Why I Don’t Belong to Sam’s Club or Costco Anymore
The temptation to buy huge amounts of stuff I don’t need canceled out any savings at checkout.
I still remember the day I stopped shopping at Sam’s Club. I was hauling dozens of drinking water bottles to my car to save a few bucks. Sweltering in the August Florida heat, I had an epiphany. I make enough money, so I don’t have to do this. Then I looked at what I bought—ten pounds of coffee, 1000 Tylenol capsules and an industrial-sized plastic bottle filled with biscottis.
But what sealed the deal for me was the two one-half gallons of Tropicana orange juice. I remember the cost; a few days later, it was cheaper at Florida’s most popular and expensive grocery store, Publix! That was my BFO moment (blinding flash of the obvious). Not only was I not saving money, I was buying crap I did not need and too much of it.
These Warehouse membership chains capitalize on human nature to grab an apparent discount or the belief that we are saving money shopping there. And there is the impulse buying. I let my membership lapse and have never been back.
I have friends who swear by these stores. They buy meat there and claim it is as good as anywhere else. I have tasted it. It’s not. Many of these people have the financial means not to need these discounts. One friend brags about how much money he…
