Join Sam's Club AND Get a $10 Gift Card
If you have been debating whether to join a wholesale club like Sam’s Club, now may be the time to become a member. Through November 24th, Sam’s Club is offering all new members a $10 Sam’s Club gift card to be used at the Day After Thanksgiving Event on November 26th! Keep in mind that this gift card offer is valid only for new Sam’s Club Members; limit one offer per primary membership. Gift Card cannot be used toward the annual membership fee which starts at $40.
Did you know that Sam’s Club offers a 200% guarantee on fresh foods?! If you’re not satisfied with their fresh meat, seafood, produce or bakery items, they will refund double your purchase price or refund the purchase price and replace the product. How cool is that?!
On a side note, what is your opinion about wholesale clubs? Do you feel that you save money by shopping at wholesale clubs like Costco or Sam’s Club? Check out this email that I received recently from reader, Tammy…
What is your thought on wholesale clubs? (BJ’s, Sams and Costco) I was thinking about getting a membership but with my coupon savings wonder if I’m better off just sticking with what I’m doing. Any thoughts on this?
(Thanks, Combat Clippers!)
The bad news is that Sam’s doesn’t accept coupons. 🙁 I don’t know about the other ones. The one thing is that you really need to know your prices there. Yes, you can get great deals but if you don’t know your prices you can get majorly overcharged. For me it paid for itself with baby formula and diapers because there is significant savings there. Also, you get great discounts on tires. Not to mention I had my new set of tires for over a year, got a nail in one and went to see if they could patch it and because there was still a certain percentage of tread they gave me a new tire for just $15!!! So in a way it is worth it! 🙂
I absolutely love SAMS club & costco for different reasons.
Its true that you could get cereal and paper goods for cheaper with couponing but as far as produce goes i don’t think you can.
Sams club has amazing produce and it’s always cheaper to get it there even if i do have rare coupons for produce somewhere else.
Costco’s meat is super high quality and their customer service is the best i’ve ever experienced. My parents owned a vacuum for over 2 years and something broke. Costco took it back with a FULL refund, no questions asked. My husband and i just returned a bbq we had bought back in may and the coating had started to come off the grill, once again no questions asked they just gave us cash and said they were sorry.
I’ve been a member or Sam’s and Costco for a few years, and it’s great if you have to stock up on some things, but I don’t do my usual shopping there. I love my coupons too much! I’ve been thinking about getting a BJ’s membership since they accept coupons, but I haven’t decided yet. Is anybody a BJ’s member? How good are the deals there when you use coupons? 🙂
BJ’s takes coupons which is always nice…. plus there is ALWAYS coupons for a free month or two months membership for them so you could always try it out and see if you like it
I don’t know how accurate that is about the Sam’s 200% guarantee on produce etc. A few weeks ago I bought 3lbs of bananas from Sams that were green. The next morning they were covered in brown spots and even oozing out banana. I returned it and just got back what I paid.
I do like having a Sam’s membership though as the gas is cheaper then the stations in our town, plus I buy the following there as sometimes I just can’t get a good deal with coupons. Pull Ups, wipes, bread, chips, trash bags and a few more items. I also like that you can get good deals on name brand items as well, we have gotten dishes and towels etc from there. Plus our Serta king size European pillow top mattress with box spring for under $500.
We were members of Sam’s Club for years and noticed a trend in recent years for their prices on foods, etc to just not be very competitive with supermarket sale prices. They have some nice deals on large-ticket items and I’m sure just buying one of those would justify the $40 membership fee. The problem with buying food, etc at Sam’s is that you are never going to get anything for free, since coupons are not allowed.
If I renewed my membership, I would definitely feel that it’s only to save on larger, more expensive purchases, such as tires and TV’s.
In fact, I believe I got into a detrimental mind-set by shopping at Sam’s. I started thinking that only huge sizes represented bargains and when I first started couponing I did not see the point in getting smaller sizes just because they were free. Now, my budget is helped TREMENDOUSLY by realizing that even a family of five can use the small detergent bottle if I can get 10 or 20 for free!
well said 🙂
I am a BJ’s member and the best part about coupons there is that you can stack a BJ’s coupon with a manufacturer’s coupon! 🙂 You receive a coupon book each month from BJ’s.
