I used to hate the idea of wholesale membership like Costco and never joined them. I was not alone, some of my co-workers shared the sentiment as well. The main reason was that I could rarely consume the bundle quantity before the product’s expiration date! I still remember I shopped at Costco with my friend who was a member. I picked up several items, including a bottle of multi-vitamin. It was huge, 500 counts, I believe. I could only take 1 pill a day. And since it’s not something important like birth-control pills, I couldn’t remember it every single day. Of course I would have to skip it quite often. So it would take me more than 2 years to finish the bottle.

Have you ever kept vitamin bottles that long? Even if it’s within expiration date, they can start smelling badly. It’s partly because I live in tropical weather, where high air temperature and moisture don’t allow dry stuffs to last very long. So I ended up throwing away half of the bottle. Now, vitamin pills are not so bad. Think about fruits and vegetables! So after a few bad experiences with excessive quantity, I gave up the idea of wholesale savings.

But then gas prices started to go up quickly, and it just happened that the local Costco store offered its members gasoline at a discount averaged 20 cents compared to the lowest price at a regular station. Moreover, the gas station was on my way to work, so it was definitely a good deal. That was when I decided to get the Costco membership because I figured I could save at least $100 on gasoline, while paying $45 annual fee for that.

And soon I realized that it was not the gas alone, I started to shop there almost every other week. Now it’s clearer to me, that I can’t really blame their bundle quantity, but my bad shopping plan is there to blame. Any reasonable shopper would have to calculate how long the purchased product will last, and how fast it can be consumed. When you can estimate those two factors, you’ll know what to buy and what not.

If you have a big family, anything would go faster, so there shouldn’t be any waste issues. Suppose that you shop only for yourself. Things would last longer with bundle quantity. Beside calculating your consumption rate and whether the items will be finished before they expired, you will have to take into account other factors such as whether you like it enough to use it regularly. For example, I once purchased a big pack of power bars (a kind of tasteless candies that contain lots of nutrition). I ended up dumping most of it because I just hated the taste. After that, I would think twice before I bought any new products. With a good “waste management,” the savings I get from the discount club are well worth the membership cost.

A wholesale club like Costco may cover most of your daily supply needs, but not all. You may end up shopping at some other supermarket for items your discount club doesn’t carry. Most, if not all, supermarkets offer free membership with substantial benefits for no obligation, no pressure. If that applies to you, take it. The benefits offered can be direct discount at the register, coupons for future discounts, or accumulated points that can be redeemed for cash or goods. As long as there’s no hassle or pressure from the merchant, it doesn’t hurt to get the free membership. I would stress the term “pressure,” because if you feel like you HAVE TO shop there often or risk losing the benefits, then it may not be worth it.

In summary, with proper “waste management” on your part, joining a discount club may bring you substantial savings that you can’t afford to ignore.