Is the cost of membership to Sams Club or Costco justified for FTing? I was just wondering since at our S&B we have tons of storage space available when taking advantage of bulk purchases. But won't be able to do this in our RV. Is there more to using these memberships?
Thanks, Cindi
kb0zke said
05:38 PM Aug 17, 2014
We have a Sam's Club membership. Although we still have our S&B, we are living full-time in the coach. We are careful about what we buy at Sam's because we don't have a lot of room. At this point the membership is still worth it, but we're keeping an eye on the purchases to see if it will continue to be worth the cost. One factor, once we actually hit the road, is how often we're near a Sam's when we need the things that we normally buy there. right now it is about 50 miles away, so when we go we usually have other reasons to go down to Springfield and make a day of it.
BiggarView said
06:30 PM Aug 17, 2014
Thanks David, I had only thought about the membership cost, now I have to take distance into the thought process.
Cindi
pkhalin said
06:44 PM Aug 17, 2014
I think this is a really good question. Not sure we really were considering this when we take off next year. We currently have memberships in both I guess some of it depends on whether you use travel or other bennies through them. But we often get fruit and produce which we can go through rather quickly. And often times you'll find that they aren't always the best prices. Sometimes the local grocery stores will be better. But if you're traveling, how often can you compare prices without fliers, etc.
I'd also be interested in hearing what folks do about that. Is it just hit and miss or is there a method to the madness?
SnowGypsy said
06:47 PM Aug 17, 2014
We had a membership to both years ago but it seemed we did not purchase that much. With the food, so much was mixes and frozen stuff which we don't eat and the produce was never good. Seemed like we bought a lot of packaging and the sizes were too large even when both kids were at home. Our biggest savings is always eating whatever is on special at the grocery store where we shop and that has been great because as we moved from different regions, that selection changed so I can cook southwest, southern, etc. now which I don't think would have happened otherwise. I cook from scratch and we try to eat "raw" as much as possible.
pkhalin said
06:49 PM Aug 17, 2014
And if you only did one of them, which one would it be?
Cindi,
Apologies if this is going too far in another direction. I can always start another thread on the topic.
BiggarView said
06:53 PM Aug 17, 2014
Perfectly OK, I was wondering that too!
Cindi
Frac999 said
07:49 PM Aug 17, 2014
Sams, there prices are cheaper
igotjam said
08:16 PM Aug 17, 2014
It kind of depends on where you rv. We found Costco more in the west and Sams in the east. After a few years fulltiming we found that it really didn't pay for us to have either. We don't buy the quantities that normally are sold at these places.
-- Edited by igotjam on Sunday 17th of August 2014 08:16:52 PM
The Junkman said
08:23 PM Aug 17, 2014
Costco.. They have the best NY strip steaks..
Barbaraok said
10:15 PM Aug 17, 2014
Ditto on the steaks. Better wines, they are getting in some great wines and have some very good wineries competing to get some of their wines under the Kirkland label. Spent about 20 minutes talking to one of their wine buyers in the Issaquah Costco a few weeks ago about some of our favorite wineries in Sonoma Valley. Also better pay/benefits to their employees.
While Costco use to be in the west, now on both coasts and gradually moving into the Midwest. Even have Costco in Dallas!
Barb
JackKim said
07:21 AM Aug 18, 2014
I think it depends on what you buy. I keep ours cause we use certain things things that save us enough to cover the cost. Plus we had tires put on our tow vehicle so we could always find a Coctco to have the rotation and check done. Although I do not buy the quantities I used to, things like Ziplocks and toilet paper are such a great savings it is worth it. Fresh roasted coffee beans and a few canned things like sardines and salmon are nice to have on hand.
Produce is sold in wayyyyy to large a quantity for me to use with a couple exceptions like Avacados and Asparagus. But it is summer and we are in PA so I am finding wonderful fresh produce sold at stands or even just the farmer's house etc. We are big on eating what is fresh in season. Then going on to the next fresh item's.
Milk quantities too much, but butter is such a good price and the couple cheeses we love are a terrific savings in the bulk size.
I do a lot of dehydrating for food storage in the RV so we can have some things through the winter. Looking forward to seeing what is fresh in the south this winter. It will be our first one!
Those are just a few of ours that make the membership woth keeping. And if you do any vitamins or pharmacy style products it is a great savings even though you have to buy a little bigger quantity. And one last thing for me is glasses. $300 approx. from exam to finish with a new pair of glasses. Way less expensive than my home town eye Dr. was.
I do agree sometimes it is hard to find one. And driving 50 miles just for Costco is a bit of fuel. So we make sure to plan things around the trip. I get by with every couple months.
We do not have Sam's Club on the West Coast so I am unfamiliar with it.
