Current Conditions
30°F - CLEAR
Members of BJ's Wholesale Club, Centerville, and Costco Wholesale Club, Greenfield, said they save money regularly.
However, they are careful about what they buy, how they prepare, how much they buy and how often they shop.
Nancy Sapp, of Lititz, said she saves at Costco by having a specific shopping list. A member for about 10 years, she knows exactly where each item is in the store.
Sapp only comes to Costco about every three months to stock up on supplies she knows will be cheaper: sports drinks for her five children – four of whom play sports – dog food, paper supplies and butter, among other things.
She was paying $13 to $14 for a 24-pack of Gatorade, less than half of what she would pay if she was buying drinks at a convenience store.
"If the kids have them in their packs, we save a tremendous amount of money," Sapp said.
Sapp saves also by using Costco's American Express card. She gets a percentage back on all her purchases, which she said pays for her $50 membership fee and gives her some additional savings.
At BJ's, where the membership fee is $45, customers can use coupons, unlike Costco or Sam's Club in York and most credit cards.Dawn Kauffman of Narvon stretches her savings on already reduced items with coupons. She uses manufacturer's coupons and store coupons that BJ's sends to its members. They become her shopping list.
She is careful, though, to buy things she knows she will like and use. Kauffman is unlikely to buy bulk items of something she's not sure she'll like.
Christine Broderick of Reading learned that the hard way when she bought a room freshener with a variety of scents at Costco. She only liked one of the scents, she said, so the others are still sitting in her closet.
Broderick does save money at Costco, she said, but she is careful to only buy as much food as she can eat before it expires.
For example, she said, organic spinach at Costco costs $5 for a 3-pound bag. That's a good deal if you eat a lot of spinach.
"You have to make sure you'll use it; otherwise things will be more expensive because they'll rot in your fridge," Broderick said.
Along with that idea, Broderick said, she has to be careful about buying snack items in bulk, because then she's inclined to eat more snacks.
If she buys 50 of Hershey's 100-calorie snack bars, her daughter and she are likely to eat three of them in a day's time, just because there are so many.
(92) (74) (32) (16) (7) (2)"You have to watch that you don't buy things you love too much," Broderick said.
Shopping at a wholesale store is best done with the knowledge of prices at other stores, members said.
Natalya Patrushev of Ephrata said she knows the prices of items at other stores, so she only buys items at Costco that she knows are cheaper.
Steve Hertzog, of Lancaster, literally had a list of specific items and what they cost at Wal-Mart, while he shopped at BJ's. If it cost less at BJ's, he would buy it there. If not, he would go back to Wal-Mart.
Comparing prices involves paying attention to unit prices — the price per item — not just the total prices. Unit prices were listed at Costco and BJ's and are listed at most grocery stores.
Even if unit prices are comparable, Broderick said she will not buy items at a wholesale store that cost the same as those at a regular grocery store.
At the grocery store, she can buy one or two of something she needs, but at Costco she has to buy in bulk. "If I'm not saving any money, why should I give the wholesale store my money to put in their savings, when I could have it in mine?" she asked.
When comparing unit prices, Broderick said it's important to make sure you are comparing the exact same product and brand.
Her friends sometimes get cheaper prices at a discount store or a grocery store for granola bars, for example, because they are willing to buy non-name brands.
Broderick prefers wholesale stores where she can buy name-brand food and organic food at lower prices. Nevertheless, she will make exception for Kirkland products, Costco's brand.
Shopping at a wholesale store can lead to more spending than at a grocery store, some shoppers said, just because they consider buying items at Costco or BJ's that wouldn't interest them at another store.
Maybe it's because the item seems like a good deal or because it's different — shoppers weren't sure, but they do have to control themselves.
Sapp deals with this temptation by only allowing herself enough time to get what is on her list, and then she is gone.
If she would give herself more time, Sapp said she knows she would end up spending more money.
The way BJ's general manager Beth Frederick sees it, a membership at a wholesale club is the smart thing to do right now because it saves on gas by providing one-stop shopping.
The same place you buy gas, you can buy dinner, she said.
E-mail: lespenshade@lnpnews.com
