STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

bex · Chanel

Sam's Club?

Hermione · Kate Spade

$20 for a year? i'd do it!

i know sam's is great for meat and produce, and also you may want to get bulk of certain items you like such as those amy's organic dinners (come in a pack of 6 at sam's, according to lilykind) or maybe bottled waters.

also the wine selection is pretty good, i've heard, from aurora, i think, and you can also get deals on other things like dvds and electronics (and occasionally clothing?! strange but true)

laken1 · Hermes

Well, as a member with a family of 2 who gets a free membership since my mom pays mine, I'll give you my thoughts. I think it's great for certain things - like there are several kinds of frozen chicken I get there, I know I can get appetizer & dessert stuff easily if I'm having a party or need it for an occassion, the big box of my laundry detergent, that kind of thing. And we do get the frozen king crab legs there every couple of months or so. But on the whole, I never go in there without spending $100 & it's generally on stuff we don't "need" like whatever they were sampling because i have DH with me or a DVD or book or something that I wouldn't have bought if I wasn't in there to begin with. I don't buy paper towels / toilet paper, etc there because although I know it's cheaper & we'll use those items, I don't have room to store all of that. Same with canned goods / cereal - do I really need 8 cans of cream of mushroom soup or 48 breakfast bars?

Can you go with someone that has a card & see what you think? Or if it's only $20 give it a shot this year & see what you think - they do have some good stuff & it's fun to look at - plus I got a cashmere sweater there for $40 at Christmas time.....

HTH some.

small fry · Chanel

I agree with Laken1 its easy for me to spend money on things I dont need.When I go to that part of town I buy laduary soap, cat food , dog food,toilet paper, paper towels,snacks etc. It seems to last longer when I buy it there.

-- Edited by kaykay at 17:26, 2006-04-12

-- Edited by kaykay at 17:29, 2006-04-12

Lilykind · Hermes

Hmmmm...I've never been to Sam's, only Costco. I don't know about the selection of brands and quality of food at Sam's, although it seems that Costco is somewhat higher end (more likely to have the stuff like Amy's dinners).

My BF and I are a family of 2..we can get a lot of great things at Costco, plus we also buy basics like flats of bottled water, detergent, and peper towels. I think it's worth it as long as the brands are brands you'd buy anyway.

valenciana · Dooney & Bourke

books are cheap there, if you buy a lot of books. i'm not sure they are always cheaper than amazon though, but sometimes.

it's also good for pricey health and beauty items...things like razor blades, claritin, stuff like that, that don't take up tons of room (like packs of 84 paper towels) but are much cheaper than you can find them elsewhere.

i don't know if Sam's has other services but i know Costco has great deals on travel packages and stuff too, hundreds of bucks (or more) less than average. so $20 is probably worth it just for that.

Hermes

Lilykind wrote:

Hmmmm...I've never been to Sam's, only Costco. I don't know about the selection of brands and quality of food at Sam's, although it seems that Costco is somewhat higher end (more likely to have the stuff like Amy's dinners). My BF and I are a family of 2..we can get a lot of great things at Costco, plus we also buy basics like flats of bottled water, detergent, and peper towels. I think it's worth it as long as the brands are brands you'd buy anyway.

I love Costco. we will go and "have lunch" on the weekends sometimes (all the food samples) and they carry some half-way decent clothes sometimes (mine had 7 jeans this past weekend.) The food is also very good.

bex · Chanel

Lilykind wrote:

I think it's worth it as long as the brands are brands you'd buy anyway.

so considering that i never set foot in Wal-Mart and Sam's Club is part of Wal-Mart... I should just save my $$$???

Hermes

bex wrote:

Lilykind wrote: I think it's worth it as long as the brands are brands you'd buy anyway. so considering that i never set foot in Wal-Mart and Sam's Club is part of Wal-Mart... I should just save my $$$???

can you go in as a guest and check it out before getting a membership?

Cricket · Gucci

I have a membership to both Sam's and Costco. Hands down, I prefer Costco to Sams. Sams (in our area) is not as clean as Costco, selection not as good at Sam's and I feel the quality of the food items is better at Costco. Costco seems to have a more stringent hiring process than Sam's. The employees are much more helpful at our Costco, and they are easier to find when you need help. I had to go to Sam's the other day ( we get our dog food there. They don't have the brand at Costco), and of course, I picked up some other things. I was having a party, so I picked up quite a bit of produce, chips, etc. I went to check out and they couldn't find a box to load my purchases in. The cashier asked if I needed one. YES, I do! So, I ended up getting a broken box that was more trouble than it was worth and everything spilled out when I tried to unload it at home. So, I vowed only to go back for dog food and contact lenses. My husband, on the other hand, likes Sam's because the store is practically a ghost town (compared to the usual madness at Costco- a plus for Sam's). He has no problem with the store. If you have a Costco close, I'd pay the extra and go there. I LOVE COSTCO!

bex · Chanel

detroit wrote:

bex wrote: Lilykind wrote: I think it's worth it as long as the brands are brands you'd buy anyway. so considering that i never set foot in Wal-Mart and Sam's Club is part of Wal-Mart... I should just save my $$$??? can you go in as a guest and check it out before getting a membership?

maybe... i have a friend in Cincinnati that uses his parents membership card and i'm there next week. maybe i'll ask him about it. but he just buys bottled water with it too

why does everyone i know only buy bottled water at their Sam's?