SnowGypsy said
07:41 AM Aug 18, 2014
I would say that it might be worth the membership if you are a member now and feel that you can save your membership fee within a few trips. Also, look to see if there will be store locations where you will be traveling. My brother just told me that they are getting a Costco in South Bend, IN and I was surprised that they didn't have one already. For those shopping for alcohol products, in Kansas and I'm guessing a few other states, you will not be buying alcohol at the grocery store but I guess it is the 3.2 beer that they can sell. Liquor store owners continue to fight to keep it this way here. I don't care one way or another since we don't consume alcohol products.
NWescapee said
08:30 AM Aug 18, 2014
We have Sam's and use it for a few items plus the fuel discount. It does depend on where you travel, when visiting our family in Dallas and OKC, we're very close to Sam's so we can take advantage of the fuel savings, as well as when we visit the area we used to live. We occasionally find a Sam's in other locations but do not like to go too far out of our way to shop. We have gotten better about finding them while enroute if we have specific items we want to stock up on.
Hdrider said
09:50 AM Aug 18, 2014
As mentioned, Costco's can be found all over out west but not so much out east. And we used Costco on a regular basis when we had the S&B and still carry a Costco card.
While out east we signed up for Sam's Club but WE felt Sam's Club really wasn't as good as Costco and let our membership lapse and do not plan to renew. That's just our opinion.
Even though we don't have a S&B any longer we still like Costco for the meat if nothing else.
bjoyce said
10:49 AM Aug 18, 2014
We are Costco Executive Members and have the American Express that doubles as a membership card. Both of these pay us cash each year based on our usage. We get more cash they we pay in, so Costco is very worthwhile for us. We also have a Sam's club membership and do not use it as much, but feel it is breaking even. We end up in areas with only Sam's and when we are around them we buy some of the products only they seem to have. For example, Sam's has great sausage choices, multiple Italian sausage in three 1lb packages, perfect for a jar of spaghetti sauce. We do not have the fancy and more expensive Plus Sam's membership, the extras are not important to us and I already have a Discover card with better deals than the one theirs gives. Often both of these stores have the best gas prices around and some Sam's have diesel. Costco's warranty terms for electronics, computers, TVs, iPads, are better than most places.
For both it depends on what you buy, not just food, and how close you will be to them. In some places these stores are almost as close as the nearest Wal-Mart or grocery store, in other places they are an hour away. In some places everything is an hour away.
Barbaraok said
01:12 PM Aug 18, 2014
We purchased a new TomTom at Costco in Gilroy Ca in April '13. In August it stopped working in Ohio. Took it in to the Costco outside of Boston, no receipt, they looked up our purchases, refunded the money on the spot, went into the electronics area and got a newer model for $10 less. We found Costcos in a lot of places in the east and more and more in the mid-west.
Barb
BiggarView said
06:46 PM Aug 19, 2014
Great points everybody regarding things we hadn't considered like the eyeglasses for example. You've given Brian & I a lot to think about.
Kim, shhhh on the cheese in bulk... Brian's the house mouse.
Thanks everyone, Cindi
BiggarView said
06:51 PM Aug 19, 2014
biggaRView wrote:
Great points everybody regarding things we hadn't considered like the eyeglasses for example. You've given Brian & I a lot to think about.
Kim, shhhh on the cheese in bulk... Brian's the house mouse.
Thanks everyone, Cindi
Did somebody say cheese???....mmmmmm
Brian
-- Edited by biggaRView on Tuesday 19th of August 2014 06:52:31 PM
PNV said
07:00 PM Aug 19, 2014
We have both memberships. If we had to give up one, it would be Sam's without any hesitation.
Costco IMHO has better quality products, great prices and employees that care.
Sam's, on the other hand, has customer service that is only a half a step above it's Walmart partner. Their prices are also good but I get frustrated every time I shop there.
JackKim said
12:30 PM Aug 20, 2014
Oh Cindi,
Then you might not want to take Brian into the Costco cheese section. I sometimes have a hard time getting my hubby out of it for less then $30-$50 worth of cheese cause it all looks so good to him. Lol. But if you are a wine with your cheese kind of person the wine section is very close to the cheese!
kb0zke said
02:56 PM Aug 20, 2014
Definitely check the locator maps for both. I have heard of Costco, but have never seen one, so I checked their site. There are four Costco stores in Missouri, all in Kansas City and St. Louis. The closest one to us is just over 100 miles. There are five Sam's Clubs within 100 miles of here, including two in Springfield (about 50 miles from here).
Neil and Connie said
07:57 AM Aug 21, 2014
Costco has the best meat going. Much better than most regular grocery stores. We get a package of 5 NY strips, 6 double chicken breasts, and a double pork tenderloin each visit. That fills the allotted meat storage space in our residential fridge and we get better quality meat for the same money we would have spent at regular stores. Probably doesn't save us any money but we always get a 10 discount on Turbotax as well over Amazon and enough other stuff that we think we are breaking even on it.
