Warehouse stores such as Costco and Sam’s Club like to lull you into a false sense of security, sure that everything you see on shelves is cheaper there than elsewhere. But in many cases, warehouse prices are unbeatable.
Coupon Sherpa checks in with suggestions of items you should buy only at the biggest of big-box stores. Here are a few of the site’s suggestions:
*TVs — The prices are competitive and warehouses offer lax return policies to safeguard against breakage.
*AA Batteries — Far-off expiration dates mean you can buy in bulk, save and store them until the apocalypse.
*Pre-Ground Coffee — Beans from warehouse stores beat ritzy joints in taste-tests, and since coffee can keep for quite a while, it makes sense to buy a humongous tub.
*Tires — According to the site, Costco offers some tough-to-beat tire deals.
If you shop at Costco or Sam’s Club, what items do you believe you save the most money?
11 Products You Should Only Buy at Big Box Stores [Coupon Sherpa]
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Not coffee. I get my not-ground coffee usually from Sprouts – when ever they have a $ 5.99/lb sale. Not bad for Kona or Kenyan.
I call BS on tires and pre-ground coffee.
When you factor in installation costs, Costco does not have good deals on tires. Tire Rack is superior and has a much better selection.
Pre-ground coffee begins to lose flavor gradually once you open the tub. The bigger the tub the longer it takes to get through it and more flavor lost.
I buy the Kirkland brand dog food at Costco, because it is made by Science Diet, and the price is almost half the price. I also buy the dry chicken and duck strips dog snacks. I and my friends that have dogs call it “dog-crack”, because our pets just go crazy for it.
For the food items, I buy the three-pack of Silk soy milk and the two-pack of Noah’s bagels exclusively at Costco. I buy other food items regularly, but that more out of convenience and not because I think it’s the best price.
I find that printer is less expensive than even at online stores. We recently redid our bathroom, and Costco had unbeatable prices on marble and travertine tile, low-flow toilets, and brushed nickel bathroom fixtures.
The Kirkland brand of non-stick cookware has consistently gotten high ratings, and is fantastically priced. I always buy my eyeglass lenses and get Claritan-D at Costco.
Lastly, I buy gas there too, and with the cash back for using an AmEx card, the price is the best in town.
The organic milk at Costco is amazing. It’s ultra-pasturized, which means the dates on the three-pack cartons are usually two months out. I don’t know about price, but never having to throw out spoiled milk again is worth every penny.
I love Costco, but the range of tire brands they offer is limited. For new tires for my truck, I went with tirerack.com because they had the tires that Consumer Reports recommended for small trucks as being the overall best buy. Costco did not, although they did have some good ones and at a higher price than tirerack.com. To compare prices, I found a tire that Costco did carry for my truck and checked it in tirerack. Big difference!
Disclaimer – I am permanently ticked off at Costco because the last time I got tires there, the tire technician went to lunch with my keys in his pocket, and it was an hour and a half lunch. The real tickoffedness comes from the tire center manager’s response of “meh” to the whole situation and suggestion I go back in the store and shop some more to kill time.
Best tire purchase method (IMHO):
1) Consumer Reports – find the tire you like
2) tirerack.com – order them, and they will find you an installer in your neighborhood ($15 a tire, in my case) and ship directly to the installer.
3) Local installer gets them in a couple of days and puts them on for you. My local installer also offers free rotations!
I saved about $35 a tire.
Sam’s Club Deals & Don’ts:
Generic OTC Meds – YES! You’ll pay about the same for a bottle of 300-500 tablets as what a 50-100 count is at CVS or Walgreens
Nicotine Gum/Patches – WAY LOWER! Both the “Member’s Mark” nicotine gum and Nicorette are made in Denmark by the same company. 240 pieces of Members Mark gum is about $36, 110 pieces of CVS brand is $42.
Cat Litter – FAIL! Based on cost per pound, #20 bags of Tidy Cat at Kroger are about equal to the #40 bags at Sams and ten times less likely to cause a hernia when changing the catbox.
Soft Drinks – FAIL! Shopping around Labor Day, Coke was $6.98 a case at Sams; next door at Wally-World it was $5. Save more, live better, no card required.
Tires – PASS. Sam’s road hazard warranty is excellent with no bulls–t. Due to potholes in Houston I have become an expert on having tires replaced under the road hazard warranty.
PC/Computer Equipment – FAIL! Pick any item in their PC department and I can find a similar or identical model locally (Fry’s, MicroCenter) or online (Amazon, Newegg, etc) for at least 20% less. Having purchased over $50,000 of hardware for clients over the past few years Sam’s is not a player.
Mm yup 3/4 things in your list I’ve bought at Costco – TV. The tires weren’t way cheaper than most places but it came out to be like $600 on a set of 4 higher end tires that were about $70-100 more in other places. Batteries you’ll literally pay like half price.
Bottled water. My Husband and I buy our water at Sam’s Club and no other store can ever beat the prices they have on that.
I buy my stamps at Costco. Cheaper than buying them at the post office.
Amazon’s pricing for televisions – as well as their generous return policy and shipping options – is far better than the warehouse retailers.
And if you’re a Prime member, which you should be if you buy from them with any frequency, it’s even better.