Another plus is that I was told when I signed up that if I forgot to use a coupon, I can bring it in with my receipt the next day and have it applied to my purchase. I’ve never done it, but it’d be helpful.
not worth it for us. they don’t take coupons, don’t price match (not even walmart’s prices) and a ton of people just buy in bulk and don’t realize its not a deal at all! I buy the smalles size I can, when it is on sale, and I have a coupon for it. thats how I save money, and sams club (the only one we have here) is the complete opposite of this.
Where I live we only have Sams and BJs. I do not like Sams Club only because you cannot use coupons, so in that sense, I am not saving any money. Now BJs on the other hand, not only do they accept coupons, they offer their own coupons and coupled with manufacturer coupons you can get stuff for free., i.e., Colgate Toothpaste are packaged in separate tubes of packages of 4, so if BJs has a coupon for dollars off that package, you can also use 4 $1.00 off (if that is what money off coupon you have) manufacturer coupons, making it free or close to it.
While getting $10 back to use at a later shopping trip is always good, just think, you have to go there on Black Friday to use it, and how much will $10 really get you in a place that you can’t use coupons? That is my opinion and my opinion only. Others will differ at what they say, and that is great. I just like getting more product for my bucks!
I always combine BJ’s coupons and manufactures coupons whenever I can. And as Tracy said they let you to use a coupon for EACH item in multipack!
Love it! Major savings with some planning! I do have their coupon police handy when I shop at BJs because some cashiers have no clue about the use of coupons (don’t we see it at other places? 🙂
wish I would have know about the 200% guarantee two weeks ago when I got 2 bad pineapples. Unfortunatly I didnt feel like driving all the way back to get a refund : (
If I had know about the 200% guarantee I would have made the trip!
“I didnt feel like driving all the way back” – The closest Sam’s to me is almost 20 miles away so the savings just never added up for us.
If you still have your receipt, tell them the next time you go in. I don’t have a sams club, but several grocery stores here will refund you money on produce without bringing in the produce (they expect you will throw it away if it is bad). 🙂
I love the timing of this post! I jsut received a FREE Sam’s Membership last week through my employer. I went to check out the savings. From what I could tell the best deals for me will be clothing, dishes, jewelry, furniture (and maybe tires!). I don’t see how Sam’s could compare with the savings we all are able to receive using Collin’s website.
I purchased a pair of Nine West jeans for $4.81! I will be going back for clothing without a doubt!
We go to Sam’s each weekend for fruit and meats since we are only 2 miles from the store. Those items rarely have coupons, and the produce at Sam’s has been great (except those bananas…not sure why?)
I keep my Sam’s club membership for the gas and big ticket items….tires, mattresses, tv, electronics, etc. Oh…and I do all my photo processing there too. Their meat is pretty good and sometimes we order some of their catering trays for parties.
I got a free Sam’s Business membership because of the restaurant my husband runs. I don’t go there often, but will probably more often now since I’m getting a little burnt on couponing after a year.
LOL! I think couponing is a bit of work, but it’s almost a high when I hand over my coupons and start watching the total drop. My husband never ceases to be totally amazed. But, to be honest, the only effort I really have to put forth is cutting out and filing. The free coupon match-up sites do a HUGE amount of the legwork. One of two things always happens when we grocery shop now: we either spend WAY less than we used to and have plenty of food. OR we spend the same budget we used to have and get tons and tons of splurges. I have never in my 21+ years of marriage seen my pantry and freezer so consistently full.:)
Which coupon match up sites do you use?
We have Costco membership.Fresh produce is really high quality & I don’t mind paying a little more on organic stuff. The best thing is their customer service.
I find Sam’s Club is not worth it. Similar prices as Walmart but you have to buy in bulk, often don’t carry the store brand so you have to buy the name brand, don’t accept coupons, rarely any good “Sales”, and I’ve never really been thrilled with their produce (either quality or price).