Russ Ranger said
12:35 PM Aug 21, 2014
We've been members of Costco since they opened store #1 in Seattle in 1984. We have an Executive membership that gives us 3% cash back on the best fuel prices around. We also purchased Michelin tires for the motorhome and Honda Fit this last year. Part way through the year now, we have paid for the membership fee and will be getting a refund check from them at the end of the year. Last year it was around $100.00.
As we traveled 11,000 miles this last year we found enough Costco stores near our travel route to justify keeping them if only for the great fuel prices. At 7MPG the Monaco burned through about $5,500.00 worth of fuel this year. About half that fuel was Costco gas. It helps when they are 10 or 15 cents less per gallon and they give you a 3% rebate on top of the great price.
Still waiting for them to open a Costco in Mazatlán, we have a Sam's but it is a zoo to try to shop there.
Is the cost of membership to Sams Club or Costco justified for FTing? I was just wondering since at our S&B we have tons of storage space available when taking advantage of bulk purchases. But won't be able to do this in our RV. Is there more to using these memberships?
Thanks, Cindi
Thanks David, I had only thought about the membership cost, now I have to take distance into the thought process.
Cindi
I think this is a really good question. Not sure we really were considering this when we take off next year. We currently have memberships in both I guess some of it depends on whether you use travel or other bennies through them. But we often get fruit and produce which we can go through rather quickly. And often times you'll find that they aren't always the best prices. Sometimes the local grocery stores will be better. But if you're traveling, how often can you compare prices without fliers, etc.
I'd also be interested in hearing what folks do about that. Is it just hit and miss or is there a method to the madness?
And if you only did one of them, which one would it be?
Cindi,
Apologies if this is going too far in another direction. I can always start another thread on the topic.
Perfectly OK, I was wondering that too!
Cindi
It kind of depends on where you rv. We found Costco more in the west and Sams in the east. After a few years fulltiming we found that it really didn't pay for us to have either. We don't buy the quantities that normally are sold at these places.
-- Edited by igotjam on Sunday 17th of August 2014 08:16:52 PM
While Costco use to be in the west, now on both coasts and gradually moving into the Midwest. Even have Costco in Dallas!
Barb
Produce is sold in wayyyyy to large a quantity for me to use with a couple exceptions like Avacados and Asparagus. But it is summer and we are in PA so I am finding wonderful fresh produce sold at stands or even just the farmer's house etc. We are big on eating what is fresh in season. Then going on to the next fresh item's.
Milk quantities too much, but butter is such a good price and the couple cheeses we love are a terrific savings in the bulk size.
I do a lot of dehydrating for food storage in the RV so we can have some things through the winter. Looking forward to seeing what is fresh in the south this winter. It will be our first one!
Those are just a few of ours that make the membership woth keeping. And if you do any vitamins or pharmacy style products it is a great savings even though you have to buy a little bigger quantity. And one last thing for me is glasses. $300 approx. from exam to finish with a new pair of glasses. Way less expensive than my home town eye Dr. was.
I do agree sometimes it is hard to find one. And driving 50 miles just for Costco is a bit of fuel. So we make sure to plan things around the trip. I get by with every couple months.
We do not have Sam's Club on the West Coast so I am unfamiliar with it.
While out east we signed up for Sam's Club but WE felt Sam's Club really wasn't as good as Costco and let our membership lapse and do not plan to renew. That's just our opinion.
Even though we don't have a S&B any longer we still like Costco for the meat if nothing else.
For both it depends on what you buy, not just food, and how close you will be to them. In some places these stores are almost as close as the nearest Wal-Mart or grocery store, in other places they are an hour away. In some places everything is an hour away.
Barb
Great points everybody regarding things we hadn't considered like the eyeglasses for example. You've given Brian & I a lot to think about.
Kim, shhhh on the cheese in bulk... Brian's the house mouse.
Thanks everyone, Cindi
Did somebody say cheese???....mmmmmm
Brian
-- Edited by biggaRView on Tuesday 19th of August 2014 06:52:31 PM
We have both memberships. If we had to give up one, it would be Sam's without any hesitation.
Costco IMHO has better quality products, great prices and employees that care.
Sam's, on the other hand, has customer service that is only a half a step above it's Walmart partner. Their prices are also good but I get frustrated every time I shop there.
Then you might not want to take Brian into the Costco cheese section. I sometimes have a hard time getting my hubby out of it for less then $30-$50 worth of cheese cause it all looks so good to him. Lol. But if you are a wine with your cheese kind of person the wine section is very close to the cheese!
As we traveled 11,000 miles this last year we found enough Costco stores near our travel route to justify keeping them if only for the great fuel prices. At 7MPG the Monaco burned through about $5,500.00 worth of fuel this year. About half that fuel was Costco gas. It helps when they are 10 or 15 cents less per gallon and they give you a 3% rebate on top of the great price.
Still waiting for them to open a Costco in Mazatlán, we have a Sam's but it is a zoo to try to shop there.