Columnist Muriel Stevens: Getting the lowdown on price clubs

Shopping at price clubs may make sense for families of four or more, but what about the rest of us -- households with just one or two?

Price clubs such as Costco and Sam's Town offer a tremendous range of products -- an enormous selection of fresh and frozen foods, full-service bakeries, small appliances, computers and electronics of all kinds, office products, clothing, over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, sundries and soft and alcoholic beverages. Which one you join depends on how much their selection of items fills your needs.

To find out which one is right for you, ask for a one day pass. Sam's Town charges 5 percent over the member price for this courtesy if you buy something, but if you save the register receipt and join the club, the amount of the surcharge is rebated. Costco offers a "viewing pass." You can't make a purchase, but you can learn what the store has to offer before joining.

A large family could recoup the cost of membership with a few grocery orders. The rest of us could get it back with just one large purchase such as a television set or a computer. Books are an exceptional buy at price clubs. At Costco, best-sellers are discounted as much as 40 percent.

Price clubs offer a wide range of products at substantially lower prices, but you have to buy a larger quantity than normally needed to save money.

Most small households lack the space to store large amounts of staples or paper goods -- or batteries.

It seemed to make good sense to buy a package of 24 AA batteries since so many small electronics in my house use them. Two years later, I've still got more than half. In order to prolong their life, I keep all batteries in the refrigerator and I always mark the date of purchase on the package. When I realized I'd had the batteries so long, I asked a Costco salesman about the expiration date. He was reassuring. Kept cold, they'll keep long after the expiration date, but I'll probably end up discarding some. In the long run did I save money? Probably not, but I've always had a battery on hand when I needed it.

Most of my purchases are for foodstuffs. USDA choice meats, not always available in markets, are always available at Costco and at much lower prices. Baking supplies such as nuts and chocolate chips are outstanding values. To prolong shelf life, I freeze them.

Although limited, Smart and Final stores offer an alternative to price clubs. No membership is required, but their stock is limited to snack foods, staples, frozen and fresh foods and general household supplies. Since these markets are geared to small restaurants, many of the canned goods are only available in No. 10 size. Still, the prices are good and the selection of what they do sell is large and usually of good quality. Smart and Final also sells commercial quality baking and cooking pans, professional knives and cooking accessories at excellent prices.

Just recently, Smart and Final added a free Smart Advantage card giving members instant savings (marked on the shelf), advance notice of specials and other services.

A cardinal rule for this kind of shopping: Only buy amounts you can use within a reasonable amount of time -- three to four months. And, when you see something you want, buy it -- it may not be available the next time.

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