tony spencer » Money http://www.tonyspencer.com It's Just Links Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:19:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 Are wholesale clubs like CostCo and Sams Club worth the money? http://www.tonyspencer.com/2006/01/07/are-wholesale-clubs-like-costco-and-sams-club-worth-the-money/ http://www.tonyspencer.com/2006/01/07/are-wholesale-clubs-like-costco-and-sams-club-worth-the-money/#comments Sun, 08 Jan 2006 00:18:57 +0000 Tony http://www.tonyspencer.com/2006/01/07/are-wholesale-clubs-like-costco-and-sams-club-worth-the-money/ costco
I was a Sam’s Club member for several years. I always felt like I was getting a deal but there are always the naysayers that claim that the deals are sporadic and you often get screwed. Today I joined CostCo not because I think its better than Sams. Actually they feel identical to me except for the fact that the CostCo checkout line seemed to move faster. I joined CostCo because my wife and I recently moved to Chapel Hill and CostCo was much closer. I spent a total of $606.48 today not including my CostCo membership of which I paid $45. $310.29 of my purchase was business (a fireproof safe for my office).

I decided to figure out how much money I saved by shopping at the wholesale club. I accomplished this by comparing prices with those listed online for my local Harris Teeter that I regularly shop at.

The bottom line was far better than I ever imagined. The only item that wasn’t a bargain was the laundry detergent.

Total savings: $292.21

Gain Detergent
0.094 per load
0.117 per load
-$2.40 savings

Pepsi
0.42 per 12 oz. can
0.24 per 12 oz. can
$6.48 savings

Post Raisin Bran
0.15 per ounce
0.07 per ounce
$6.48 savings

Beano
0.17 per tablet
0.09 per tablet
$9.60 savings

Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars
0.34 per oz
0.14 per oz
$14.22 savings

Red Bell Peppers
2.99 each
1.00 each
$11.94 savings

Thomas’ English Muffins – Original
0.25 per oz
0.14 per oz
$3.39 savings

Boca Meatless Burgers – Original Vegan
0.36 per oz.
0.16 per oz.
$11.20 savings

Boneless Whole Pork Tenderloin
6.99 per lb.
2.99 per lb.
$16.80 savings

New York Strip Steak
9.99 per lb.
6.89 per lb.
$8.65 savings

Cascade Automatic Dishwasher Detergent
0.07 per oz.
0.055 per oz.
$6.87 savings

Generic Pepto Bismol
0.32 per oz.
0.12 per oz.
$3.79 savings

Viactiv Multi-Vitamin Soft Chews- Chocolate Supreme
0.13 each
0.09 each
$4.80 savings

Philips Longer Life Bulb
0.62 each
0.28 each
$5.44 savings

Boneless Pork Loin Chops
4.99 per lb.
2.29 per lb.
$16.20 savings

Ocean Spray Cranberry Blend Juice
0.06 per oz.
0.03 per oz.
$6.39 savings

3.0 cubic foot Fire Safe rated at 1 hour at 1700 degrees F (http://www.safe-mart.com/fify30cuftsa1.html)
449.95
289.99
$159.96 savings

Total savings: $292.21

I did not include all items I purchased only b/c I couldn’t find them on the Harris Teeter site.

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