6 Things Sam’s Club Members Should Stop Buying, According to Superfans

It’s a great place to save, but everything at Sam’s Club isn’t a steal. Whether you’re a member or thinking of becoming one, it’s important to know which type of items are worth your money.

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Investing $50 per year for a Club membership, or $110 per year for a Plus membership, undoubtedly grants you access to thousands of savings opportunities.

The warehouse club is filled with everything from groceries and electronics to furniture and household essentials, making it a one-stop shop for a variety of essentials.

It’s easy to get swept away by low per-unit prices on bulk items, which can cause you to fill your cart with a lot more than you actually need. In the case of non-perishable items, this might be okay, assuming your home has adequate storage space.

However, buying perishable items in bulk can be tricky. You might pay a lower per-unit cost for certain items, but if you don’t use them by their expiration date, you’re essentially throwing money away.

Beyond that, Sam’s Club doesn’t always offer lower prices than its competitors. Therefore, it’s important to be an educated shopper, so you don’t end up losing money with your membership.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t stress. You don’t have to spend a ton of time or energy figuring out what products to stop buying at Sam’s Club on your own. Keep reading to learn which product categories are best to skip when shopping at the warehouse club.

Fresh Produce

“Unless you have a use for 8 pounds of oranges or 10 pounds of potatoes, most fresh produce purchased in bulk won’t end up being a good deal,” said Julie Ramhold, a consumer analyst with DealNews.com.

“If you’re feeding a large household or plan to freeze the produce, then it may be worth buying, but if not, you run the risk of some of it going off before you can use it.”

She said you will likely get a better value by purchasing smaller amount of produce from a farmer’s market or grocery store.

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Select Over-the-Counter Medicines

Buying some over-the-counter medicines in bulk might make sense, Ramhold said. For example, if you take Zyrtec daily for seasonal allergies, she said this could be cost effective — especially if it will be shared among a large household.

However, she advised normal households against purchasing over-the-counter medicines like painkillers in bulk.

“While some people might feel the need to take OTC pain meds frequently, they’re not something that should be taken on a daily basis for the most part,” she said. “Buying in bulk can mean that they’ll expire before you have a chance to use them all.”

Instead, she suggested heading to Walmart for a smaller portion and opting for a generic brand, when possible.

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Baked Goods

When it comes to buying baked goods at Sam’s Club, Ramhold said the size of your household and occasion you’re shopping for makes all the difference.

“A huge sheet cake for a random Friday is going to be too much cake for whatever craving a small household may be trying to satisfy,” she said. “But if you’re having a party, then things like that make sense to purchase in larger amounts.”

Despite that, she said this rule doesn’t apply to all baked goods.

“Some items such as cookies or pastries that can be frozen without having to worry about a loss in texture are perfectly fine to buy in bulk,” she said. “Just make sure you store them well so that they don’t go off before you can finish them.”

Therefore, unless you’re going to use the entire batch quickly, it only makes sense to buy bulk baked goods that won’t lose their texture in the freezer. Some items to avoid include cream pies, jelly-filled cookies, custards and crumb-topped desserts.

Coffee

If you’re an avid coffee drinker, buying whole beans or ground coffee in bulk might seem like an obvious decision — but hold that thought.

Buying coffee is only a good idea if you can drink it all in a timely manner, according to the 1335 Frankford blog, from La Colombe. Letting your coffee beans sit around for weeks or months can impact the freshness of your cup of coffee.

It’s also not a good idea to refrigerate or freeze coffee beans, according to the blog. Therefore, if you appreciate a good, fresh cup of coffee, it might be best to buy smaller batches for your home brew.

Condiments

When walking the aisles of Sam’s Club, it’s easy to get excited about bulk condiments. Whether you zoom in on a large container or a package of several smaller containers, you might be tempted to scoop them up.

The thing is, most households don’t go through condiments that quickly. Many varieties don’t expire that quickly, but they do have an expiration date that can be hard to beat on bulk quantities.

For example, ketchup will keep in the pantry for one year after the purchase date and six months — if refrigerated — after opening, according to FoodSafety.gov. Mayonnaise will last for three-to-six months from the purchase date in the pantry and two months after opening in the refrigerator.

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Books

Sam’s Club offers a wide-variety of books. It’s true that many are priced lower at the warehouse store than its competitors — but that isn’t always the case.

For example, Snoop Dogg’s book “From Crook to Cook” is $16.88 at Sam’s Club, but only $15.85 on Amazon.

If you’re really looking to save money, you can also often find used versions of many books for a fraction of the Sam’s Club price on Amazon. Regardless, always take a minute to do a price comparison on any book you’re planning to buy from Sam’s Club.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 6 Things Sam’s Club Members Should Stop Buying, According to Superfans