Sam's Club/BJ's

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Coballs

Assistant Cook
Joined
Jul 20, 2012
Messages
39
Location
Philadelphia
So I was wondering what you guys and gals thought about buying in bulk from a place like sams club or BJ's?

Right now I shop at Wal mart and think I get pretty good prices on my food, but do you think it is worth it to shop at one of these bulk stores?
 
We have been Costco members for a dozen years or more. In addition, at SO's request, we alternate between Sam's Club and BJ's.

Hand's down, Costco is the best. It's a toss up in my mind between Sam's and BJ's.

A lot depends on how big your family is. Because of packaging sizes and storage space at home, it's quantity purchases don't make sense for many items if there are just two of you.

None of the warehouse clubs is a replacement for shopping at a regular supermarket.
 
BJs is about the only place i buy meats .. but we are a family of four .. and have a pretty big deep freezer .. so i like to stock up ... i try to buy whole pork roasts .. cut them up for chops and such .. same with either a beef tender loin or sirlion ...
 
BJ's product availability varies from store to store. Selection at the BJ's nearest us is not the best. We regularly purchase bulk quantities of bottled water, paper goods, some nuts, peanut oil, and olive oil from the BJ's nearest us.
 
I shop at Sam's club. I agree with Andy that it cannot replace a regular grocery store but I find it's great savings on things like paper products (garbage bags, sandwich bags, paper towels, TP, etc.) and other non-perishables. I too have a large freezer that I stock up on things like b-s chicken breasts, hamburger, veggies. I find I only go to Sam's 2-3 times a year for things. Then it's Wal Mart, Kroger or Food Lion in between. I'll hit the farmer's market during the summer and a locally owned grocery for meats and other items not carried by the major chains. Right now there are 3 adults at my house but even when it was just two of us, I'd hit Sam's for some things.
 
I shop at Sam's and I think that deals are found on lots of items. You do need to know your prices because sometimes there are things that you can get cheaper elsewhere. I love Sam's for freezer bags, laundry soap, peanut butter, spices, vanilla, EVOO, and lots of other things I stock up on.
 
I could live without my club store membership, but there are certain things that I would really miss buying there. Plastic wrap, vitamins, butter, olive oil, gas, and other misc items. Thee have also been times when I've picked up good quality name brand clothes there. Nestle chocolate chips in the bulk bag save me about $1.30 per 12 oz.(the size of a single bag) that's a huge savings, and it puts Nestle at a much lower price than store brands in the grocery store.

I shop at BJ's because it is very close to my house, if Costco built one nearby I'd jump ship and go there, it's a much better store. The Costco (or Sam's) isn't in a part of town that I frequent, and getting in and out of that parking lot is a pain, and I wouldn't drive all the way over there for gas, BJ's is competitive enough that I don't even look at gas prices.
 
You reminded me that I did find a pair of Birkenstocks at SAMs that lasted me 6 years. They were a lot cheaper than other stores!
 
Depends on what I am getting, BUT, by in large most of my experience with bulk buying is Sams Club. Living on Oahu, you save a LOT of money by buying in bulk. Everyone has some sort of membership to a "warehouse" style store.

Sams always was my "Go-To" place. Don't know much about Costco, so I can't say, but I know that BJ's(at least in Hampton Roads) doen't have the "best" reputation, and from the few times I DID go there, it left a lot to be desired. The bakery of all things was pretty outstanding, but the rest, the meats looked a little dated, the pork meh, the cheese selection very "domestic" and nothing exciting. . .


If any of you guys have access to The Restaurant Depot, I highly recommend it. It's costs the same to join as the other retailers, and caters to the food service industry.
 
The meat at the BJ's near me always looks really great, I've always gotten great stuff there.

Their cheese section is limited but priced really well.

I would agree that they come in a bit below Costco in just about every category. They are about equal in quality to Sam's, but trail both in variety. I really wish that they would establish a strong store brand like Costco. They have a store brand, but when it comes to food products, sometimes they'll have a product and sometimes it will be missing for months.
 
The meat at the BJ's near me always looks really great, I've always gotten great stuff there.

Their cheese section is limited but priced really well.

I would agree that they come in a bit below Costco in just about every category. They are about equal in quality to Sam's, but trail both in variety. I really wish that they would establish a strong store brand like Costco. They have a store brand, but when it comes to food products, sometimes they'll have a product and sometimes it will be missing for months.

BJs has the best price on cryovac bone-in Boston butt.
 
I love my Costco, don't know about Sam's or BJ's. Non perishables are our choice with a few specialty perishables, can't beat their bags of 5 avocados, but you have to eat them all in just a couple days. Good thing we both like them.
 
I live alone, so bulk buying is not always a bargain for me. And storage is another big problem. Son #1 has a contractor's license and is able to buy a lot of household products that are of commercial grade at a much lower price than I would pay at a box store. He uses his license even for electronics. He payed a much lower price for both my large monitor and large screen TV than he would have paid at a box store. He buys household cleaning products in five gallon sizes and we split them between us. He uses his supply up quicker than I do as he uses his on the job as well as home. He recently had to purchase toilet paper for some apartments that had just been remodeled. He bought a carton full. Forty-eight rolls. He only needed 10 rolls. I am now up to my ears in toilet paper. I am afraid to mention when I will need more paper towels. I also have 100 heavy duty green trash bags. I don't use napkins. Paper towels instead. I once bought 100 napkins. Lasted me for more than a year.

So if I didn't have my son's license to rely on, I would probably buy household products in a box store. We have a BJ's just down the road from me. I could go there on my scooter. But then how would I get them home?:huh:
 
Costco has the BEST rotisserie chicken! It's a large bird for about $5, the same or cheaper than WalMart's dry, scrawny birds. Costco's chickens are juicy even as refrigerated leftovers. Don't know what the sodium content is but they taste really good. :yum:
 
Costco has the BEST rotisserie chicken! It's a large bird for about $5, the same or cheaper than WalMart's dry, scrawny birds. Costco's chickens are juicy even as refrigerated leftovers. Don't know what the sodium content is but they taste really good. :yum:

It's only a 15 min drive home, it's hard to get a chicken home without pulling over for an impromptu picnic...
 
We used to go to Sam's Club from time to time. We did run up on a great deal on a set of SS cookware several years ago. I reckon I oughta slip around there next time we go to Norfolk.
 
PrincessFiona60 said:
It's only a 15 min drive home, it's hard to get a chicken home without pulling over for an impromptu picnic...

Sounds like a good idea. It's about a 30 minute drive for me - all highway so there really isn't a good place for a picnic. Darn!
I always put everything in the cargo section in the very back of the van. It's a little harder to smell that way. I usually snag something to nibble on while I drive that wouldn't get my hands & the steering wheel all messy.
 
Sounds like a good idea. It's about a 30 minute drive for me - all highway so there really isn't a good place for a picnic. Darn!
I always put everything in the cargo section in the very back of the van. It's a little harder to smell that way. I usually snag something to nibble on while I drive that wouldn't get my hands & the steering wheel all messy.

Shrek cleaned out the car the other day...he found Jo-jo potatoes under the drivers seat...:rolleyes::angel:
 

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