Many people are obsessed with the thought of saving a few extra dollars on groceries. This has resulted in the popularity of warehouse clubs. Before jumping into this bandwagon, it is advisable to look at the pros and cons of shopping at warehouse clubs. Find out if you are going to make a saving because for some people the saving from this is psychological rather than real.
So what are the pros of shopping at a warehouse club?
Low prices are the greatest advantage that warehouse clubs have over their competition. You can make a lot of savings especially on toiletries, personal hygiene products, gas and meat. Furniture, appliances like TVs, laptops and other gadgets are cheap and you can recoup your membership fees in one day. Their meat is also good quality.
They have extra services like tire shops and pharmacies. You can make a good saving on drugs.
If you have business membership it may allow to shop earlier than other regular shoppers. In this case, you can avoid wasting time in queues.
Buying in bulk uses less packaging (for those who are environmentally friendly). Furthermore, they sell plastic bags which forces people to use cardboard boxes.
Cons of shopping at a warehouse club
Shopping at a warehouse club is time consuming. To some people, warehouse clubs are located far away. When you get there it’s difficult to find parking close to the shop. Inside the shop, it’s full of people and there might be long queues. So you need to make sure your savings are worth the time that you spent?
Warehouse clubs have got annual membership fees which usually range between $40 and $50. You have to pay this upfront to purchase discount items.
Shopping at warehouse clubs is not beneficial to those who shop there once or twice annually. The savings will simply not outdo the membership fee unless if you are buying furniture and electrical gadgets.
There is no ready assistance in warehouse clubs. It’s actually difficult to get help because they have few employees to make up for low markups. If you are the ‘whining’ type, you are better off in the supermarket.
Warehouse clubs have limited selection of both products and brands. If brand loyalty is one of your attributes you may be disappointed if you go there.
They usually require that you buy in bulk. Make sure you don’t buy perishables in bulk as you will have to throw them away. That would make the saving change its sign from (+) to a (-).
Warehouse clubs are simply not good for ‘impulse buyers’. If you know you can’t resist the sight of a lot of cheap things, you are better off at the grocery store or supermarket. Overbuying is an expense not a saving.