Shecky’s

The first time you walk into a discount bulk shopping facility like Costco can be exhilarating. Seeing the endless rows of shelves containing huge boxes of everything from cereal to office supplies, it can seem like buying in bulk is the answer to saving money that you’ve been waiting for. But beware—that’s not always true.

BUYING IN BULK 1o1

Buying in bulk does allow consumers to take significant discounts on regular products they buy every day by grouping items together. Because you are buying so much more than usual, retailers can afford to charge you less money per individual item.

In this way, you may normally buy a 14-oz. box of Cheerios for $4 at your local grocery store, but at a bulk store you can buy a 56-oz. box for Cheerios for $12. Your average price-per-ounce of Cheerios, in this case, has fallen significantly simply by paying for more Cheerios at once. This kind of savings is the reason why so many people swear by buying in bulk as their way to save. But are you really saving?

Guest Post: This post was written by Ella Davidson of charitable couponing website, Coupons. They strive to provide consumers with the most authoritative couponing information while giving back to the community.