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A few weeks ago I spent an evening walking through Sam’s being a spy. I was on a hunt for things that were horrible buys and to get an idea of what would be a good deal. I’m going to share the bad news first, here’s what you shouldn’t buy in Sam’s (or I’m going to be bold here and say any warehouse club). Don’t fret, tomorrow I’ll share a list of deals that are amazing at Sam’s.
10 Things NOT to Buy at Sam’s
1. Dog Treats & Dog Food
Rather than going big for your pets, the deals are much cheaper in grocery stores and Target with sales and coupons. One example:
Sam’s – Dentastix Treats, 62 ct., $19.94
Publix – Dentastix Treats, 6 ct., $1
Target – Dentastix Treats, 32 ct., $9.32
To compare the same size, grab 10 of the Publix packages for $10. You save $9.94 off the Sam’s price to buy it somewhere else.
2. Soda Bottles & 2 Liters
I would never pay more than $1 for a 2 liter soda, and I’m definitely going to pay to join a club just to pay $1.32 a bottle. Wait for sales at the grocery store and even without coupons you’ve got their price beat.
Sam’s – Coca Cola 2 Liter, 4 pk., $5.28
Most Stores – Coca Cola 2 L, $1
Other size bottles are also over priced. We can normally find the 6 pack, 16.9 oz bottles, on sale for $2-$2.50 each in the grocery store. At Sam’s they are basically $3.12 a pack.
3. Paper Plates
This is one item that even Fred’s beats the warehouse price. Comparing name brand plates (Dixie) you can get them for 4¢ a plate at various stores on sale or 8¢ a plate at Sam’s. That’s double the price!
4. Paper Towels & Toilet Paper
Let me guess, this is the item you bought your membership to save on… yeah you aren’t saving. To compare savings we have to go to sheet level as Sam’s is sneaky and sells rolls that are unique sizes that no one else carries.
Sam’s – Charmin Ultra Strong, 24 super mega rolls or 8448 sheets, $24.98
Various Stores – Charmin Ultra Strong, 6 Mega rolls, 1968 sheets, $4
Grab 5 packs in the grocery store and you’ll pay $20 total saving almost $5. You’ll also have a few extra rolls.
5. K-Cups
As long as your house can handle smaller packs of k-cups then you want to buy these in the grocery store. On average you’ll get k-cups for various brands around 30¢-37¢ each at the grocery store versus 42¢-45¢ at Sam’s. That’s an easy 12¢ per cup or on one 12 count package $1.44 saved not shopping at Sam’s.
6. Cereal
This is one example I’ve given hundreds of times teaching workshops. I was glad the evidence backed me up (though I’m sorry for anyone that buy their cereal at Sam’s). Typically in a grocery store cereal on sale with a coupon is around $1-$1.50 per box. At Sam’s you can grab a box that is the same as 2.5 grocery store boxes for $7-$8.50 depending on the brand.
Sam’s – Kellogg’s Special K Cereal, 38 oz, $8.49
Kroger – Kellogg’s Special K Cereal, 18 oz, $1.38
To compare by the ounce here, you’ll pay 7¢ an ounce at Kroger or 22¢ an ounce at Sam’s… that’s an insane difference.
7. Canned Vegetables
The case of veggies isn’t a savings either. They have packs of vegetables usually 8-12 cans that are on average 80¢ a can. Some higher end products, like Lesueur Peas, were up to $1.24 a can. In a grocery store these are less than 55¢ and sometimes around 40¢ depending on the sale. That’s comparing the same name brands too!
8. Salsa & Other Condiments
Whether you coupon or not, these are easily cheaper in the grocery store! Ketchup, Mustard and Relish are routinely free to $1 each and Salsa is usually around $2 in grocery stores. The price in Sam’s is almost triple!
9. Laundry Detergent
Massive containers of laundry detergent just take up space and collect more dust. They don’t save you money. Every name brand product Sam’s sold was cheaper comparing against past and current sales at grocery stores!
Two examples:
Sam’s – Gain Flings, 120 ct., $24.98
CVS – Gain Flings, 14 ct., $1.98
Sam’s – All Free & Clear Detergent, 150 loads, $14.28
Bi-lo – All Free & Clear Detergent, 32 loads, $1.49
Per packet that 14¢ at CVS to 21¢ at Sam’s. Per load on the liquid, Bi-Lo is 4¢ per load and Sam’s is 9.5¢. With the amount of laundry I do, that would be a huge difference at the end of the year.
10. Diapers
Are you surprised? I know most Mama’s want the biggest package of diapers ever, but try to refrain. The same rule for paper goods, and detergent above in the list applies here. We see bigger sales on the smaller packs, plus through in coupons and Sam’s can’t ever compete on diapers!
Sam’s – Huggies Size 3, 164 ct., $39.98 (23¢ per diaper)
Kroger – Huggies Size 3, 27 ct., $2.49 (9¢ per diaper)
The Kroger price is right in line with prices we also see in the drugstores. If this is one item you decide to coupon for, it’s completely worth it! You’ll save $25 just on one box!!
I promise I don’t hate Sam’s and warehouse clubs. There are things that are deals, just not all the classic items we think of. Tune in tomorrow for the list of 10 things you should buy!
