When it comes to buying wholesale, the concept of saving money isn’t necessarily a cut and dry concept. Some folks will say that buying in bulk saves their family hundreds each year. Others lament the lost membership fees, wasted food and daunting shopping experience.
As a lover of wholesale who takes advantage of her boyfriend’s family membership card to purchase household staples, I would call myself an ‘irregular user’. My toiletries, non-perishable cooking supplies and contact lenses come from a wholesale store and I definitely save money and time buying these major necessities in bulk- though all these things only need replacing every 4-5 months, so I don’t shop there often.
That said, I also live in a downtown apartment with one other person, so my view on whether buying from a wholesale warehouse is worthwhile would differ from that of, say, a family of four or five (or eight!). Needless to say, when pondering whether to fill out that membership application, there are a few main points about wholesale shopping that should be considered before hopping on board:
Membership
Yay: Some of these memberships only cost up to £20.00 (and $50-55) a year, which isn’t really a bad deal, unless you never go. Buying expensive, big ticket items such as electronics or furniture at a wholesale store (so long as it’s for a wholesale price) immediately means the membership has paid for itself.
Nay: Nearly every wholesale retailer is run on a members-only basis, which means you can’t buy anything there unless you have a membership.
Product Costs
Yay: Buying bulk is perfect when it comes to necessities, like baking staples or pet supplies. It’s also an entertainer’s best friend, be it birthday or a BBQ, a wholesale warehouse provides party-sized platters, cakes and meat trays for a fraction of the cost at an in-town grocer.
Nay: Not all prices in wholesale stores constitute a good buy. Many products can seem like a steal, because they’re cheaper than their supermarket counterparts and are four times the size, but shoppers should be wary of purchasing items in quantities that are impossible to use up. Like nacho cheese.
Convenience
Yay: The main idea of buying in bulk is supposed to mean making fewer trips to the store. If you’re a savvy shopper, and can stick to stocking up on most of your household mains once every five months, wholesale is definitely the way to go.
Nay: Accessibility to a wholesale warehouse can often leave something to be desired. For suburbanites, the warehouse can be just one of many stops made during a day of errands. For city dwellers however, going the extra distance for that deal on shampoo is only worth it if you can score a free ride.
5 tips for the wholesale shopper:
1. If possible, arrange to share a membership between several people, and then go shopping together. Split the annual membership fees, and have one person (perhaps whomever has ownership or access to a vehicle) claim ownership. Then, plan group trips as needed.
2. Flat dwellers should ensure that they have space at home for whatever they’re buying. Stocking up on a 10st of soap bars might seem like a good idea at the store, but be sure you’re not going to end up with soap hidden all over the apartment as a result.
3. In a store where everything is huge, yet to scale, it’s easy to confuse things you will always need lots of (toothpaste) with things you don’t really need (industrial-sized margarita maker). Don’t get too dizzy with the allure of warehouse prices – you’ll still have to pay for that flat of cheese at the cashier counter.
4. Go early! My boyfriend’s dad always has us shopping at the crack of dawn, but there’s a reason: wholesale warehouses fill up fast (especially on weekends), and everyone has an enormous cart (or two, or three). Get in, get out, and enjoy the rest of your weekend.
5. Before buying something, weigh these variables against each other: shelf life, usefulness, volume, cost. At least two should apply to any product you’re looking to buy for it to be worthwhile (i.e. paper towel has a great shelf life, is used nearly every day, and buying 12 jumbo rolls in bulk more than beats the cost of the usual pack of 6 you would get at the supermarket. The same doesn’t necessarily apply to 12 punnets of strawberries).
In the end, as with many things, buying in bulk really only saves you money if you use every last scrap of what came in that industrial-sized barrel. So, if you’re finding yourself unable to finish (or store) that gigantic jar of olives you bought at an unbelievable price, it might be time to reconsider your definition of ‘household staple’.
{Photo: Jenna Kaminsky}
I have definitely fallen foul of the ‘ooooh there’s an industrial-sized margarita maker’ before. Same applies when I’m in IKEA.
I’ve found it depends on the product I’m purchasing. Buying bottles of wine in bulk has proven to be a big no-no (any savings from the bulk buy are quickly erased by the sudden urge consume wine with dinner every night). Obviously don’t have the same problem with things like toothpaste, detergent, etc though.
Tell me about it. We dabbled in a bulk buying wine for a while. I’m not sure my liver will ever be the same again.
I’d be very worried if you were maxing out on detergent in the same way.
Ha! Tempting as it is to wash my clothes twice to make them *extra clean*!
Ikea is my achilles heel. I can’t ever just buy what I came for!
They don’t actually sell wine in the wholesale stores in Canada- probably for the best. Have you the Purex 3 in 1 detergent and dryer sheets in the UK? They’re relatively new here, but they’re AMAZING! A blue sheet that you throw in the washing machine, then transfer with your clothes into the dryer. Anyway, I get them by the crate at Costco. They make living on the third floor of an elevator-less building that little bit more bearable.
Yes! We’ve had the same jar of pickled beets in our fridge for over a year now. It’s also scarily easy to convince yourself that you’ll be able to finish a gigantic box of cookies or cereal between two people, until you suddenly find yourselves at zero hour, bitterly gorging on soon-to-be stale cheerios.
Hi!
Nice post! Very informative. It showed the two sides of buying wholesale.
Just to add:
Wholesalers can deal in a whole variety of different products, giving them greater exposure to the market and greater market share. This enables wholesalers to attract a wider customer range while it gives customers the opportunity to fulfill multiple requirements at a single place.
However, the rapid increase in the use of the Internet for selling and purchasing has led to a decrease in the importance of wholesalers, since the buyers are more easily able to communicate with the manufacturers. Consumers can now directly place orders and receive goods from the source. This is alarming for the wholesale industry as it faces a threat of being superseded by online purchasing. Also, this business has its own insecurities. Some wholesalers do not sell products to groups or societies fearing that they might sell their products ahead to customers that operate privately.
Great post, thanks. I’ve done some electronics wholesale buying online and had a bit of luck reselling, although the margins can be quite low on electronics, and some people are able to get the same goods far cheaper, meaning it can be very competitive indeed! People like CPC now basically selling to the public make it harder too, but the upshot of buying wholesale goods is that you can get nice things for yourself too!
I now have some very nice and very cheap music gear from my online wholesale buying!