I’m Shopping at Sam’s Club More Than Ever. Here’s Why

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Making a change to my membership has made shopping at Sam’s easier than ever. 

There are lots of great warehouse clubs out there, including Sam’s Club and Costco. Our family has always had a Sam’s membership, though, and we use the store to buy lots of staples ranging from trash bags to toothbrush heads.

Recently, though, I started shopping at Sam’s more than ever after making one big change. Here’s why.

Changing my membership made Sam’s Club an even better deal

I increased the amount of shopping I do at Sam’s Club for one simple reason. I signed up for the Plus membership because doing so enabled our household to actually save money on a purchase of eyeglasses (even after putting the added membership costs on our credit card).

The Sam’s Club Plus membership comes with a lot of perks that my previous membership did not offer. But the two most important added benefits for me are free shipping as well as 2% back on Sam’s Club purchases. And both of these Plus membership perks have significantly increased the amount of shopping I do at the big-box store.

The extra 2% savings that I’m able to score on Sam’s products is obviously a huge benefit since it makes all of the deals at the warehouse club even better. When combined with the cash back I get from my credit card, I end up saving almost 5% on each purchase that I make at Sam’s now, so my money goes further.

It’s actually the free shipping that has made the biggest impact, though. Because, now I don’t have to go into the store in order to get my bulk items from Sam’s — I can do my purchasing right from the comfort of home on my computer. So if I want to make an impulse buy late at night or just grab one or two items, I no longer navigate automatically to Amazon but I can check Sam’s prices first to see if I get a better deal (which I often do).

When I had to drag two kids with me into the car and then to the warehouse club, or else potentially pay for shipping on my purchases, it simply wasn’t worth any savings Sam’s provided in most cases.

But with that obstacle removed, my spending at Sam’s has gone up big time. And that’s not a bad thing, because I’ve been able to shift some of my purchasing to this big-box store where I get better deals. So, my total overall spending has actually declined — especially with the cash back factored in.

Is a Sam’s Club Plus membership right for you?

The Sam’s Club Plus membership is definitely more expensive than the standard membership, coming in at $110 compared with $50. But the savings on glasses, generic prescription drugs, and other pharmacy items can sometimes more than cover this added cost if you take advantage of these deals — and that’s not even mentioning the free shipping and cash back.

Ultimately, the right membership tier for you depends on how often you shop at Sam’s and whether you’ll take advantage of those extra perks or not. So be sure to take the time to consider whether the higher membership tier is the better choice, as sometimes spending a little more upfront can save you a fortune in the long run.

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The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Christy Bieber has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon.com and Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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