Community Chat

[Carmie]

Yes, we buy from Costco and Sam's, plus there is a store near us that sells staple items in bulk.

I buy steel cut oatmeal at $.88 a lb and other items as well.. like baking supplies and olive oil.

I have a huge pantry in my basement that is stocked with goods that can last me for months.  I also have two deep freezers and two fridges.

During the pandemic, I had everything including paper towels and TP.

I also freeze veggies and fruits and make my own jam and apple butter and can tomatoes, peppers and applesauce.

I buy in bulk on sale, but only items I know I will use up in short order.

[LindaSal]

We have a BJ's wholesale store in our area.  We've been members forever and I have considered stopping it.  DH wants to keep it though.  We mostly buy our paper products as others have mentioned along with some toiletries (mouthwash, floss, toothpaste) and some food products like pasta sauce and pasta, things that keep for some time.  We also buy cases of  bottled water so it is worth it in the end I guess but we only go a few times a year.

[shoptilyadropagain]

I shop at Costco but only those things that I have room to store and/or know it won't go bad if it sits around for several months.  I will buy meats that I can repackage in smaller bundles and refreeze as long as I have room for it in my freezer.  

Even at grocery stores, I tend to buy the largest size of something as it is less expensive than the smaller sizes.  

[MG Chris]

I am single and have memberships in both Costco and Sam’s Club. Each has a specific place for my shopping needs.

I buy my bottled water, toilet paper, organic eggs,  paper towels, anything that catches my eye, and my meat at Sam’s. My kids are also my spouse and since they live in a different state, they are able to shop there. 

At Costco, I purchase produce and different brands of products that Sam’s does not carry. I also purchase all my gas at Costco. My vehicle takes premium gas and Costco offers top-tier gas as Sam’s does not. 

[PA Mom-mom]

@kaydee50  Yes, Costco still does offer free samples. Not every day is equal in offerings, but you can be sure to be inundated before a holiday. It seems there are more offerings towards the end of the week. If it's around lunchtime, you have to be careful. You just may be elbowed out of the way. I do occasionally buy something based on the sampling.

[wilma]

My siblings have memberships to these stores. I've been with them a few times, but buying in bulk isn't our thing. 

With just my husband and me, we really have no need for that many extras and multiples. I guess it comes in handy to have backups when there's a supply chain shortage. 

I didn't think the prices were that great, but my brother and sister kept telling me about all the "good deals" in the store. Only problem was I had desire to buy that many of something to get the "good deal". My husband hates stores that require a membership fee for shopping so I doubt we'll be joining any store clubs. 

[Icegoddess]

We shop at Costco.  A lot of stuff is not bulk.  Of course, the paper items are, and we get dishwashing tabs there too.  Clothing items are not in bulk.  Many items, like snack foods, vitamins, etc. are in larger containers than you get at the grocery store, but for us that's a plus if you've looked at the price of some of the snack items.  I get a nice sized canister of Sanders chocolate caramels whereas I see them in the grocery store now in much smaller and much more expensive litttle bags.  

There's a whole section of the store with kitchen items, shop items, etc that are not in bulk either.  

[Nightowlz]

We used to shop Sam's but in the location we go to they don't have the products they had before Covid. Unless they can stock their store with what we need we won't be renewing our membership. We canceled it before Covid because we got tired of paying the membership fee plus having a 3 hour round trip drive to get there & back.

Sam's should offer a reduced membership for those that have a ways to drive like we do. We cannot go there every day or even every week or month so membership for us is ridiculous.

The one we have now my sister bought for us. We have been 1 time. We might go back before the card expires but probably not. We only spent around $200 or so when we went but used to spend $400-$500 every time we went? 

I like to buy in Bulk because I don't want to run to the store every time I'm out of something. I want at least 2 of everything plus multiples of items we use more. We were buying in bulk well before Covid hit. 

[JYWilliams]

Yes, but not everything I buy there is in bulk. I do get bulk toilet paper, napkins, paper towels, freezer bags, garbage bags, and cleaning supplies.

[gidgetgh]

We had a Costco membership for years but really didn't buy nearly the amount of stuff I've heard others buy. I let the membership lapse 2 years ago.  I've thought about rejoining- have no idea why really. 

Before my membership expired, I stocked up on a few things, including my very favorite Kirkland Kitchen trash bags. I'm going to have to get another box of those in a few months. Either I'll rejoin or ask my sister to buy them for me.