You’re probably like me. You assumed he was asking if he should pay for cable so he could watch more episodes of MASH*.
There is a point which no one has mentioned: the theory behind wholesale clubs is that half or so of the merchandise is basic stuff at very good prices but that the other half or so is higher priced treasure hunt merchandise. So if you save $200 on the basic stuff over the course of a year but spend an extra $500 on this treasure hunt merchandise which you probably wouldn’t have otherwise purchased are you in fact better off?
We used to have both memberships but went with BJ’s because it’s closer. Nothing against Costco, mind you, but who wants to schlep five towns over when BJ’s is a mere three miles away?
The big draws for us (family of 2) are gas, paper/cleaning goods, and stocking up the freezer. Maybe some grocery items if we find an incredible deal AND if we’re running low on it.
I got a great deal on my laptop there too.
It’s not a place for everyday shopping. As others have already mentioned, it’s a great deal if you have a growing family, though. Just the savings on the gas alone makes the membership worth it .
One thing to note: you can often share memberships (I know Costco does this) with someone else. They don’t ask for proof of personal relationship, though you might need the same address, and they don’t check it in the future.
I forgot that states (and countries) with state control wouldn’t let you do this. That should be against the Geneva conventions :). Their beer deals are fine, but not great. Their liquor deals aren’t good, they’re amazing. Something like 1/2 the price of good liquor stores, and I’ve seen handles at Costco for cheaper than fifths elsewhere (1.75 L vs. 0.75 L).
I don’t know if Sam’s carries the same baby wipes as Walmart, but Kirkland wipes are remarkably higher quality. The Walmart ones tear easily, including pulling out of the package.
We stopped using BJs when the kids were grown and we didn’t need much in bulk anymore. But we’ve found a few items useful and inexpensive there and instead of going with friends with memberships to get them we renewed a couple of years ago. It didn’t seem worth it except the membership included coupons for free NFL gear and some local restaurant gift certs which may have exceeded the membership fees. But we only go a couple of times a year, and probably are barely making back the annual membership. There isn’t much they have in large items that can’t be found for the same price elsewhere, bulkier dry goods are mainly what we take advantage of. They do have a pretty big wine selection now but that really only gets a few dollars a year since neither of use consume much. It has the advantage of being close by, but not so much so that it’s really worth it. I’d say you have to being in bulk to really make it pay off.
My wife and I keep our membership out of convenience as much as anything else. The club near the last place we lived had gas pumps and filled propane, and with those we were definitely coming out well ahead, but our current club has neither. Now we mostly buy a lot of meat: their normal prices generally match the sale prices at our local Stop & Shop, the quality is a bit higher, and we eat at home often enough that we can get through the bulk packages before anything dies in the freezer. Save a few bucks on that, a few bucks on random stuff like olive oil or contact solution, and breaking even with the $50 isn’t that hard. It’s just not some massive savings source the way it used to be.
(Also no wholesale club alcohol sales in MA. At least we’ve got Total Wine, now.)
For those (like me) who have never heard of BJ’s before:
BJ’s Wholesale Club
And made just a little bit duller in the process. 
Just let me know if you need those bar names.
Well, I don’t know about wholesale, but I may be able to get you a price break for quantity in Bangkok.