Lilykind · Hermes

bex wrote:

Lilykind wrote: I think it's worth it as long as the brands are brands you'd buy anyway. so considering that i never set foot in Wal-Mart and Sam's Club is part of Wal-Mart... I should just save my $$$???

I'm sorry, I should clarify that. I know that with Costco, they consistently carry a somewhat limited selection of brands, like you can choose between Charmin and the Costco brand of toilet paper...some people don't like either brand and won't use tp they don't like to save money.

NCshopper · Hermes

I also prefer Costco to Sam's, so I'd recommend Costco if you have one near you. But I think the same thing applies to both--if you plan on buying in bulk, then it's worth it. But you kind of have to be careful not to buy things that you wouldn't ordinarily buy.

Anyway, things that are great deals at Costco/Sam's/BJ's:

Books
CDs/DVDs
Wine/Beer
Chicken (you can get HUGE packs of chicken breasts and then put each one in a sandwich bag and freeze)
Electronics
Jewelry/watches (I don't know about Sam's too much, but Costco has a GREAT selection)
Paper products
Staples like olive oil, vinegar, etc

I think it's worth it, personally. We've always found a great selection of stuff and I think we've saved a great deal of money by shopping at warehouse stores. But definitely see if you can try it out for a day or so. Most places will generally give you a free trial period.

Random side note: My parents met at Costco. My mom was working there and she signed my dad up for a membership. They went out on a date and 8 months later, they got married! So apparently, you can get a husband there too!

Hermes

NCshopper wrote:

I also prefer Costco to Sam's, so I'd recommend Costco if you have one near you. But I think the same thing applies to both--if you plan on buying in bulk, then it's worth it. But you kind of have to be careful not to buy things that you wouldn't ordinarily buy. Anyway, things that are great deals at Costco/Sam's/BJ's: BooksCDs/DVDsWine/BeerChicken (you can get HUGE packs of chicken breasts and then put each one in a sandwich bag and freeze)Electronics Jewelry/watches (I don't know about Sam's too much, but Costco has a GREAT selection)Paper productsStaples like olive oil, vinegar, etc I think it's worth it, personally. We've always found a great selection of stuff and I think we've saved a great deal of money by shopping at warehouse stores. But definitely see if you can try it out for a day or so. Most places will generally give you a free trial period. Random side note: My parents met at Costco. My mom was working there and she signed my dad up for a membership. They went out on a date and 8 months later, they got married! So apparently, you can get a husband there too!

your's doesn't carry the flash frozen chicken breasts in a big zip-lock bag? those are the ones I buy, along with the flash frozen bag of salmon. They are so convenient.

NCshopper · Hermes

detroit wrote:

your's doesn't carry the flash frozen chicken breasts in a big zip-lock bag? those are the ones I buy, along with the flash frozen bag of salmon. They are so convenient.

I had no idea such a thing existed!!!!!!! I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for that!

kahluamilk · Dooney & Bourke

I think it is def worth it.. Me and my bf stock up over there on basics and then we won't have to buy stuff for like 6months. We also eat alot of quick meals and they have the best rotisserie chicken.. it's only $4 and so much bigger than the ones you get at the regular grocery store. And like the others said, a very nice wine selection.

luckyclover · Dooney & Bourke

detroit wrote:

can you go in as a guest and check it out before getting a membership?

yes you can. In fact they put out day passes pretty regularly. Go to their website and see if you can request one. I have one good through May 31 that I haven't thrown away yet. It was in their ad they mail out. Our family of 2 enjoys our membership. They have things cheaper but not always. For instance I have found toilet paper to be cheaper at Target but I can get a huge bag of cat litter for 6 bucks at Sam's. We get quite a few food items including popcorn shrimp and coffee (a huge one for 6 bucks when the regular size at the store is 7 now) but they also have other things. They have cute clothes occasionally and we have bought several computer items/accessories there. I found my dream furniture there and it was really cheap. I just figure I may as well pay less for the stuff I am going to get anyway.

Hermes

NCshopper wrote:

My parents met at Costco. My mom was working there and she signed my dad up for a membership. They went out on a date and 8 months later, they got married! So apparently, you can get a husband there too!

omg - that's hilarious! they're a Costcouple! so you're their Costkid, then?

shopgirl82 · Chanel

i think i'm in the minority here, but i like sam's better, but we don't have a membership to either because it wasn't worth it for us.

my bf and i took costco for a test drive and we found the prices were about the same if not more expensive as items on sale at the grocery store or trader joe's (we also go to a farmer's market so things there tend to be cheaper than your average grocery store). the other things to consider are they only take cash, checks, or amex (i think that's the one), and they don't have the specifics. for example, i like 99% fat free lentil soup. they carry the basics like chicken noodle, tomato, etc...so if you like specific items, you can't always find those items. finally, is space. buying in bulk takes up a lot more space in your crib.

the positives: household items, wine, great for when you're having a big party, and electronics, books, dvd's, etc....oh, and the free samples.

-- Edited by shopgirl82 at 09:06, 2006-04-13

JoceyBaby23 · Gucci

Lilykind wrote:

Hmmmm...I've never been to Sam's, only Costco. I don't know about the selection of brands and quality of food at Sam's, although it seems that Costco is somewhat higher end (more likely to have the stuff like Amy's dinners). My BF and I are a family of 2..we can get a lot of great things at Costco, plus we also buy basics like flats of bottled water, detergent, and peper towels. I think it's worth it as long as the brands are brands you'd buy anyway.

I could have written this myself. Costco is great and so worth it for many many reasons.