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Costco, Sam's club, bjs


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Sams, BJ's,  Costco all have different strengths & weaknesses. You have to shop them against other competition as well. Soda pop and milk are usually NOT a good deal at any of them.

Flooring is pretty good if you're looking for laminate, or LV. 

Grocery staples are usually good as well. Lots of people like their pharmacies.

I gave up my Costco membership because of their cancel culture politics.

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3 hours ago, NotIThatLives said:

So noblesville just got a bjs and are getting a Costco by end of next year.  What are some of the go to items you get at each store?  How do you maximize your membership?

I saw this morning  bjs has propane refills for $12.99.  That's a steal.  

I bought really nice furnace filters at Costco 2 weeks ago, 4 for $25.  

Bjs and cheap gas!?!?! 

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I pride myself on frugal shopping. Mostly because I was the biggest sucker in the world in my 20's just paying retail or whatever. Costco has some good stuff for bulk but honestly their prices are higher than Walmart or even Kroger. I've had a Costco membership but mostly for optical and their rotisseries. Otherwise their quality is good but if bargain hunting/shopping it's not the best. Plus Costco in Castleton or Carmel are almost chores to get in and out of. 

I will say this though. My wife is the same way I am even cheaper sometimes. We dated for a decade before we got married. We actually bought her engagement ring at Costco because of the quality and size. Bought it there and had it appraised the next day for insurance at a place at Keystone at the Crossing. They appraised it at 2.25x what we paid. 

Have seen the commercials about BJ's. Will give it a look when they open but I'm still in the Walmart/Kroger....occasionally Meijer crowd.

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4 hours ago, Seeking6 said:

I pride myself on frugal shopping. Mostly because I was the biggest sucker in the world in my 20's just paying retail or whatever. Costco has some good stuff for bulk but honestly their prices are higher than Walmart or even Kroger. I've had a Costco membership but mostly for optical and their rotisseries. Otherwise their quality is good but if bargain hunting/shopping it's not the best. Plus Costco in Castleton or Carmel are almost chores to get in and out of. 

I will say this though. My wife is the same way I am even cheaper sometimes. We dated for a decade before we got married. We actually bought her engagement ring at Costco because of the quality and size. Bought it there and had it appraised the next day for insurance at a place at Keystone at the Crossing. They appraised it at 2.25x what we paid. 

Have seen the commercials about BJ's. Will give it a look when they open but I'm still in the Walmart/Kroger....occasionally Meijer crowd.

I'm with you.  It seems like most stuff that is name brand is full retail, just massive quantity.   Maybe once my boys are teenagers some of that stuff will make sense.  We grab a rotisserie about every ten days.  

I pride myself in being a keoger fuel points/credit card gaming junky.  Buy lots of gift cards at 4 times points.  Between kroger and aldis I'm confident I can beat these big stores 9 times out of 10.  

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4 hours ago, mrflynn03 said:

I use my mom's Sam's club card at the store in Bloomington.  Dont go alot but my go to buys are olive oil, some spices and the bulk packages or frozen pulled pork, beef or whatever they have.

We bought olive oil today.  Should be good for the next year.  

I believe the meat is higher quality.   Seems like I can beat the price if I only shop the sales at Kroger but it appears the base quality is higher.

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15 minutes ago, NotIThatLives said:

I'm with you.  It seems like most stuff that is name brand is full retail, just massive quantity.   Maybe once my boys are teenagers some of that stuff will make sense.  We grab a rotisserie about every ten days.  

I pride myself in being a keoger fuel points/credit card gaming junky.  Buy lots of gift cards at 4 times points.  Between kroger and aldis I'm confident I can beat these big stores 9 times out of 10.  

All day long. Gift cards at holidays are big points earners too. I can only speak from experience.....the bulk stuff isn't always the best deal for families of any size. Plus if you want the really good deals....check with your local Kroger. Monday morning meat specials. They drastically mark down prices if they don't sell the weekend stuff. My Kroger in Carmel and Nora are always 75% off on Monday mornings.

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I just had yakisoba from Costco - prepackaged and so good

Our staples:

whole bean coffee
rotiserrie chicken 
batteries
light bulbs
windshield wipers
kirkland organic OJ - not necessarily cheaper but so good
pre-cooked bacon - tastes great and is only like $12-$15 for the equivalent of 3 packages
If you like margaritas, Cointreau is a steal there (you can get a gigantic jug of Kirkland tequila for $20 and it’s not horrible)
You can save a couple of bucks on bottles of wine. 
Tuscan style pork tenderloins (pre-cut and marinated pork)
Orgain protein (when on sale)
You can sometimes find really good vacation packages
I just got a LG stick vacuum today for $100 off (25% off - when they have deals, they have deals)
and on Black Friday they have Bourbon County for $8 a bottle! (Limit 3)

I love Costco if you can’t tell. 

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I can't speak for all products but my previous job I worked at a place that made egg products.  The retail stuff was egg whites and egg substitute.  Kirkland, Costco, Kroger, Great Value, ect all came from the same production lots. 

Just something to keep in mind when doing price comparisons. 

One thing I can vouch for is Kroger product quality. I dealt with some Kroger QC people and they take their quality and reputation seriously.  

Ruler stores are also great value shopping. Kroger brand stuff. 

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I'm a big Costco fan. I figure anything on sale there is a good deal. 

I loved there calzones and chicken parmesan until they got discontinued. Great for car batteries (Interstate), vitamins, chips, water, produce, good quality meats, liquor and more. I just got a Spyder long sleeve shirt there for $20.

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Costco is excellent for buying big electronics. They double the warranty and at the end of the year, I get cash back.

Bought a 75 inch Samsung QLED TV last month, and got a 5 year extended warranty, Showtime and Paramount+ free for 4 months, all at a lower price than anywhere else including the Air Force BX. 

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3 hours ago, Naturalhoosier said:

Costco is great for electronics and large appliances.  They have a much larger selection in general (at least compared to BJs).  BJs is cool for those who coupon as they accept them.  We don't commit loyally to anyone store/brand.  My wife does the shopping, so it's usually a hodge-podge of places.

I loaded a bunch of bjs coupons last night.  That seems to be key to actually making them a sweet deal.  

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6 minutes ago, tdhoosier said:

A different store: Strack and Van Til

Yeah, Kroger had them cheaper here too, but they were frozen. The ones I saw at Costco were fresh...

They had some organic, no salt water solution birds at Costco for $3.89 a lb. That what I usually look for because I like to brine them myself. Too early to buy now though... 

 

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