There’s no doubt that warehouse clubs like Costco and Sam’s Club offer great deals for savvy shoppers. Savings that can easily pay for the annual fee if you shop smart. But as with any store, there are going to be things NOT worth the money. So I set out and chatted with over a dozen employees at Sam’s and Costco and got their opinion on the worst buys in the warehouse. I think you’ll find what they had to tell me very interesting.

I was actually surprised with the large number of products that employees told me steer clear from at Sam’s and Costco.

Here are the items that I found the most interesting…

The WORST buys at Costco:

1. Books

I had a Costco employee tell me that the books they sell are “like literally .001% of what Barnes & Noble carries. If you’re looking for the current top 10 bestseller books, Costco is fine, but that’s about it.”

I hate to say it, but she’s kind of right, Costco has the current popular books that you’ll buy on an impulse, but you’d never go to Costco looking for an obscure title or something that was popular last year.

Instead you’re best bet is going to be your local bookstore or online at Amazon or ThriftBooks.com.

See Also: Sam’s Club Return Policy: We Figure It ALL Out For Ya

2. Canned Goods

Jared, a Costco employee I found doing inventory checks in the dry goods section, said the canned veggies are a hard pass for many Costco shoppers.

He went on to explain, “Who has room for 12 cans of beans or corn? Unless your shopping for a Thanksgiving feast it’s just not a great idea”.

I did some price comparisons with my local grocery store and the per unit price on canned veggies was very similar, especially when bought on sale.

The takeaway: Buy canned goods from your local grocery store when you see them on sale and avoid having to find space for them in your pantry.

3. Name Brand Cereal

A had an employee loading my cart at checkout tell me his wife often gets better deals on cereal at Grocery Outlet – Bargain Market.

He also said the Costco selection is very limited and “you better like it cuz you’re getting a bunch of it”.

My Take: It really depends on what cereals you like. For example, I love me some Honey Bunches of Oats and the Costco price is the cheapest I’ve found anywhere.

4. Diapers

This one was interesting and came from a new Mom who also works at Costco.

She was surprised that the price of Kirkland diapers wasn’t nearly as cheap as she thought it might be.

She said for size 1 diapers, the Kirkland brand comes out to $0.18 per diaper, BUT she can get the Parent’s Choice diaper at Walmart for $0.10/each.

She said she actually finds the Parent’s Choice brand to be a much better diaper and is her current go-to.

See Also: 7 Costco Bakery Hacks That’ll Make You Look Like a Genius

5. Fruit and Veggies

The fruit at Costco looks so beautiful, the peaches almost look fake they’re so perfect.

And shoppers tend to think that the large packaging must mean a good deal. Wrong.

The problem is the fruit tends to go from under ripe to over ripe with no in-between.

In actuality, the only produce at Costco that is a good deal, price wise, is bananas and apples.

For everything else, you’ll find better prices at Aldi, Grocery Outlet, and even Trader Joe’s.

6. Soda

This one I actually didn’t need an employee to tell me.

Grocery stores like Safeway and Walmart often give away Coke, Pepsi, Sprite, Dr. Pepper with a buy 2, get 1 free promotion.

This promotion is usually the 12 can boxes, so you get 36 cans for the price of 24 which is always cheaper than what Costco sells soda for.

See Also: The Costco Return Policy is Getting Worse…But Not Much

7. Some Electronics

Surprisingly, I had an employee working the returns desk tell me to beware of some HDTVs and portable speakers.

She said to always check the specs as some items have specs that aren’t as good as you’ll find at Best Buy, for example.

Things to check include how many HDMI ports are on the TV, proper resolution, and the battery life of portable speakers.

Also, keep in mind that Best Buy will price match Costco, so you can get the Costco price without even having a membership.

The WORST buys at Sam’s:

1. Vitamins

According to a friendly Sam’s employee that I talked with in the parking lot, Vitamins are typically not a good buy at warehouse club.

While the unit price is typically low compared to the competition, he said to make sure and determine if you’ll actually use them all before they expire.

While the FDA does not require vitamin manufactures to put an expiration date on the product, but most still do.

Depending on the supplement, many have an expiration date within 12 months of manufacture.

It’s NOT a great deal if you end up throwing some away or take an expired vitamin that’s loss its potency.

2. Snacky Foods

This one really surprised me as my wife and I have been snack foods from warehouse clubs for years and always thought it was a good deal.

When it comes to chips, granola bars, and crackers I had a Sam’s employee tell me that she always get a better deal at Aldi’s and Grocery Outlet.

She explained it this way, “similar to Sam’s, the selection can change, but I always get stuff for my kid’s lunch 20-40% cheaper compared to here”.

