So, I'm thinking of paying for a membership for either Sam's Club or Costco? I had a Sam's Club membership a while ago when we were a family of 3 (me, husband and daughter) I stopped paying because we hardly went and didn't find it useful. So, today, we are a family of 5 (me, husband, 13-year-old daughter, 4-year old daughter and almost 1-year old son). For families of 5 do you really think it's worth it? Do you find yourself buying a lot when you're there? Do you save any? Both stores are about equal distance from my house, so I would love to get suggestions on which one to join? Thanks so much.
I'm curious, too. Our neighbor offered to lend us her membership but then we'd have to bother her. We have a Costco opening up soon. Is it worth it for mostly a family of 3?
We are a family of three (husband, wife and doggy). We have a Costco membership for many years now. We prefer the quality and the brands Costco brings in comparison to Sams, we are not anti Walmart per se, but Walmart and any store related to Walton Corp is not our favorite.
Costco has great satisfaction guarantee and return policy. The price of organic milk and the quality and price of their meet can't be beat.
If your Costco has gas station, they have the additives that generally the supermaket gas stations don't have. The price of the gas is usually the lowest in their 5 mile radius.
The Kikland brand which Costco's generic brand, is not really generic, you see most of the time that a famous brand name has packaged it spefically for Costco.
Overall, we have been very happy with our membership.
Yes we save a lot plus with a little work we eat better than we would at the grocery store. We have more storage than the average bear. My older two call the one section of the basement the food pantry. It is just one small shelf but yeah, it kind of looks like a food pantry.
I think the mistake people make is not knowing how to store everything. They shove stuff in their closets so they don't know what they have or they buy meat and the like and throw part away because they didn't freeze it right.
Oh, we have a Costco membership. We used to have Sams but I didn't like the meat as well as Costco so we switched. Sorry but Wal Mart beef is gross!
It's worth it!
Gas
Diapers
Organic products
Meats,
Toiletries
And school snacks are the best...
I would recommend getting a membership!
We are a family of four and I absolutely would hate to have to give up my Costco membership. I adore Costco, they have great products, excellent customer service and the best return policy anywhere.
I highly recommend a Costco membership. We have their Executive membership, which costs $110 and offers 2% cash back, so every year we get a check. The check is always more than the membership fee, so we make money :-). Can't argue with that.
I have a family of 4, and we do quite a bit of shopping at Costco. Of the two stores I prefer Costco because of the high quality of their merchandise, and the fact that they treat their employees well.
We were a family of 5 when we had Sam's club. We hardly ever used it because it was a pain. Plus I did not think we really saved money. My brother has Costco and loves it, uses it all the time.
I have a Sams membership because I've never had a Costco near me (now that I moved they are building one, so I may have to reconsider). Food is cheaper, diapers, etc. The only problem is it's in bulk, in our new place we don't have the storage room I had in the last place so I'm trying to work through it (as far as Toilet paper, paper goods, etc). Food, you have to make sure you use it or freeze it well so it's not wasting (then the good deal wasn't such a good deal). Other items are pretty good deals too. We only get our cell phones from there . . . they give the rebate on spot vs mail in - love that!!
Hope that helps.
I have a costco, and I think it saves me a lot. we are only 3 in my family, but I get all the snacks, drinks, and other items I need for school lunches, and I just use them as I need, without having to go to the store every week for jut those items.. for instance, a bag of chips at the store is $3 + and it doesn't last 2 days, in my house, I get the large box at Costco, and it last 2 weeks, and its only a dollar or so more than one bag at the store...
hope this helps.
We are a family of 4 and have had a Costco membership for years. We buy practically all of our fruit and nuts there and it is much cheaper than the food store. I also like their rotisserie chickens and frozen meatballs. You can not beat the price of their cakes. We also buy our contact lens there. We have an executive membership too and we shop there enough that the cost is covered by the dollars we "earn" back.
we have had sams club card for years. then we got a costco card and i quit using sams right away. the choices are better at costco and yes i do save money on juice boxes, water, bread, you name it. we have the amex through costco so we get a check at the end of the year, and we can also use coupons.
