or S in between so it would be accurate in whatever month the reader consumed the content of my characters.
google express is another option for buying at costco, even if they are not in your area. either pay an annual subscription or $5 order fee
I once picked around 10 items and price compared the per unit price between Sams Club and Walmart, and per unit, they were the same. It was years ago but it prompted me to cancel my membership. I’d be interested to see if things have changed.
@alexthegirl I know that for BJ’s, the pricing is a toss up. Sometimes BJ’s prices are better, sometimes worse. You have to know what you’re looking for an stick to what you know works out best. It’s a pain in the butt.
@alexthegirl thats the thing
its not always a savings
for example
4 X 2L soda at sams is $4.28
vs
1 X 2L on sale at walmart is $1.00
counter example
smoked sausage
$4 for 1lb at walmart
$6.28 for 3lbs at sams club
now both walmart and sams club have apps so you can compare while you shop and get better deals
@communist Yeah, they (Sam’s, Costco, etc) almost never have better prices on certain name brand items like Coke, Pepsi etc than local grocers who offer them as sale items to get you in the store ( think: loss leaders)
@alexthegirl they still do it with some things… but as mentioned the apps make it much easier.
weird things too… like air filters at walmart are $10 each and at sams are $13 each and you have to buy 4… makes no sense… well to me, I am sure the “data” shows it works.
We’ve been with Sams Club since 1998 or so. Then a few years ago my employer bought a Costco business membership. There are products I like from both but I go to Costco by default; better selection, excellent (if very expensive) prime meat, and they seem to get the random fun things in that are worth considering (generators, camp ovens, shelf-storable foods, so many more). But now I have to pay for the Costco membership because my company dropped theirs.
AOBTW Costco still has the real 4.5" wide toilet paper from name brands (not just their store brand); I don’t know of anywhere else that is still available.
No BJs nearby
@duodec yeah, considering the size of the average American’s ass is constantly getting larger, why are they making toilet paper skinnier?? Are we headed toward anal floss…? …Yewwww…
I shop at BJs. You need to use coupons. They give them out at the door. And Jelly Bellies are always priced well.
@sammydog01 Regarding coupons, you can use a couple on a single product. For example, if you have a BJ’s coupon they give you at the door and a manufacturer’s coupon for the same product, you can apply both.
If you are buying a two-pack of something like Egglands Eggs, you can use two manufacturer’s coupons. I think you can also combine that with a BJ’s coupon for 3 coupons total.
BJ’s has coupons they have in the store, some in the Journal, some you can print from online, and some from a book they send once a month. You can combine multiple coupons from different sources for the same product.
Example: Huge bag of Cape Cod potato chips for $4.79. BJ’s coupon $2.00 off. Manufacturer’s coupon $1.00 off. Final price $1.79 for a huge bag.
We just got a Costco not 5 minutes from my house, and I was excited because my friends said the gas savings alone are worth it. Except, we have a Kroger right next door, and they do gas too. If you have a Kroger card you automatically save 3¢/gallon. That price is often the same, ±3¢, as Costco’s. If you spend $100 in a month at Kroger, your fuel savings go to 10¢/gallon, and you can save an additional 10¢ for every $100 you spend, up to (I think) $1 off per gallon. If you get a prescription filled at Kroger, they give you points equal to having spent $50, even if the prescription only cost you $5. So I’m a little annoyed that the gas costs basically the same or cheaper with a free card as it does with a card that requires a $55 annual membership.
@jqubed In some areas, the competition isn’t that close. 20+ cents difference is common, and that adds up.
This goes back a few years, but it’s all still valid: