7 Things Not to Buy at Warehouse Clubs

Shopping at warehouse clubs, such as & Sam’s Club is a great way to save money. However, consumers often make the mistake of assuming they’re getting the best price at a warehouse club or of buying things they don’t need just because the price is good.

You should always shop with a list to avoid impulse purchases, which can be whoppers at warehouse clubs. When making your list, keep these 7 things off it. You can find them cheaper elsewhere, or you won’t reap value by buying them in bulk.

Books and DVDs

It’s tempting to pick up books to read on vacation or DVDs for the kids while you’re shopping at the warehouse club. But the deals on these items aren’t as good as you can find elsewhere, says Andrew Schrage, co-owner of the personal finance blog Money Crashers. You can usually buy books, CDs and DVDs for 15% to 20% less online at sites such as Amazon.com, he says (and get free shipping on qualifying orders of $35 or more). Better yet: Don’t pay a thing for books or DVDs by borrowing them for free from your public library. There also are several ways to read e-books for free.

Clothing and Shoes

Just because an article of clothing or a pair of shoes is cheap doesn’t mean you’re getting a deal. There’s a reason clothing and shoes sold at warehouse clubs are so inexpensive: Even with designer brands, they’re often lower quality, using cheaper fabric and weaker embellishments, such as buttons and zippers, that won’t last as long. See Cheap Clothing Is a Costly Mistake to learn more about budgeting for clothes.

Schrage specifically cautions against buying flip-flops at a warehouse club; you can get them for much less at the dollar store. Flip-flops, which aren’t meant to be high-quality footwear, cost $1 at the dollar store versus about $10 at the warehouse club, he says.

Liquid Bleach and Detergents

These products lose their efficacy after six months, says RetailMeNot’s Bodge. So if you don’t have a big family and don’t wash lots of laundry, you won’t get through a warehouse club’s supersize bottle of bleach or detergent fast enough. Instead, Bodge recommends looking for deals on these items at the or big-box store. The dollar store also is a great place to buy cleaning supplies (see What to Buy at Dollar Stores). Or buy the supersize box of warehouse clubs’ powdered detergent, which won’t lose its efficacy, Bodge says.

Name-Brand Cereal

Warehouse clubs’ prices on name-brand cereal are comparable to cereal prices at grocery stores. However, warehouse clubs generally don’t have sales on cereal. So you’re better off stocking up on your favorite cereal when it goes on sale at the .

Paper Products

Although a warehouse club might seem like the logical choice for a big pack of paper towels or toilet paper, consumer and money-saving expert Andrea Woroch says you’ll actually get a better deal on paper products at the grocery store the first and third weeks of the month, when they typically go on sale. She recommends using manufacturer coupons to get an even deeper discount.

Soda

You can always find soda on sale for less at a grocery store than at a warehouse club, says Jeff Yeager, author of four popular books on frugal living, including his most-recent How to Retire the Cheapskate Way. For example, Yeager says that Coke products go on sale every other week for $2 or $2.50 per 12-pack at the grocery where he shops. However, a 24-pack costs $7 or $8 at the warehouse club -- which can be twice as much as two discounted 12-packs purchased at the grocery.

Canned Goods

You can score better deals on canned goods when they’re on sale at the supermarket. Expect to pay 20% to 40% less per unit than what you’d shell out at the warehouse club. Prices are especially hard to beat when put their store-branded canned goods on sale. Plus, unless you’re hosting a big cookout, do you really need a 117-ounce can of baked beans?

Enjoy saving money and making the most of your warehouse club trips!