Shopping Hack - Sam's Club Membership Deal

I've been writing more news and entertainment posts than I initially planned, but I like the direction I've taken. I'm going to make sure to tie all posts into the goal of helping my audience - be it through having more information or resources or "hacks." I'm also going to be starting different "hack series" this next week with subjects such as health hacks, finance hacks, productivity hacks, and more. This post is the first of many in a series of shopping hacks. The series will range from everything from special deals to buying tips. 

Wharehouse stores, such as Sam's Club, Costco, and BJ's (on the east coast), give customers an opportunity to buy in bulk and therefore save money. However, a shopper needs to take several factors into account before choosing which club to choose and the products they will buy at that club. He or she must also ponder whether the club's membership fee will ultimately be offset by the savings they receive. Basically, they need to plan to use the service enough to make it profitable. Recently, WalletPop detailed the total cost of a shopping trip at the three main clubs and showed BJ's coming out on top with Sam's Club trailing by a few pennies and Costco in a distant third. The article can be found here. 

On that note, I want to share with you a new deal Sam's Club is offering. For the next 10 weeks, the membership price has been slashed to just $1 dollar per week for a 10-week trial (full membership is $40/year). This is a great way to try out the bulk buying system and see if you can save from it. Be smart, compare prices from different stores, find the best deals, and take advantage of the offer. Further details can be found here.

I will go into more detail on how to buy in bulk in order to save money, as well as a more in depth comparison of the wholesale chains, but each are for future posts.

Post-Script: For those of you who are members of a club: Do you find it profitable? What tips do you have to exponentiate savings?