10 Things You Should Always Buy at Sam’s Club

In an economically unstable time, when we may or may not be on the brink of a recession and inflation is pummeling our paychecks, saving on essentials like groceries is critical. If you’re shopping for a family, you likely already know that it’s savviest to hit up warehouse clubs like Sam’s Club to score the best deals.

But what exactly are the best deals at Sam’s Club? GOBankingRates consulted shopping and budgeting pros to find out.

“Sam’s Club has a decent variety of sparkling water brands including Spindrift, Waterloo, Bubly, and of course, LaCroix, as well as Sam’s Club’s own store-brand, Member’s Mark,” said Julie Ramhold, consumer analyst with DealNews.com. “Prices vary, but work out to as little as 70 cents per can. There are also brands like Perrier and S. Pellegrino available, including flavored varieties like orange and lemon, but also packs with flavors like dark morello cherry and pomegranate, blood orange and black raspberry, and tangerine and wild strawberry. Prices for those can go as high as 81 cents per can, but it’s still a great deal compared to shopping at grocery stores.”

“Pick up variety packs of candy bars for as low as 27 cents per ounce each (roughly $19 to $32 for the whole pack), which is far less than what you’d pay in a standard grocery store,” Ramhold said. “You can also pick up fruity candies including things like Swedish Fish and Sour Patch Kids, Twizzlers and Jolly Ranchers, as well as a 500 count bag of Dum Dums lollipops for $16.78, which works out to 3 cents each. Sam’s Club also has plenty of Halloween-themed goodies like M&M’s Ghoul’s Mix, mini bags of Oreo cookies, and Monster Mash fruit snacks.

“Whether you prefer granola bars from Nature Valley, KIND Bars, or Larabars, odds are good that your Sam’s Club has them for an excellent price,” Ramhold said. “At best, these kinds of things tend to go for as little as $1 at regular grocery stores; at Sam’s Club, you can expect to pay as low as 53 cents per bar (between $14 to $25 or so per box).”

“These are usually taken daily, either for a whole season or even year-round depending on how bad they are, so it makes sense to buy them in bulk,” Ramhold said. “Even better is if you opt for the store-brand Member’s Mark, you can get awesome prices on generic versions of Zyrtec, Claritin, and Allegra. For instance, you can get 120 Zyrtec for around $35 and a 400 day supply of Claritin for even less -around $32.”

“If you have a particular brand you like, it’s worth seeing if Sam’s Club carries it because you’ll likely get a better deal on it there than by shopping at other stores,” Ramhold said. “For instance, a 3-pack of 24 ounce bottles of Dove body wash will cost roughly $14 or 30 cents per fluid ounce. A 22 ounce of Dove body wash at another store could work out to 32 cents per fluid ounce. Sam’s Club also carries major brands like Aveno, Neutrogena, OGX and tons more.”

“Sam’s Club carries a ton of huge brands, including OGX, TRESemme, Pantene Pro-V, Nexxus, Dove and more,” Ramhold said. “Prices obviously vary but I saw prices as low as 20 cents per ounce, so it makes it affordable to stock up whenever, not just when the items are on sale.”

“Nuts and seeds at Sam’s Club are such a great value,” said Kelsey Lorencz, RDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist at Graciously Nourished. “I love having heart healthy plant proteins like walnuts, pistachios, and sunflower seeds in the pantry to toss in salads, granola, baked goods, and to add to healthy homemade trail mix.” 

“While you’re at Sam’s Club, [consult] the Member’s Mark seasoning catalog,” said Elena Jones, founder at FinanceJar. “You’ll eventually end up with more seasonings for less cash than you would if you bought them at your neighborhood supermarket.”

“One item that is always in my Sams Club shopping cart is the Member’s Mark 15 pack of Super Premium Paper Towels,” said Steven Frankel, a budget expert at Dealperx. “Not only do they absorb just like the more expensive brands (over 50,000 5 star reviews agree with me), they are over 50% cheaper than leading brands like Bounty. At the time of writing, The Member’s Mark 150 pack came out to 2 cents.”

“When comparing prices on trash bags from multiple companies, I found a big difference in price between the brands,” Frankel said. “A 100 pack of Glad ForceFlex 13-gallon bags at Target costs $25, and the Sam’s Club Member’s Mark 200 pack of the same sized bags were only $17.49!”

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