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If you’ve been pondering joining a warehouse club for its solid deals, cheaper gas and free samples, this Sam’s Club offer might be worth snagging: A membership is normally $ 45 a year, but you can now get a Sam’s Club membership here for $ 24.55 with code MARKET15. Once you’re a member you can save even more, though this membership is not for everyone (see pros and cons below).
The pros of a Sam’s Club membership: The savings at warehouse clubs can be significant, especially if you buy things in bulk, fill up your car with gas there, or make large individual purchases like tires or electronics, a U.S. News report reveals. When you sign up for a membership, you can add one member of your household for free, and you can shop online at SamsClub.com with your membership for extra convenience. Sam’s Club memberships are usually cheaper than Costco’s (its basic membership is $ 60 a year), and as Wirecutter notes “Sam’s Club deserves just as much fanfare as Costco.”
BUY NOW: Sam’s Club membership for $ 24.55 with code MARKET15
The cons of a Sam’s Club membership: You don’t have to be a member to access every deal: Non-members can shop Sam’s Club for prescription medications and eye exams. And Sam’s doesn’t always save you money, especially if you’re a person who isn’t going to buy in bulk or shop there fairly regularly.
Bottom line: A Sam’s Club membership can be worth it and save you a lot of money, but that all depends on your shopping habits: If you don’t think you’ll shop more than a few times a year, it might be a skip. But “if you know you’ll use your membership to its full extent, shopping the cavernous aisles often enough that your yearly savings outweigh the annual membership fee, it may very well be worth the price of admission,” Wirecutter concludes.
About this Deal of the Day column:
I’m a cheapskate (loud and proud!), and it’s my job to find MarketWatch readers great deals. It’s not always easy. What I call “fake deals” (things that seem discounted, but really aren’t, or are always discounted, so aren’t real deals) are everywhere. So in this column, everything I highlight is a deal that I vetted and determined was actually a good one. Write me at chill@marketwatch.com if you find a great deal, so I can share with all MarketWatch readers.