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When do membership discount stores make sense?

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When do membership discount stores make sense?

Old 03-01-07, 01:13 AM
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When do membership discount stores make sense?

Costco, BJ's, Sam's, etc. Anybody have some pointers on when business or upgrade memberships are worth it, what types of items are best purchased at each store, what your spending levels have to be in order to profit from the membership, what special services each offers that you might want even if your spending levels don't otherwise make membership worthwhile, etc? I'm sure this stuff is all out there somewhere.
Old 03-05-07, 01:37 AM
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The only use I got out of my business membership, other than what comes with a normal membership, is earlier opening times.

I buy cleaning supplies, candy, milk, cat food, shredded cheese, hot dogs, pasta, and peanut butter on a regular basis. I'll usually spend around $300 every two months.

Other things will be cheaper, while some things will be more expensive than grocery stores. If you clip coupons, grocery stores can be cheaper on most items.
Old 03-05-07, 09:40 AM
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At Costco the money I save on gas pretty much pays for the membership over the course of a year.
Old 03-05-07, 09:53 AM
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^ Same here (and I guess we go to the same Costco). Their gas is usually 20-30 cents cheaper than most places in the area, so that adds up throughout the year.
Old 03-05-07, 10:08 AM
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Just the $5 chickens alone pays for my Costco membership.
Old 03-05-07, 12:58 PM
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You know what you buy regularly, and you can see how much you save. It's up to each person to determine if its worth it for them. All I know is that it's been 5 years since buying the gallon-size of mayonnaise and it's still going strong!
Old 03-06-07, 03:35 AM
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If you have the Executive membership at Costco with the AmericanExpress card they use, you get a 3% cash back on every purchase you make. You also use that card at the gas pump and it saves you an extra 3% on top of the low price for gas. My yearly rebate has averaged $180-220 for the last couple of years which more than makes it free to be a member.
Old 03-06-07, 04:08 AM
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Most places will give you a one-day pass. Make a list of what you would buy, with their prices, and then compare it to your grocery store. Figure out if it would be worth it to you.

Make sure to use the price per oz, lb, etc.
Old 03-06-07, 07:17 AM
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My wife and I go there go once every two weeks and buy stuff like soda, water, toilet paper, paper towels and other cleaning supplies. The price on soda isn't that hot, but the rest is enough to make sense, especially when you add in gas.
Old 03-06-07, 08:06 AM
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Only when you actually spend less money than your membership fee.

Far too many people get caught up with the free samples and truck load sized boxes to notice that they are not really spending less.
Old 03-06-07, 08:19 AM
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Originally Posted by Brian Shannon
Only when you actually spend less money than your membership fee.

Far too many people get caught up with the free samples and truck load sized boxes to notice that they are not really spending less.
There are many products where you're spending far less. The trick is in figuring out which products those are and stick to them.
Old 03-06-07, 03:48 PM
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Originally Posted by Sweet Baby James
Just the $5 chickens alone pays for my Costco membership.
MMmm! Those $4.99 Costco chickens are best rotis' birds I have ever eaten..Sams Clubs birds come in a close 2nd.
Old 03-06-07, 07:34 PM
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I love my Costco...but I never go inside. They have a food place outside with great prices: a huge slice of pizza for 1.25, hotdog/polish dog w/ a soda for 1.50...good stuff.

= J
Old 03-07-07, 03:57 AM
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What are the membership fees?

No Costco's around me that I'm aware of, but I do have a SAM's card through work. Since they pay for it, I have no idea how much it costs. (It's also one of the business cards that lets me get in early.)
Old 03-07-07, 06:02 AM
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I think they run 35 or 40 bucks a year, you usually get two cards. Business membership may be a little more.
It's somewhat hard to quantify, but we do save money buying from BJ's. We've been members for years. I get a discounted rate through my company, so that helps, but even without it, we'd save. They don't have the best price on everything (soft drinks and alcohol, for instance--but you don't have to be a member to buy alcohol in many states), and sometimes you can find better prices on certain things if you catch the super sales at the grocery stores, and obviously if you buy bulk buy throw half of it away you're not saving money, but for us it's generally been a benefit. Plus, like was said earlier, the gas is cheaper; in our case it's the cheapest on that side of town.
Old 03-07-07, 11:12 AM
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I save probably $50 a year on the cheaper pricing on Jack Daniel's alone.

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