My List of Best Deals at Sam’s Club

I’ve listed what I think are the best deals at Sam’s Club before, but they were difficult to find so after receiving a few requests, I thought I should update the list and make it easier to find.

I’ve had my Sam’s Club membership since January 2013, and you can read more about why I finally broke down and bought one here.  Now that I’ve started using Click n’ Pull, Sam’s Club has become the easiest store for me to shop, so I’m shopping there more and more.

Here’s my the best deals at Sam’s Club.  Items marked with an asterisk (*) are often on sale for less at the grocery store (on sale, not regular prices!), but I buy them at Sam’s sometimes out of convenience and because my family of seven goes through enough of it that it’s hard to stock up with enough when it goes on sale.

Some of these deals pretty consistently beat the sales at the grocery store, and those are not marked with anything.  True, there are always isolated sales that will beat some of these prices, but they are a rare exception rather than the rule.  (There used to be a lot more of these items that were frequently beat by the other grocery stores, but that’s become much rarer in the past couple of years.)

deli meat
breakfast sausage
pepperoni
smoked sausage*
Italian sausage
bratwursts

mozzarella*
parmesan
feta
cheddar*

eggs*
cream
buttermilk
sour cream*
cottage cheese*
cream cheese*

craisins
raisins
mangos
pistachios*
pecans
popcorn

rice
pinto beans

flour*
sugar*

yeast
spices
vanilla
cocoa powder
chocolate chips*

ketchup*
peanut butter*
olive oil
honey
maple syrup
canned tomatoes*
oatmeal*
soy sauce

veggie straws
pretzels
tortilla chips*
sandwich bread
tortillas
bagels

garlic
spring mix
potatoes
lemons

freezer bags*
foil pans
toilet paper*
Finish dishwasher tabs*
stain remover
paper plates
vinegar
hydrogen peroxide (for laundry)

You’ll notice there are very few frozen foods on this list.  My family eats very little prepared food, so those are generally not on my radar.  However, I do know frozen food prices fairly well because I track them for this site, and many items (frozen pizzas, for example) are consistently on sale for less than they sell them at Sam’s.

I don’t buy a lot of meat at Sam’s Club.  I’ve consistently bought ground beef at Ranch Foods direct for a couple of years now, and prefer its taste (and the fact that it’s hormone- and antibiotic-free).  Sam’s Club does have some good deals on meat, and it’s generally pretty good meat.  You can usually meet or beat the prices by watching sales at other grocery stores, but it is a good place to buy meat if you aren’t buying what’s on sale elsewhere or want a cut that isn’t often on sale.

I will point out that the last time I bought boneless, skinless chicken breasts at Sam’s, I noticed that it had an added solution to enhance flavor – which means there’s liquid added that you are paying for.  Most of the chicken breasts I buy elsewhere do not have anything added, so while the chicken breasts at Sam’s are a good price, you are paying for some added water.

So, that’s my list!  I’m going to keep this updated as I add or subtract things from this list.

What do you find to be a good deal at Sam’s Club?