BJ's, Costco - every retail warehouse - as much as they promise you guaranteed ways to save money, don't actually manage to do that for you at the end of the day. How so? People may head in with a shopping list and a definite idea of what to buy; but they come out with so much more when they take a look at all the great deals on offer. There is a study that's been done that has found that people routinely spent 80% more than they plan at any retail warehouse. It takes personal control to be able to make it out of a retail warehouse with your budget intact. You don't really need to buy in large quantities to make those savings either. Work a warehouse in the right way, and you'll find that you can buy in small enough quantities to make shopping here a real way to save some money.
The secret to shopping for savings at retail warehouses lies in knowing where to look. The best savings are usually in basic pantry supplies - things like flour, dairy, simple frozen produce, or rice. If it's meat, poultry, fish or convenience foods that you're after, you'll find similar or better deals at any local supermarket. The quality you'll find for the same price at a retail warehouse though will be far better for the money. If you're willing to put a little work into your meat, buying for some extra savings, you can get a whole pork loin very cheaply and find instructions on how to break it down. You can often also find great savings on baby supplies, household stuff, electronics, and of course, gas. If cheap gas is the only reason you wish to go sign up for a membership at a retail warehouse anyway, you should probably first check out the regular gas stations in the neighborhood. They usually try to match the kind of price that the retail warehouse in the neighborhood offers.
How do you really know, signing up for a membership at one of these places, if you will actually make enough in savings to make the $50 or so that you invest in the membership worth the price? An unfortunate tendency that some people have is to try to justify the money they invest in the membership by buying much more than they need. The right way to go about it would be to buy exactly what you need and then to note down on a piece of paper that you carry, the savings that you make over every trip you make to the store. If you wish to take a good look around before signing up to see how much you can save off the stuff you usually tend to buy, warehouse stores always give you visitors' passes. If you find that there aren't that many things that you need in the store, you would probably find it a better idea to ask a friend who's already a member to buy stuff for you. Sometimes, some stores even give you a one-day buying pass if there is not much that you need. Some warehouse stores have spectacular deals on high end groceries like prime meats or high-end cheeses. You could find that the savings you make on these items make it worth the price of the membership. To most people, just visiting a regular supermarket while armed with coupons makes for a much better idea.
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