5 Holiday Gifts to Buy at Warehouse Clubs

Buying bulk doesn’t have to be reserved for paper towels and bottled water, you can also save on gifts this holiday season. That’s particularly true if you have several people to buy for on your list. 

“Warehouse clubs offer a variety of deals on gifts for just about everyone,” says budgeting expert Andrea Woroch. “You can get more for the same price you’d spend at a big box retailer like Walmart or Target. For instance, you will usually get a bundle set of Barbie dolls for the same price as one or two at another retailer.”

AARP Membership— $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal

Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. 

Join Now

Making a list and checking it twice is important when shopping in warehouse stores. Shopping experts say to make sure that you get something the recipients will like and that you won’t end up with extras you can’t use. If you aren’t a warehouse club member, factor in the cost of membership to determine if it’s worth it. If you don’t plan to shop there often, it may not be.

The savings depend on how you split the items up, but Julie Ramhold, a consumer analyst at DealNews, says expect to save $5 to $10 per gift. Woroch says if you shop strategically and take advantage of sales, the discount can be as much as 30 percent. With that in mind, here’s a look at five items worth buying in bulk this season:

1. Gift cards.

About 55 percent of holiday shoppers say they would like to receive a gift card, according to the National Retail Federation’s Winter Holidays forecast. That’s good news for warehouse club shoppers since it’s a category in which you can get a deal buying in bulk. “You can get 10 to 20 percent off gift card bundles to restaurants, spas, airlines, select retailers and more,” Woroch says. “During Black Friday sales and other holiday promotions, you may even get an extra discount.”

2. Small kitchen gadgets.

If a blender, espresso machine or other small appliance is on your shopping list, Woroch says, you can save at Costco, BJ’s and Sam’s Club. If you shop at Costco, you can even get a price adjustment for 30 days from purchase of the item if you find it somewhere cheaper. “Online purchases are easy to request a price adjustment too; you just submit the info online at their customer service desk,” Woroch says.