I wanted to check out sams club since I dont have a nearby cosco… just walk around and take a look at what they have. pretty reasonable?
Well I dont want to deal with an embarassment if they ask me for the member ID and I dont have one. I was looking into it and found (on wikipedia) that if you have a walmart gift card, you are allowed to shop with it at sams club, without a membership.
If there any merit to this claim?
Not according to Wal-Mart:
Emphasis mine, natch.
However, my experience has been that they will let you in to browse if you say you are considering membership. You might consider calling your local place. They also generally send out passes for a free visit every so often, even in the Val-Pack (with like a 10% fee added if you buy anything).
My experience is that Sam’s Club prices are the same as what you would pay at Kroger; the gimmick is that the stuff comes in huge quantities, is all.
We tried memberships twice, and both times didn’t find that we saved any money.
ETA: So the point I’m making is, don’t knock yourself out to obtain a Wal-Mart gift card in order to gain entry, 'cause IMO it won’t be worth it.
You need a Sam’s card, to pay for your purchases, I believe.
With two teenagers, we find shopping at Sam’s to be practically a given. We were behind a couple in line who were trying to pay for purchases with the MIL’s card, who wasn’t with them…the cashier couldn’t let them. They were not pleased.
Here in Michigan, liquor and beer sales have to be open to the public, so one way to get into warehouse clubs is to tell them you’re buying beer or alcohol. Of course I thought that both Sam’s and Costco had day passes available on their web sites – download and print
Duck Duck Goose I find that most things are less expensive at Sam’s than at Kroger. Plus our local Krogers all seem to suck. Ironically they suck for the same reason that I hate Wal-Mart, whereas I love our Sam’s. Good, red steer meat at Sam’s does cost roughly the same as at Kroger, but remember that Sam’s isn’t the utility-graded crap that Kroger sells; it’s intended for resale or restaurant use. Also to catch things cheap at (our) Krogers, you (a) need a card, and (b) catch them on sale. Yeah, Sam’s has a card, but it’s different (it just is, that’s all).
If you go on a busy Saturday you can usually just slip by the person checking membership cards at the door.
If not tell them you are interested in membership and they’ll direct you towards the service desk. Once you head that way and linger for a moment you can then wander off into the store.
Not that I’ve ever done this, but this works almost every single time from what I’ve heard.
You still need to give your card to the cashier when they ring up your purchase, though.
You can buy booze without a card in New Mexico, too. I think it may be true in all states.
Also true in Texas. I’m not sure if it’s a state or federal thing, but I used to work for a wine/beer/spirit wholesaler in Texas and it was some legal clause that allowed you to buy booze in any Costco/Sam’s/membership-only place without having to be a member. I’m not sure if the employees checking the door are educated on that policy, though…
slightly off-topic, but I just gotta ask: Why do you have to be a member?
Why does a retail business discourage people from buying?
I have money in my pocket that I want to give to Sam’s club. Sam has stuff that I want to buy. Why can’t we we both act to our mutual advantage?
How did Sam’s club make a profit by denying me entry into their store? They pay a bouncer to make sure I don’t give them my money… I don’t get it.
I’m sure they’ve done the calculations to figure out how best to make a buck.
I’d assume they couldn’t keep the shelves stocked and get the inventory needed to supply the general public if they opened their doors to everyone.
So instead they get the number of customers and the amount of stuff they can supply them to equal out by limiting it to a members only club.
And in the process they make ~$40 a year from each member.
Cecil knows it: Why won’t “club stores” let me shop there?