Do warehouse clubs like Costco save you money in the long run? – Marketplace

This is just one of the stories from our “I’ve Always Wondered” series, where we tackle all of your questions about the world of business, no matter how big or small. Ever wondered if recycling is worth it? Or how store brands stack up against name brands? Check out more from the series here.

Listener Anne Prianti from Alpharetta, Georgia, asked: 

Do warehouse clubs (i.e. Costco, Sam’s, BJ’s) cost you more than you save? I run a high school kitchen and if my monthly inventory is high (dollar-wise) it impacts my finances negatively. Wouldn’t purchasing and storing bulk items also negatively affect my household finances? 

When Sarah Boling was raising five kids as a single mom, she remembers being unable to buy common household goods in bulk because she didn’t have enough cash on hand. 

That meant purchasing, say, a four-pack of toilet paper for a couple of dollars versus a 16-pack that cost more but would last a lot longer. 

“With all those kids, you know, toilet paper, paper towels — all of that, you go through that stuff pretty quickly,” said Boling, who resides in Inverness, Florida. “So it would have helped if I would have been able to buy large quantities.” 

Now that she has a more stable salary and …….

Source: https://www.marketplace.org/2021/09/16/do-warehouse-clubs-like-costco-save-you-money-in-the-long-run/