Sam’s Club Shoppers Share The 5 Most Currently ‘Overpriced’ Items
Shopping at Sam’s Club allows customers to bulk buy, which offers better per-item prices compared to buying products individually more consistently. Products with stable shelf life and household items—like paper towels, toilet paper, and pantry snacks—help shoppers save money each month by buying in bulk. Despite membership fees (which are reportedly increasing), customers who choose Sam’s Club see the benefits outweigh the fee.
Of course, not everything at the retailer is so rosy, and according to some market experts, there are certain products—like cream cheese, K-Cups, and cleaning supplies—you should avoid buying right now at the club. GOBankingRates talked to expert shoppers, like Consumer Analyst Julie Ramhold from DealNews.com, to identify the Sam’s Club’s items that are the most overpriced and impractical. Here’s what they found:
1. Member's Mark Cream Cheese
Sam's Club's name-brand cream cheese comes in "one huge brick," Ramhold found, weighing in at a shocking 3 lbs and costing $8.56 per ounce. While she admits the price is not bad, most people don't need to buy cream cheese in bulk, so its lack of practicality makes it a less desirable item.
“It may not be the best option to purchase, even though the unit price is good,” Ramhold said. “Unless you’re planning a massive baking project that’ll use up a good portion of it or have a ridiculous amount of bagels that need to be consumed ASAP.” She added, "You can find sale prices at a standard grocery store for a brick or two that’ll be more reasonable for most households.” Still, perhaps it is a great item if you have a restaurant or bakery!
2. Banana Boat Sunscreen
Ramhold advises customers to skip buying sunscreen in bulk for quality control—and, Sam's Club's prices are not so great on it either.
“Sunscreen does have an [expiration date] and can lose its effectiveness, so it’s not something you want to buy in bulk and leave hanging around for a long time," Ramhold told GOBankingRates.
“At Sam’s Club this package is three 6-oz spray cans for around $16.68, or 93 cents per ounce,” says Ramhold. “At Costco, you can get a package that contains two 8-oz spray cans and one 8-oz lotion for around $18.99, which works out to about 79 cents per ounce.” It might be better to buy at Costco not only for price savings but also so you don't need to buy so many bottles and risk the product's effectiveness. Even if you do need three bottles of sunscreen, you'd be better off buying from Costco.
3. Home Decor
Brenda Kosciuk, the CEO of Paper Heart Family, a parenting blog, advised shoppers to skip buying home decor from Sam's Club.
“Sam’s Club offers a variety of home decor items, including wall art, decorative pillows, and rugs,” said Kosciuk. “While these items can add a pop of style to your home, they are often significantly overpriced compared to similar items sold at other retailers.”
For instance, decorative pillows can be found for less at off-price stores. "At Sam’s Club, it may cost around $30, while a similar pillow at discount home goods store like Marshalls may cost around $15," she noted.
4. Name-Brand Cleaning Supplies
Kosciuk also advised shoppers to avoid buying name-brand cleaning supplies, like Tide or Clorox, from Sam's Club, and choose generic brands instead from other retailers.
“Sam’s Club offers a variety of name-brand cleaning supplies, including laundry detergent, dish soap, and cleaning sprays,” she said. “While these items may be convenient, they are often significantly overpriced compared to generic or store-brand options.”
“For example, a bottle of Tide laundry detergent may cost around $20 at Sam’s Club, while a similar generic option at another retailer may cost around $10,” Kosciuk added.
5. K-Cups
Saving money on coffee is a quite literally a hot topic for the workforce who depends on it each day. Keurigs make it super easy to avoid the coffee shop line and save money, but you may want to consider buying your K-Cups from somewhere other than Sam's Club.
“Something that consistently ends up being more expensive at Sam’s Club than at its competitors is K-Cup pods,” said Rex Freiberger, CEO of Gadget Review, a buying guide and product review blog.
“K-Cup pods at Sam’s Club tend to average around $0.45 a pod, whereas at Costco they tend to average around $0.39," said Freiberger. “While this might not seem like a huge difference, if you are someone who uses these every day to make one or multiple cups of coffee, the difference adds up pretty quickly."