I love Costco! They get WAY , too much of our money. Is it worth it?... I'm not sure but I love their products.
I would say it is worth it. I might be an expensive trip to Costco or Sams but just remember you won't have to buy those items for awhile. I also like to buy clothes for my kids at Costco, great prices and quality. Maybe you could split the membership with a family member or a friend. My sister and I share membership since you are allowed 2 card holders.
We have a Costco membership and we are a family of 5. We've had it since around the time my first son was born if not longer. We use it all the time! We have the Executive Membership which is more expensive but you get back a percentage of your purchases. Every year since we got this membership we have been able to renew it with our refund and have some left over for our groceries that day so essentially the membership is free. They have great clothes, fantastic prices on books, DVDs and Blurays. We have bought a couple of our cameras from them over the years and a couple laptops. Not to mention our family groceries. We use their store brand laundry detergent, toilet paper, paper towels, diapers and wipes. We buy our soy milk there. We buy our kids' OTC allergy medicine there. Their produce is great and they have a good meat department. Some things are too big for us because we don't have anywhere to store and freeze a lot of extra but if you have the ability to break it into smaller portions and freeze it you will find even more that you can use.
A few years ago all the grocery stores that were part of the union went on strike that went on forever. Grocery store shelves were empty because delivery trucks refused to cross the line. We took the time to walk each and every aisle at Costco and tried what they carried of all our staples. Between Costco, Trader Joes and Sprouts with Target for bits of random items we do all of our shopping and never set food in any of the big chain grocery stores unless we are in a pinch for something specific. We don't miss the big chain store anymore, we get better food and Costco makes it easy to get a lot of things in one trip so we're not wasting our time going all over town to get what we need.
ETA: I forgot to mention we also get our glasses there as does my dad. He gets all his prescriptions there and the very rare time s we need them we get them there too.
i joined again but this time I used it as my childrens school buisness I really like it but hated paying for the membership.I really need to sit down and find what is cost effective to purchase as for snacks and items for parties it is so is some toiletries.I like and love to buy in bulk now that I have more children I can't always get out when I need to so having things on hand is great for me
I don't know about Sams Club but, I would say Costco is worth it.
We entertain a lot and honestly I love Costco to help me gets lots of good yummy stuff for cheap! Plus, I like to donate snacks, wipes, etc. for my kids preschool so I buy the big boxes there.
Their cakes are seriously to die for and they are SO cheap! The rest of their bakery doesn't have a lot of variety but everything is pretty good.
The meat is a good price and I've never been disappointed with their lamb chops!
I buy bottom wipes and toilet paper there for us and it's nice because it's a while before I have to to restock. Plus, I use vinegar as a cleaning solution and as a fabric softener and the big jugs are only like $2 there. And I agree their clothes are great!
Do I save money?...well that's questionable honestly. The savings I probably would have had I spend on "must haves" like something I sampled or a giant bag of pistachios I didn't really need.
We have a Costco membership and we love it. My husband drives by it on his way home from work, so once or twice a week he will pop in and pick up dinner. They have great "ready-to-cook" meals. We also buy all of our household products there (detergent, TP, paper towels). They always have a unique selection of seasonal items.
As other people have said, their return policy is excellent. On electronics they extend the manufactures warranty by 1 year. I had purchased a small flat screen TV for the kitchen and almost 2 years later is stopped working. I, of course, didn't have a receipt. I took the TV into Costco and they were able to look up the purchase and it was just under the 2 year mark and right there on the spot, they gave me a brand new replacement TV, no questions asked.
So, yes, for that reason alone the membership is totally worth it. Good luck and happy shopping!
I used to have a Costco Membership, but it really wasn't worthwhile. Most of the time the prices at Costco were the same as the prices at Superstore, only at Costco you had to buy in huge quantities, and there wasn't much of a selection, so I still had to shop somewhere else anyway. Sometimes Costco's price is higher than Superstore. I hear it is worth while if you use the pharmacy. Our neighbours have a lot of prescriptions and have a Costco membership to save on their prescription drugs. I go and shop with them from time to time and I really don't see many deals. What I do like is the product sampling and the hot dog stand. You can go for appetizers then lunch.