3. Clothing

Lands’ End, DKNY, Nine West, Eddie Bauer – these are just some of the clothing brands you’ll find at Sam’s Club.

But I had a Sam’s employee anonymously tell me that while the brands seem good, the quality is 2nd rate.

He actually told me to think of Sam’s as an outlet store where name-brands sell cheaper quality stuff, but they know many shoppers will still buy it because of the brand recognition.

Just something to keep in mind the next time you’re shopping for apparel at Sam’s.

4. Coffee

Unless you’re brewing coffee for an entire office, I had an employee warn me against buying bulk coffee at Sam’s.

Beans or ground coffee typically goes stale in less than 2 weeks, especially if you’re not storing it in an air-tight container.

Plus you have to buy so much of it that you don’t get the variety that many coffee connoisseurs crave.

For the freshest coffee possible, you’re better off buying smaller portions from your grocery store or better yet, your local roaster.

5. Cheese

I had an employee at Sam’s also tell me that buying cheese just ain’t cutting it any more.

The price keeps going up and is now on par or above your local grocery stores.

He actually told me that the only place he buys cheese now, especially specialty cheeses, is it at Trader Joe’s.

See Also: 8 Trader Joe’s Shopping Tips That’ll Help You Save

6. Condiments

And finally, on a whim, I asked a parking lot attendant what item at Sam’s is a terrible buy….he immediately said, “ketchup, mayo, and mustard…unless you’re eating hot dogs three times a week you’ll never use it all.”

So beware of anything that comes in large vats or containers as there’s a good chance you’ll end up throwing it away before you use it all.

While Sam’s and Costco has gotten better at selling more reasonably sized containers, this is still some pretty sage advice if I don’t say so myself.

Ask the Reader: Do you agree or disagree with these bad buys at Costco and Sam’s? Let me know.

Have you ever found a coupon and thought to yourself, “Wow, this bad boy is going to save me a ton of money!” Perhaps it was the 50% off store-wide Target coupon that was floating around Facebook recently. Or maybe it was an online coupon code that promised something for free, or Oakley sunglasses for 90% off the retail price. I almost fell for the latter.

The truth of the matter is that fake coupons exist, always have, and probably always will. But if you’re an informed couponer, you can easily spot a fake coupon and avoid falling prey. Here are eight ways to identify a fake coupon…every time you shop.

1. It Doesn’t Link To the Retailer’s Website

If you see a killer coupon, like the Target 50% off above, and it doesn’t link directly to the Target website, or a legitimate coupon website, it’s almost surely fake.

In the case of this Target coupon, it was floating around Facebook and being shared liked crazy.

The link associated with the coupon pointed to a shady “survey” website that promised free products if you completed an online survey.

There was no mention of the 50% off coupon anywhere on their site and those who did print it and take into their local Target were quickly informed by store employees that it was indeed fake.

2. Coupon is Photocopied

Whenever you stumble upon a printable coupon that has clearly been photocopied, stay away as it won’t be honored by the store.

This falls back to the idea of making sure you get your printable in-store coupons from a valid source like Coupons.com or KrazyCouponLady.com.

You’ll often find photocopied coupons shared on shady online forums and discussion groups, so beware of those and always be skeptical if the coupon looks copied.

See Also: 8 Retailers That Let You Stack Coupons To Double Your Savings

3. It Flat-Out Looks Fake

Things to look for include a missing bar code, text font that doesn’t match the rest of the coupon, and a design that simply looks like it was homemade by an amateur Photoshop user.

98 times out of 100, the coupon is gonna be fake if you see any of these things.

4. It’s Blacklisted

Yes, there is actually a database of counterfeit coupons that consumers can access for free.

The list is created and kept updated by the Coupon Information Corporation and includes a ginormous list of fake coupons from manufacturers like Pepsi, Revlon, Proctor & Gamble, Kraft, Nestle, MillerCoors, and dozens more.

So if you find a coupon that looks a little suspect, come check out this online database and do a quick search to see if your suspicions are accurate.

See Also: Forgot Your Coupon? These Stores Will STILL Help You Save

5. Coupon Offer is Simply Too Good

Let’s be honest here, do you EVER think a store like Target or Kohl’s would release a 50% off coupon to the general public?

No, of course not.

Trust your gut when you stumble upon a coupon that looks too good to be true, because it probably is.

6. It Costs Money to Get

When it comes to paying money to save money it’s important to understand the risks.

Not only are many coupons that you have to pay for fake, but legit versions are often found online for free.

Paying for coupons on eBay is the biggest culprit.