Unless you’re buying tires. Then it’s an awesome deal. 🙂 Best prices and free tire rotation as long as you have an active membership.
To be honest,
I actually went in sams and walked around a bit, because I just couldnt decide whether i should get a membership or not. In my opinion the membership is just not worth it, the prices are not that great. We get free items and darn near free items all the time just using coupons and deal match ups. Why pay to buy reduced price produce. Its gonna take more than that to get me at sams. I say just hold off….Sams needs to step up they game if they wanna get deal mamas in like me !!!!!!!!!! THATS JUST MY OWN OPINION, not knocking anybody elses..
I would say it depends on what you regularly purchase. We have been members of Sam’s for 2 years, but did not find it profitable before this time. We were not even members during our baby diapering stage. I did look into it and found that by comping sale prices and using coupons I could get diapers and wipes for a lot cheaper at Wal-Mart. In the 4 years that we were purchasing diapers 2 of those years for 2 babies at the same time I have only paid full price maybe 5 times. That said, when we wanted to purchase a play set for our kids for Christmas Sam’s had the best price. I did use the membership for purchasing other things during the year. During this 1st year we also found out that our son had an allergy to wheat. This meant that our snack foods had to change. We had to leave all the normal toddler snacks (crackers, gold fish. etc) behind. We started paying more attention to the foods we ate. I make my own nut and dried fruit mix (less sugar and salt this way). Our snacks food are mainly this mix along with fruits and vegetable. Our family goes through so much of this mix that our membership is worth it for only the nuts that I buy. I do keep an eye on prices at the regular grocery stores, so that I can know what a good deal is when I see one. If I don’t have coupons and even sometimes if I do I can get better deals at Sam’s, but you can’t assume this for every procuct. Sometimes the sales in the stores make things cheaper to buy at that store, that is why it is important to know your regular purchases and how the prices vary to determine if a membership is worth it.
Things that I regularly purchase at Sam’s:
Peanuts
Cashews
Almonds
Pecans
Walnuts
dried blueberry and cherry mix
bananas
salad
cucumbers
Things that I occasionaly purchase at Sam’s:
whole Chicken
Fish/shrimp
other produce not listed above
tortilla chips
canned crushed tomatoes
string cheese
eggs
I am sure there are a few others that I am just not thinking of at the moment.
No one can touch Costco’s produce and meat products. They are in a league of thier own. Costco does release HIGH value coupons in the mail, but after almost 10 years of being a Costco member…I have never walked out of the place feeling like I scored a good deal. It is effortless to spend $300 bucks in that place.
I have lived all over the place and Costco has always had very fresh produce and their deals are always changing… I like to see new things but Sams is a whole different thing. It’s not consistent… Prices are no cheaper than walmart who owns SAMs club. Also the one near me in Tx is disgusting. Produce is old and wrinkly and store is filthy! Plus u have to pay more just to use their in store coupons…. Costco mails them to all of their members!!
There are pros & cons. Biggest bonus for us in Michigan is gas is usually 20 cents gallon cheaper at Costco than anywhere else. Plus, if you have a costco amx card, you get 3% back on all gas purchases. WE really like some of the items they have, but a lot of the personal/homecare items I can get cheaper using coupons & following you. Many of their meats, cheese, etc. are great quality & better value than the regular shopping market. I would suggest going in to look around. Just tell them you are thinking of joining & would like to look around. Costco offers many seasonal sales, which can be great. One of the nice things about Christmas is they offer alot of bundle gifts that you just don’t see elsewhere. A few things we do go there regularly for is” indiv wrapped land’o’lakes cheese, creamer, Costco Coffee (which is brewed by starbucks & is better than – & I’m a coffee snob), broasted chicken (huge & a steal at 5.00), ground turkey, dried cranberries, hummos.
I just purchased fantastic bathroom rugs for cheap 14.00 (regularly over 50.00 at kohls).
