| I used to love the thought of going to the local | | | | lot that would make most race car pit crews |
| wholesale warehouse club, where the products | | | | shudder in fear.Wholesale warehouse shopping |
| are stacked up to the warehouse ceiling and the | | | | clubs almost seem designed for those who don't |
| shopping carts are brimming with rolls of toilet | | | | discriminate on price, who love inconvenience and |
| paper and cases of cheese snacks. Where else | | | | inconsistency in product availability, and who want |
| could you pay a memberbership fee of a thirty or | | | | to build their afternoon or evening around a |
| forty dollars per year and have access to | | | | shopping trip to a single store.Why would people |
| products by the caseload at a discount?After | | | | build their shopping lifestyle around that type of |
| joining such a club I realized that not all the prices | | | | shopping experience? Perceived value?It doesn't |
| were cheaper than the non-membership store | | | | make sense for my household to change our |
| just across the street. So we decided to shop | | | | shopping style (as we had attempted) to fit the |
| carefully and only buy those items that were | | | | wholesale warehouse club retail format if it turns |
| cheaper. Of course, we also ended up buying in | | | | out to not work for us. It may make sense for |
| quantities that we didn't need. So, when we did | | | | yours.We were at dinner with some friends of |
| find bargains, we ended up with a supply that | | | | ours when they told us about an online discount |
| would last us a couple years.After adjusting our | | | | club with a huge variety of products and a very |
| shopping strategy at the warehouse club to take | | | | modest membership fee. I was expecting more |
| into account our need to be aware of the higher | | | | caseloads of cheese snacks and a hundred dollar |
| prices and inconvenient packagaging, we realized | | | | membership fee - but that's not what they |
| another thing. It's not convenient to stand in line | | | | showed us.What we saw was a membership fee |
| with three items, when everyone else ahead of | | | | less than the local warehouse club, and products |
| you has their carts overflowing with merchandise. | | | | that was need and use every month - orderable |
| It's clear that not everyone cares about actual | | | | online and delivered to our door - without putting |
| value and some folks only want perceived value | | | | shopping cart dents in our car.We checked it out. |
| (you know, a case of maple syrup at a 3 cent | | | | We signed up. We tried it out for several months. |
| discount). So, we soon tired of standing in lines for | | | | And every since our shopping life gets easier.Now |
| our handful of items.We decided that if we were | | | | every month I make my shopping list online |
| going to get only the best value items in the | | | | through our online membership. For the first thirty |
| quantities that suited our lifestyle, that we would | | | | days of the month I build my online shopping list |
| only need to make a few trips every couple of | | | | whenever it's convenient for me, and shortly |
| months so that we could get everything we | | | | after the first of the next month we find |
| wanted without spending all that time standing in | | | | packages at our door. The next month it's the |
| line several times per month. But guess what | | | | same.It's the opposite of the old bricks and |
| happened? We noticed that each time we'd go in | | | | mortar warehouse club - it takes me less time to |
| for items on our list that the items sometimes | | | | make it work for me. It works around my |
| wouldn't be carried anymore. We're not talking | | | | shopping style, rather than forcing me to change |
| about items being out with an empty space on a | | | | my lifestyle to find the right bargains and most |
| shelf. We're talking about something else is placed | | | | convenient time to go to the store.Yes, I can still |
| where that item was and the store employees | | | | get a case of rolls of toilet paper and cheese |
| telling us they don't carry it right now, and that | | | | snacks - but I never stand in line, I never have to |
| we should fill out a comment card if we want to | | | | lug my purchases through the parking lot in the |
| get the items back in stock.With items on our list | | | | rain or snow, and I never have to worry about |
| not being in stock, we still found ourselves | | | | finding new door-dings on my car.The biggest |
| standing in line with a handful of items - instead of | | | | benefit of membership in this club is convenience. |
| the cartful we'd planned on.It'sfrustrating enough | | | | And with life being as busy as it is for us - I have |
| realizing our membership wasn't buying us much | | | | fallen in love with having my shopping list only a |
| more a few well-packaged, well discounted | | | | few mouse clicks away from completion. |
| products - combined with long lines and a parking | | | | |