BoomerGirl Diary

So when does it make sense to head to a Sam's Club vs. a local grocery store?

Clemson University food science professor Beth Kunkel finds that warehouse stores such as Sam's or Costco offer the best deals for people with large families, those who do a lot of entertaining or for people who are purchasing for businesses or church functions.

Here's more advice and tips from Kunkel and some shoppers:

Got storage?

Karyn Sheftman shops at Sam's regularly, but, she said, she's able to do so now because she has lots of cabinets and three refrigerators.

"When I lived in my old house, we only had one refrigerator with just the top freezer, which did limit what I could buy," she said.

On toiletries, she said the deals aren't worth it for her. She has less storage for items such as toothpaste and mouthwash.

On the other hand, for a shopper like Randy Lanier, a restaurant owner, storage isn't an issue. He buys paper products at warehouse stores regularly: "At home, what are you going to do with 28 rolls of paper towels?"

Got teen-agers?

For the past three years, Bettie Beatty has driven 35 miles to a Sam's from her home because of her two teens: "They'll go through ... three loaves of bread a week or more."

At Sam's, she can buy two loaves of bread for $2.50, often the price of one loaf at a supermarket.

Beatty also buys large quantities of foods her children can easily prepare themselves, such as ready-made hamburgers.

Paper products?

With the exception of business customers such as Lanier, home shoppers say the price differences on these items are not significant at warehouse stores vs. other stores.

Beatty said she shops around for sales and buys her paper products from supercenters, such as Target or Wal-Mart. And, for additional savings, she tries to use coupons when toilet paper or paper towels go on sale.

Too much food?

Kunkel advises shoppers to be careful about not buying more than they will be able to use when shopping at the warehouses.

"It is a challenge to make sure that if you're going to shop at one of those discount supermarkets, that you're actually getting your money's worth," she said.

And if you end up with a lot of food that bores your family or goes to waste, have you really done your budget a favor?

Business advantage?

A Sam's membership is a convenience for business members because they can shop during special hours when regular customers cannot. Lanier confesses he wouldn't shop at Sam's if he had to go during regular hours.

Gas savings?

If you're driving 35 miles to the nearest warehouse, you may be cutting into your savings. (That round trip costs nearly $12 in gas for your 20-mpg vehicle.)

But because Sam's members can purchase Sam's gas for 5 cents less per gallon, the savings could even out. (You'll pay for the $40 annual fee after 53 fill-ups on a 15-gallon vehicle.)

And you could save a little more with the convenience of having made one large shopping trip to the warehouse vs. many smaller trips - something appealing for parents.

Always have a plan

No matter where you shop, be sure to have a list and stick with it, Kunkel stressed.

Make the list with a menu plan in mind. If possible, plan your menu around sale items at groceries or items you know offer the best deal at a store.

Don't go when you're hungry. (Think how you will react to all those food samples.)

And if possible, Kunkel advises, leave your children at home when you're grocery-shopping. Children are impulse shoppers who are simply miserable when they see a giant bag of candy bars that doesn't get to go home with them.