Collin, if your Sams / Costco has a gas station, it is totally worth it. I have done the math, and the savings on gas alone pay for our membership fees. Plus, there are certain items there that are at better prices than with couponing, even extreme couponing like we do 🙂 They have great deals on tires and clothing, and their meat (as long as your store has a butcher – mine does) is good quality at a good price. I have also found that random things, like rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, garbage bags, and batteries are worth buying there, since the periodic free sample of trash bags and free rayovac batteries are not enough for our family’s needs. I don’t have pets, but I have heard that Sam’s or Costco is the best for dog food as well. Oh, and Costco puts out their own coupons that are usually pretty helpful 🙂
I only buy a few things at Sam’s but what I do buy, I find to be the best price over other options. For example, my husband likes protein powder for his shakes. They have a 5 lb bag for $29 @$6/lb). Per pound, it is the best price by far…comparing to others which are $8/lb or higher. I find great deals on dog bones, wine and chicken breasts are always $1.99/lb. That is a great price for Central FL. So although I am a coupon fanatic, I always shop individual items where I get the best price, coupons or not.
I can’t speak for anyone else but I have had all 3 clubs (costco, Sams and BJ) in the past years. I found that it is better to do sales + couponing for grocery items, small household, cleaning, etc, in general. Club house is only good if you have to buy something right now and NO grocery stores have that thing on sale. The Club houses are good for big ticket such as tires, big electronics (HDTV), etc (however, I have seen Amazon.com beating Costco’s prices). Also vitamins and drugs are very cheap at Costco (Claritin, MoveFree, Centrum, etc) so they are worth buying unless drug stores have like buy 1 get 1 free plus manuf + store coupons etc. I currently have a Costco membership but someone else paid for it. I still don’t shop there very frequently (only once every 2 month or so) because I don’t have any big ticket to buy. My grocery stores + drug stores have better deals on things I need. My recommendation would be to stick with couponing and not get the membership card. It’s not easy to breakeven unless you are going to buy a big ticket item.
We have a Costco membership and I honestly haven’t used it for anything but their eye glasses. The membership cost paid for itself on the deal we got on my daughter’s two pairs of glasses though. I’ve wandered the store many times and have never found anything that screamed deal to me. I always feel like I can do better with coupons at other stores.
On the other hand, I run our church’s coffee bar (yes our church has a coffee bar. That’s Seattle for ya!) and I get all our supplies delivered from Costco. It’s convenient and easy to just shop online and have them drop them off for me, so that’s a bonus.
I really guess it depends on what you’re shopping for on whether or not a membership like this would be beneficial to your family.
After holidays is a great time to shop at Sam’s. After Easter a couple years ago, we got 8 already made Easter baskets for $15. Taking them apart, we had 3 basketballs, 2 footballs, 3 dolls, 5 small duffle bags, as well as all the candy, gum and a bunch of “little” stuff like punch balls, jacks, paddle balls, etc. The balls were Wilson and the dolls were good quality.
I have been in Sam’s when they were moving things around or trying to get rid of “special’ packaged products. At one time, they had 4 cake mixes and 4 frostings packaged together. They had about 12 left so they marked them down to get space on the shelf. I called a couple of friends and by the time I left, I had 11 of them (another lady wanted one so I figured why not share). The 8 items in one package were marked down to $2.50. Now, had they taken coupons, it would have been sweeter, but no one complained.
Sam’s is a great place to shop especially if you can figure out (or find out by asking—some stores will tell you some won’t) when they are going to mark things down. When a friend of my husband worked at Sam’s, he went into work and they were getting ready to mark chicken down. He called me—since he was going into work, he couldn’t buy it until he got off—-I went and got bunches of chicken for 29 cents a pound.
Gas and tires are also great deals. I use lots of coupons, but if you can figure out when to shop and catch the super sales, Sam’s is as good as using coupons—-IMO.
