Never overpay at Sam’s Club again with these 3 tips
Under the right circumstances, a Sam’s Club membership can be a great deal for your budget. Wholesale Club offers very competitive prices on most items, especially Member’s Mark store brands.
That is, sometimes trash Money as it is at Sam’s Club get money. To avoid falling into that trap, try these tips:
1. Expensive items in comparison shops
If you become accustomed to transacting at every aisle, you may be lulled into a false sense of discount security. You might start to think everything It will be a deal at the club.
This is a mistake.
It’s certainly not uncommon for other retailers to have sales and deals that align their pricing with Sam’s Club. And some of these deals can actually beat wholesale clubs, especially for popular, big-ticket items.
For example, if you’re looking to buy an iPad Air, Sam’s Club can sometimes get you one for a good price. But now? In fact, you won’t save anything over buying directly from Apple. (As of this writing, the best deal I can find is actually from Best Buy.)
Always comparison shop big-ticket items before buying at Sam’s Club. You never know when you might find a better deal somewhere else.
2. Be cautious about buying in bulk
Although you can find deals on big-ticket items, the core of most people’s Sam’s Club savings strategy relies on buying in bulk. This means buying items in bulk because the price per unit is much lower.
But what happens if you can’t actually use the bulk you purchased? Throwing away two out of three gallons of cooking oil because it goes bad doesn’t save you any more money.
Avoid buying in bulk unless you are sure you can use it before it expires. Personally, I mostly prefer non-perishable products without a countdown. It doesn’t matter if it takes you three months or three years to get through toilet paper. It doesn’t expire.
(Okay, the pedant in me says paper products are at last It will break down, especially if not stored properly. But my initial point stands.)
3. Maximize membership benefits
To put it most simply, a Sam’s Club membership allows you to shop at Sam’s Club stores (and online). However, this is just one of the benefits available to Plus membership as well as regular Club membership.
For example, most Sam’s Club locations have pharmacies, tire centers, and vision centers. Get great savings on prescriptions, tune-ups, and eyewear without leaving the store. Sam’s Club also has a travel and entertainment portal where you can get discounts on everything from hotels to concerts and attraction tickets.
As a Plus member, you can enjoy additional benefits, including free shipping and free store pickup. This is a huge time saver. But the biggest advantage of Plus membership is that you get 2% back in Sam’s Cash on in-club purchases. This can increase significantly over the course of a year.
monthly expenses | annual expenditure | 2% per year Sam’s Cash |
|---|---|---|
$50 | $600 | $12 |
$100 | $1,200 | $24 |
$150 | $1,800 | $36 |
$200 | $2,400 | $48 |
$250 | $3,000 | $60 |
$300 | $3,600 | $72 |
$400 | $4,800 | $96 |
$500 | $6,000 | $120 |
Data source: Author’s calculations.
And the newest way to save is with Scan & Go, an in-app checkout system (scan items as you shop and then check them out in the app). Now you can get extra discounts on select items by simply shopping and paying with Scan & Go. I like this time-saving feature. and money.
Get your fee’s worth
The reason many of us are willing to pay an annual fee to shop at Sam’s Club is because the money we save is worth more than the fee. If that turns out not to be the case, it might be time to rethink your membership.
On the plus side, you won’t technically be overpaying for the membership itself. If you are not satisfied, Sam’s Club will cancel your membership and issue you a refund.
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