Sam's Club

The same great people that own the Walmart chains own Sam's Club. This club has been in business since 1983 and boasts that they have forty-six million members and are still growing strong. They have donated over $204 million dollars in charity and they are one of the fastest growing clubs in the United States . I am sure that none of this comes as a surprise considering Walmart is such a household name.

A membership fee to this club will run you $35.00. This company claims that they will refund your membership fee at anytime if you are dissatisfied for any reason.

Deals

Gas

You will find that gas runs about three to five cents cheaper per gallon at the Sam's Club. Membership is required in order to take advantage of the cheaper prices.

Film

The price on film is $3.79 for double prints (24 exposures) and $4.79 per roll for double prints (36 exposures). For only 94 cents more you can get your pictures sent to you online so that you can share them with friends. The prices on this beat out many of the online competitors.

Phone Cards

Phone cards are only 3.47 cents a minute. Many families choose to use these cards instead of paying for long distance because the rates are so much cheaper.

Milk

Milk prices vary at each location, but run at roughly $2.20 per gallon of milk. This can be a good deal depending upon your area.

Sam's Brand Dishwashing Detergent

$6.99 for 15 pounds of dishwashing detergent comparable to the quality of Cascade, but at a much lower cost to you.

Sam's Brand Laundry Detergent

$9.99 for a five gallon bucket comparable to the quality of Tide, but also at a much lower cost to you.

Books

If you love to buy books, this is definitely the place to buy them. Paperback books run at half of the publisher costs and there is a thirty-sixty percent savings on the hardcover books. They have great fabric children books for less than ten dollars, beautiful hardcover journals for seven dollars, and great deals on cookbooks.

Flour

25 pounds of flour will only run you $3.50

Yeast

Two large bags of yeast will only cost you $2.50

Bottled Water

Thirty-six bottles of water come in a package and the cost is only a little over $4.00 total.

Spaghetti Sauce

If you do not make your own and buy the jarred variety, large restaurant cans of Ragu will only run you roughly $3.00.

Easy Mac

If you have kids that are just beginning to try and cook on their own then you are probably in the Easy Mac stage. This is something easy that they can prepare for themselves. The cost on this is only $5.99 for a package of eighteen.

Cheese

They have wonderful deals on cheese. One notable deal is $4.50 for a two pound block of cheddar cheese.

Diapers

If you buy brand name diapers, the price on these is comparable to buying them in another store if you use coupons. Cuddles brand of diapers that they carry is a great deal though. The cost for 165 diapers is $26.99.

Formula

You can buy large cans of formula for around twenty-five dollars. Savings are huge in this department.

Meat

The meat prices may not be as great of a deal as some of the advertised prices in your local grocery store, but honestly, it is some of the best meat you will ever buy. Sam's offers a wonderful meat selection and will split meat into smaller packages if you just ask.

Pharmacy

Sam's Club in our area, is the cheapest place for getting prescriptions filled. They accept insurance cards so you don't have to worry about having to keep track of receipts for your insurance company and they process the orders very quickly.

Optical

They also offer a wonderful optical section and prices on the contacts are extremely low. For a three-month supply of the disposable Acuvue lenses, the cost is $14.99 per box.

Downfalls

You can't use coupons at this location. The only exception is the type of "check" coupons. They will take these types of coupons because they are considered a check.

Paper products, soda, and many of the canned goods are not offered at a reduced cost. Your local supermarket is the best place to find these types of deals. I do buy their paper products myself though because I like to be fully stocked on paper towels and toilet paper- buy the Sam's brand if this is something you too would like to buy.

Customer service is not on par with some of the other wholesale clubs and the benefits/hourly salary is not as good for their employees, creating a higher turnover rate.

Money-Saving Tips

• Any prices ending in one, such as $23.91, is a closeout sale. This means that Sam's is selling the product for less than what Sam's paid for it so keep your eyes peeled especially on those seasonal items.
• Thursday is Sam's day for meat markdowns.
• Our local Sam's also offers to their police officers and firefighter's a free lunch if they eat there. Keep this in mind if you serve in one of these positions or have a spouse that does. It is definitely worth looking into in your area.