Dear Crabby, Why do people buy in bulk?

Dear Crabby,

I see people joining these warehouse stores and buying huge quantities of food and perishables and I wonder why? I have a small family and I think you can get what you need in smaller quantities if you are just diligent with the sales. What is the appeal of these mega-stores anyway?

Sincerely. Keepin It Simple

Dear Keepin It Simple,

Well, a couple of reasons come to mind as to why people are so drawn to these mega-warehouse stores. The price is a big driver of course, but so is the convenience. I see people going to these places on weekends and getting a month’s worth of food, clothing for the year, and new electronics to boot! They are literally doing the one-stop-shop and return home.  I am not one to enjoy wandering up and down endless aisles looking for useless junk to fill my house with even more. I personally would rather pay the extra ten cents and just buy one bottle of ketchup that actually fits on my refrigerator door! These bulk places make you buy two or four packs and the bottles are equivalent to five gallon buckets sometimes! DearCrabbyUnfortunately, I also do not like clipping coupons, so I end up paying full-price for items that might be less if I spent the time to hunt and peck for deals. But I have always wanted what I want, when I want it. To wait for next week when it is on sale is not in my programming.  I guess that comes from my mother and father constantly telling me how bad the Great Depression was and how we needed to save every dime and look for deals constantly. This bred me to despise looking for deals and simply buy the item I was looking at if I had the money in my pocket. But this is the problem with the super warehouses; people buy so much that they need extra freezers, extra pantries, and extra everything to store all the stuff they just saved big money on. Why not just buy what you need and go from there? If you want four barrels of ketchup then go buy it, but if you only need 20 ounces for the next three months I suggest you consider less. This is just my two cents and I’m sure people will disagree, but I like to keep my cupboards tidy and keep my refrigerator clean. I will say, however, that I enjoy getting some nice shirts and pants at these warehouse stores. Since they get a great deal buying off the last remains of a clothing line, they pass that savings along to the members. My wrinkle free button-ups are much better when they are half price! So, everything has its place and everyone can make their own choices of where to shop. Good luck and give the people their choices.

Sincerely, Dear Crabby

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Stuck in a rut? Need some biased advice from a crabby old baby-boomer? Read regularly by thousands and loved by some, Dear Crabby answers questions weekly to life's challenges. Send him a note at editor@rochestermedia.com.

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