Ten ways to really save at a warehouse club

[John]

Click for a complete Costco article from Christian Science Monitor

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1. Take a look before you sign up. Before you walk in the door and sign up for a membership, visit the store and look at the prices and the selection to make up your own mind. Warehouse clubs often offer one-day memberships, either in the newspaper or at the desk there. Give them a call and find out before you go.

If you can’t get in using these methods, ask around your social network to see if anyone’s a member, then ask if you can visit the store with them. This method is even better because you can make purchases when visiting with a full member, whereas with the short-term memberships, there’s a 10% markup on prices.

2. Split a membership. Find a close friend and split a membership with them. Just go to the store, sign up for a membership, put your friend down as the other card, and get membership cards for both of you. This will cost you each half the normal price of an annual membership, getting you in the door for a year for just $20.

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[Anonymous]

Looks like someone needs to do a little more research before posting comments here. I stopped after the second point because you are batting 100%…wrong that is.

1)I know Costco does not offer 1 day passes, not a Member, can’t shop and can’t get in unless you are a guest. There is no 10% mark-up for non members because, well, you can’t shop unless you are a Member. However, the membership fee is guaranteed with a full refund if you are not satisfied at any time during your first year (even on the 364th day).

2) You can’t split a Membership between 2 people that do not live together. Each Membership comes with a free domestic card for anyone over the age of 18 living at the SAME address, and yes, they will ask for ID verifying that you indeed live at the same address, if not, you will need to buy 2 memberships

Now I didn’t check your other points, but I would suggest you re-visit those to check for accuracy on your info.

Cheers

[Anonymous]

The article is written for “Warehouse” in general by Christian Science Monitor. It’s not written strictly for Costco.

Having said that.

1. You can always tag along with somebody with a membership. But, I wouldn’t be surprised if you don’t have any friends to take you.

2. I once gave my girlfriend’s sister a spouse membership for a few years. I don’t care what the rule says. That’s what I did. She even used the card in Mexico.

[helen82]

3. Bulk-buy in cooperation with friends. Hesitant to buy a giant mountain of toilet paper? Talk to a friend of yours and agree to split the cost of that mountain. This way, your cost per roll on that toilet paper is very low, but you also don’t have to deal with the storage of that much toilet paper.

There are lots of items you can purchase this way, from paper towels and fruit juice to diapers and bagels.

4. Only buy stuff you know you’ll use up. One of the big temptations at a warehouse club is to convince yourself that you’ll use a huge amount of something that’s perishable, whether it’s salad greens or fresh fruits. You see the price per pound, recognize that it’s much lower than it is at other stores, and talk yourself into it.

Don’t.

Ignore the cost per pound. Instead, you have to focus on the amount you’ll actually use before having to chuck the rest – and that’s a tricky thing. I usually figure on the very low end. On occasion, it’s still a value even if more than half winds up in the compost bin, but most of the time, it’s not really a bargain.

[john]

Hi Helen82
You sound like my kind of shopper 🙂

Not everyone is able to split bulky item with a shopping buddy. You must have friendly attitude and have loving people around you.

Good for you, helen82. We envy people like you.

God bless.

[Author]

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