My boyfriend always says it’s not worth going to Sam’s (that’s just closest to me) and waiting half an hour to save 20 cents on gas. But I did the quick math and I’d say it definitely is (and half an hour isn’t the usual wait time for me). 20-30 cents off a gallon, 5% cash back. If I’m putting in roughly 8 gallons a week, it’s well over $100 in savings per year. Sometimes I’ll even use my card to fill up my friends tanks and have them pay me back. And my roommate has my extra card, so she saves money too. I love my bulk stores.
If you live under 30 minutes from a Costco, Sam’s, or BJ’s, get it.
byu/LilacGoblin1699 inFrugal
Posted by LilacGoblin1699
42 Comments
All for buying gas at Costco, but if I have to wait close to 30 minutes even 10% of the time there is no way in fucking hell that is worth $100 savings a year
Getting gas at my Sam’s is akin to Hell. I’ve seen full out fistfights.
I still do a lot of my shopping there but unless I have time to burn, the gas is a pass.
Depends on the location too. The Costco near me is always, always busy and I’m not sitting in line at the pump to save $3. Once I waited almost an hour and couldn’t leave bc the vehicle behind me was too close.
I live an hour away. I got one of their memberships because im in town monthly or so. That gives me am month to make my list on their app so I have no impulse shopping issues and can compare prices of stuff because they’re not ways cheaper.
The cost of your free time is your hourly salary divided by 2 + $1. 30 minutes a week to wait for gas to save $100 a year? That’s not a selling point for me.
The club stores can provide great savings for many, but for others it offers little benefit. My husband and I probably travel no more than 100 miles a month between us and find no need to stock up with United Nation’s quantities. For others… it’s a real savings.
I think the thing you’re not factoring into your assessment is time.
Your time is most likely more valuable than $100 dollars a year.
Are you accounting for the time spent and the cost of gas consumed in order to get there?
I think these bulk stores have a place but if it is only gas you are going for I think your boyfriend might be right. Walmart+ goes on sale pretty often for $50. That lets you use Sam’s club gas and has a fair number of other benefits like free paramount+ or discovery+, free shipping from Walmart, free whopper from BK every quarter.
Upside also gets you 10+ cents off gas at least where I live with no wait at those gas stations. Your time is worth some money and you should assign some value to it.
Driving a half hour each way for a weekly tank of gas sounds like a terrible plan.
You save $100 a year but you are spending 50+ hours and using some gas in the process.
But it’s worth it if you are using gas as an excuse to dine at the cafe then grab a rotisserie chicken.
Don’t go at peak times.
Weekdays after 730pm is fantastic.
It’s funny we use Costco for everything but the gas.
I love how people think gas is the only expense of driving a vehicle 😂🤪
Costco gas station near me is always half empty so there’s never a wait. Crazy that some are waiting 30+ min
What about the mileage on your car driving to Costco? How does that factor in?
BJs delivered to your car is where it’s at!
I live about 15 minutes from a Costco. It just happens to be the Costco that has the cheapest gas within like a 3 hour drive. It’s always lined up. So badly in fact they added a bunch of traffic lights to really slow down and stop the traffic. I fill up there and the best time to go is a Tuesday morning at 8:30.
I can see the Sam’s gas station from my house! I literally go there more than I go in the actual store….also when we’re traveling we go try ti find Sam’s stations!
1) if you’re going 30 minutes out of the way then you’re probably spending at least a gallon of gas. Please don’t forget that in your calculations.
2) your time isn’t free. So make sure you take that into account too if you’re calculating cost savings as well.
Real ones know Aldi is where it’s at
Sam’s club near me getting gas had never been an issue except for gas other places are extremely high in price but I am excited to get BJ’s as well but for people who have a BJ’s, do they have name brands like Costco does? Sam’s club used to have a lot more before they started pushing Member’s Mark.
I dropped my BJs membership because the prices weren’t that great once we got an Aldi. ALDI was cheaper than BJs for many of the things we use.
I also shop at a grocery outlet/clearance place. It’s even cheaper than Aldi
I get my gas at a local Fry’s stations (and at the supermarket) I signed up for their shoppers card which gives you fuel points. So when we get gas, we can save anywhere 20-40 cents a gallon. Costco can’t beat that.
Folks forget time has value. My time is worth more than waiting in those lines for gas.
You’re going to spend close to or more than the savings in maintaince costs, in addition to the large time cost. It’s definitely not worth it unless your ALSO going to be shopping for stuff while you’re there. Going just for the gas is a bad idea
Years ago..like early 80s..I was tracking my gas like a madman. I would drive 20 miles to save 3 bucks a tank. Then I noticed my mpg was 2 mpg less on the cheaper gas.lol. When I figured my time I quit driving for cheaper gas. I’ll fill up if I’m in the area..otherwise I don’t worry. Being retired we are less than 4000 miles a year
$6 per hour means it is well below worth using up my free time.
I am trying to buy less from Amazon but my Costco is a pain! So I order some items. Not sure it’s saving me that much but taking some profit from Bezos
I try to purchase my gas exclusively at BJ’s when possible. We have a store 6 miles up the road.
I hate Costco. Get so much anxiety going there. Carts are too big for the aisles and none of the aisles are labeled.
Give me Sam’s Club any day.
What I don’t understand about this, it’s that there are as good or better deals on the upside app, or locking in the price at seven eleven,,,,
With the upside app, you can double/triple dip.
For instance, I normally use valero, where I can still get ten cents off using my valero rewards and then another three cents off using my gas buddy card to pay.
And that’s three minutes away from me.
Sometimes I think frugal people enjoy suffering needlessly
Your boyfriend is correct.
These warehouse stores cater to overbuying and impulse buying.
The “membership” angle, is to combat comparison shopping.
They also stock specific model numbers that are often different from top tier retailers.
One example was televisions from Sony and Samsung, the models from warehouse stores were made in china and were not the same quality as the mainline products from Japan and Korea.
Naturally, the cheaper Chinese models had quality issues.
Dang where you guys living where theres not open pumps everywhere lol
What is your time worth in this calculation?
I’m retired and up early. Can go right to the pumps Saturday and Sunday mornings. Have executive so I’m in Costco at 9am then.
Damn, you use 4x more gas than me.
If you’re driving 30 minutes for Costco gas, I hope you’re at least purchasing stuff in the warehouse too. Or else that’s a waste of your time and gas.
In the west we have Vons grocery, they have gas stations, and just by shopping at vons i accumulate enough points to get $1 per gallon off when i fill up my tank. I do have a short commute tho, so others may not be able to accumulate points quickly enough to get this each time they fill up. Great deal tho
Everytime I’ve gone to Sam’s on the weekend right after they open there is little to no wait for a pump. Plus the scan and go I can be in and out in less than 20 minutes even when they’re real busy
Depending where you live, an EV will save you more. You pay a premium up front, but only a little bit if its used and certain models that are not as in demand as Tesla etc.
But then you save on energy, oil changes, etc. The ROI is many years, but it does pay off if you live somewhere with cheap energy. And you never wait in line, you just plug in when you get home.
You can save even more by having your groceries delivered to you and not have to waste gas to go. Also helps stop impulse buying
I don’t know about Sam’s but at Costco you can buy gas up to 3 hours before the store opens. I have a Costco a few minutes from my work and I have to start at 730,so I always get gas there around 715,. There are people there but at least half the pumps are free, usually more.
Not sure how long after hours they stay open.