We had a Sam’s Club membership for a while because they had a great deal on HD tvs… However, for our 2 person household the produce packages were always too big, so i’d just buy a couple of “special” things on each trip, like their goat cheese, sausages and some frozen stuff. I let the membership expire because it just wasn’t worth it (plus, my store is rather dingy, and I HATE that they’d check your receipt upon leaving the store like you’re some potential shoplifter – do they do that at every store?)
I love it for meat and produce which rarely have coupons anyway. Costco has super high quality meat that we buy in bulk and separate and freeeze as soon as we get home. It really is a money saver especially when considering the quality! !
Sam’s Club has the BEST, longest lasting FLOWERS.
Also, they discount the newspaper so I always like to get my papers there. 🙂
I agree with many of those who are saying it’s not always the cheapest route to go to a special bulk item club. But sometimes you don’t want to drive all over town to get a deal on diapers here, and a different deal on a DVD there.
I have both Sam’s Club and Costco memberships, and I have to say that they are similarly priced, but I vote for Sam’s club over Costco due to the smaller crowds there. The Costcos in AZ, for some reason, tend to be SO overshopped and you can end up in lines with 10-15 people in them! I just don’t get it.
So that’s my two cents.
As far as food goes, you can find better prices at grocery stores. If you are hurting for items that aren’t on sale at a grocery store, you can get a pretty good price at Sams. I have a card because you get to list 2 people on each membership, and my mother-in-law puts my husband on the account. I will say that I have found some pretty good deals on Men’s clothing at Sams. We got some very nice Calvin Kline jeans for my husband for under $11 a pair, and it is pretty common to find good prices on shirts and shoes as well. We found a very nice cool whether/rain jacket for under $20 last season. Sportswear can be a good price as well. I would say that you can get pretty decent prices on electronics and books and such from time to time.
My sister and I share a membership so it is very affordable.
As mentioned previously, being able to stack coupons and use multiple coupons at BJ’s is definitely a plus. Secondly, tanks of propane can be filled for a mere $15 which is approximately $5 cheaper than any other place in town. Lastly, at an average of $120 in gas savings each year, it more than pays for my $40 membership.
I agree with Renee and everyone else on here that has a BJ’s membership. I use both manufacturers coupons and BJ’s coupons. We save a lot of money in gas alone using BJ’s. I also buy kitty litter at BJ’s…a 40-42 lb box goes from 8.99-14.49 depending on brand(we have lots of cats) so the savings just on these items add up. Also, milk is approximately 2.34 a gallon.
Sams all the way for meat products the meat department is the best! Sam’s and BJ’s for the frozen foods grocery stores w/coupons can’t touch them for this ….. Also medicine asprin, allergy ect best prices even better if you buy the warehouse brand and last but not least warehouse brand cat litter what a savings! BJ’s has a great Deli counter and priced way under grocery stores then there CVS ….. smile!
I did not renew my membership r/t saving more with coupons elsewhere. There are things that I think I would save more by having the membership but for me the drive and the savings just don’t equal out.
I swear I just saw a commercial from Sam’s offering a 2 or 3 month membership (for the holidays) for only $15. If you get the $10 gc too, that’s a great way to see if you like Sam’s, and if you think the $40 membership is worth it. I haven’t had a Sam’s membership in a long time (I’m a Costco fan), but I think I’ll go over there tomorrow and see if I can get the 2 month membership and gift card. 🙂
Nevermind, it was only through October 10th. Bummer.
My Costco list:
~photos (the quality is great and the price is cheap!)
~skinless, boneless frozen chicken breasts (always $1.99/lb; I very rarely can match that at any grocery store)
~formula (the price is better once you stop getting the super high value coupons for name brand)
~eggs (unless the eggs are on sale at the grocery store, costco’s are always cheaper)
~meat (the quality is so much better than most of my local stores and the price is super competitive)
~beef hot dog and drink from the food court ($1.50 can’t be beat for lunch when shopping!)
We also buy tires there because of the price, the replacement policy, and the free rotating. Contacts and glasses are cheaper there, and usually electronics (video games, movies, CD’s)
Anything that commonly has a coupon isn’t usually a better deal at Costco (laundry detergent, toothpaste)