“The best things in life are free like fresh air and Costco samples.” (Anonymous)

A warehouse club (or wholesale club) is a retail store selling a wide variety of merchandise. The customers may buy large quantities of the store's products. This makes these clubs attractive to both bargain hunters and small business owners. The clubs are able to keep prices low^] due to the no-frills format of the stores. In addition, customers may be required to pay an annual membership fees in order to shop there.

Have you ever wondered if a warehouse club is a right choice for you? Many consumers seem to find a Costco or Sam’s Club memberships something they want in their life (no matter the cost). Both Costco and Sam’s Club want their customers to be 100% satisfied with their memberships. If you’ve purchased a membership and nine months later find that you’ve hardly used it, these stores will refund you. Below are some free ways one can experience the benefits of shopping at both Costco or Sam’s Club:.

Sam’s Club

· Become a complimentary add-on member: If someone in your household is a cardholder, they can add you to their account as a complimentary add-on cardholder so you can shop at member prices online or in the stores.

· Buy only the items available for purchase by non-members: Sam’s Club offers certain items and services to non-members as well as members like alcohol, prescription medications, and certain services such as optical.

· Print out a 1-day free pass to Sam’s Club: It just makes sense that new customers might want to visit and see for themselves what all the ruckus is about before paying $45 or $100 for an individual yearly membership. Print out your 1-day free pass on the store’s website.

· Shop at SamsClub.com without a membership: Anyone can shop at SamsClub.com! When you shop online without a membership card, you’ll pay a 10% surcharge over cardholder prices.

· Wait for a promotional “Open House” event: During the year, Sam’s Club designates certain dates as “open to non-members.” They do this as a promotion to draw in new members. Sign up for the email list at your local Sam’s Club to be alerted about upcoming “Open House” events.

Costco

· Buy only the items you can purchase without having a membership: Certain items at Costco stores are available for purchase by non-members. Just let the door attendant know you’re there to buy permitted non-member items and they’ll let you pass without showing a membership card. Items you can buy at Costco without a membership include: alcohol, prescription medications, immunization services, hearing and vision care, and Costco restaurant items.

· Shop online at Costco.com instead: When you shop online without a membership card, you’ll pay a 5% surcharge over cardholder prices (for everything except prescription medications).

· Shop using Instacart: When you sign up for Instacart (a grocery delivery service) not only do you get your first delivery free, but you can also access Costco’s store inventory without a membership card. You can read more about Instacart in our post.

· Use a Costco Cash Card to pay: Costco accepts only a limited number of payment options, including the Costco Cash Card, which you can buy for as low as $10 in the store, or they can be purchased at Costco.com (but they start at $25 online).You’ll need to get a member to purchase (or reload) Costco Cash Cards for you. You can then use these to pay for your items at checkout. Bonus tip: You can also visit Costco with a cardholder to see what they offer, but the cardholder will be the only one permitted to make purchases at checkout (or you can pay them back later) for your items if they’re willing.

· Watch Groupon, Living Social, and other similar sites for special deals on memberships: Periodically, Costco will offer special deals on memberships. One recent deal offered a $20 Costco Cash Card plus enough coupons to zero out the cost of the $55 annual membership! Sign up for Groupon and Living Social alerts.

“Republicans go to Sam's Club,. Democrats go to Costco.” (Gillian Flynn)[i]