While there are many legit coupon sellers on eBay, there are also a few bad apples that will happily rip you off.

Pay attention to the sellers feedback rating to determine their legitimacy and avoid coupons that appear too good to be true.

For example, coupons being sold on eBay which are good for a “high dollar amount” off your entire purchase are often fishy.

I recently found a couple bogus coupons on eBay for $50 off your entire purchase at Lands’ End and $45 off your Sports Authority purchase.

I knew that both retailers never have coupons this good, so I knew to avoid them.

7. There’s No Expiration Date (or 11/31)

I recently found a fake American Eagle coupon that had an expiration date of 11/31/22 and it made me laugh.

I guess counterfeiters are going after people who aren’t incredibly familiar with the Gregorian calendar or simply don’t look at it very closely.

Also, if a printable in-store coupon has no expiration date on it, you’d be wise to tread lightly as it stands a great chance of being fake.

See Also: 17 Stores That Let You Return Used Items for a Full Refund

8. The Coupon Promises a Free Product

If the coupon promises to give you a free product after you register with the website offering the coupon, you should run the other way quickly.

These types of coupon offers have been floating around Facebook and Twitter a lot recently and you need to be aware of the risks.

Often times it works like this:

1. Click on the coupon offer on Facebook, and get redirected to a website you’ve never heard of.

2. Register with the website, including your credit card information, in order to get the “free” product.

3. Get promised the free product in a couple weeks.

4. Product never arrives and now they’ve got your credit card number. Avoid these fake coupons like the plague.

Very little in life is free and the risks are not worth the possible headaches.

Ask the Reader: Have you ever tried to use a fake coupon and were denied? If so, which one of the above fake coupon categories did it fall into?

By Kyle James

One of the few grocery stores that I haven’t talked about on my blog is Publix. Well that all changes today. Below are a few of my favorite way to save money at Publix Super Markets, I hope they can help you save some cash on your next grocery trip.

Here are a few of my favorite insider ways to save money at Publix:

1. Shop Wednesday Nights or Thursday Mornings

Sale cycles end every Wednesday night with new sales starting every Thursday morning.

So it’s an excellent strategy to alternate between shopping on a Wednesday and a Thursday so you can take advantage of last minute sales on Wednesdays as well as brand new markdowns on Thursdays.

2. Pay Close Attention at Checkout Register

This one is pretty cool.

Be sure to watch carefully as your items are ringed up, and closely examine your receipt for price discrepancies.

If they charge you more than they should, they’ll not only give you the lower price for the item, but let you take one home for FREE.

See Also: 11 Smart & Simple Hacks to Save Money at Kroger

3. Many Store Brands are Made by Leading Manufacturers

I love it when some grocery store “generic” items are made by leading manufacturers and repackaged and sold to you for significantly less money.

Publix is one of those stores.

The specific products are kept hush-hush for obvious reasons, but it has been suggested that the name-brand directly next to the Publix brand on the shelf is actually the manufacturer.

Let me know in the comments if you’ve noticed this phenomena.

4. Get the Mystery “Penny Item” Every Thursday

Did you know that Publix has a “Mystery Coupon” that comes out every Thursday?

Check out the new sales flyer to find the coupon and buy at least $10 worth of groceries and you’ll be able to score the mystery item for only a penny.

5. Make a “Special Order” to Stock-Pile Sale Items

A great way to take advantage of upcoming sales at Publix is to place a “special order” and have them arrive during the sale period.

Apparently each department handles this differently but it’s definitely worth asking about.

Many stores will likely do this for you as they won’t want you to clear the shelves of a particular product.

Keep in mind that it will take some time to get the special order form filled out, and employees might not be happy about it, so save this tip for significant purchases like party planning.

6. Liberal Return Policy

Publix return policy is similar to Costco’s in that they’ll take back any unopened grocery items with no questions asked.

This includes both perishables and non-perishables grocery items.

Be sure to always hold on to your receipt to make your return as easy as possible.

According to this Reddit thread, many store managers will even take back competing store brands that Publix doesn’t even sell, which many employees feel is taking the policy “too far”.

See Also: Here’s Why the Trader Joe’s Return Policy is AWESOME

Bonus Tip #1: BOGOs Are Your Friend

Many Publix shopper these days stick to the BOGO deals at Publix and do most of their grocery shopping elsewhere, typically Walmart and Aldis.

Even when you do the math on the BOGO deals, Walmart will still be cheaper in many situations.

Ask the Reader: How do you save money at Publix? Perhaps you stack coupons or have a different insider tip? Let me know in the comments below. Thanks.

Photo by Ron Cogswell.