Sam’s Club offers a number of gluten-free products in bulk as well as products that are naturally gluten free. Think fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh meat, canned vegetables, rice, cheese, etc. The questions for shoppers with Celiac Disease and others on a gluten-free diet become:
- Is Sam’s Club’s gluten free offer worth the annual membership fee it costs to join the club?
- Is it worth what sometimes can be a long drive, bypassing several “regular” grocery stores along the way, to shop at Sam’s?
- Are there enough products to appease a gluten-free diet?
- Are the club discounts worth it?
Some Membership Warehouse Club Basics
Joining a membership warehouse club – like Sam’s Club, Costco or BJ’s Wholesale – isn’t for everyone. To help make a decision, here are a few things to understand about how a club operates.
- Membership fee. Sam’s Club, the membership warehouse club owned by Walmart, offers memberships to both businesses and individual consumers. For purposes of this post, we’re just going to consider the individual consumer membership. Sam’s Club charges a membership fee of $45 a year to shop at its clubs. Additionally, each membership includes an additional “spouse/household” card at no additional cost.
- Pricing/Discounts. In return for joining the club, shoppers receive a substantial member discount on all items purchased. When buying in bulk at Sam’s Club, savings could easily add up to as much as 30%, 40% or more off what shoppers pay at “regular” retail. Sam’s Club and other membership warehouse clubs are able to offer such discounts because of the huge volume of goods they purchase from manufacturers. Additionally, a no frills/low-service warehouse environment minimizes store operating costs. So, clubs are able to pass on savings from low-cost operations to its members in terms of lower prices.
- Limited selection. Part of the club strategy is to offer only a limited number of SKUs (items) at very low discounted prices. Consequently, club operators tend to stick to the best-sellers. This typically means frequently purchased items that have a high turn ratio (lots of shoppers buying the product often). Club operators scrutinize every SKU carried to ensure it meets appropriate productivity and profitability thresholds. Products that don’t meet a retailer’s performance standards are eliminated and replaced by other items. This is why sometimes you won’t find the same products on future club visits.
- Treasure hunt atmosphere. Another way that clubs generate shopper traffic is by featuring unique limited-time only or limited quantity merchandise in its stores. This thrill-of-the-hunt atmosphere helps keep the club offer “fresh” and keeps members interested in returning time and time again to see what treasures they’ll find. This is yet another reason the club’s product assortment may not seem consistent on each trip.
Sam’s Club Gluten Free Offer
Sam’s carries a number of gluten-free products in its club stores. And the offer has been growing in recent years as demand for gluten-free goods increases. In general, most products are bargain-priced compared with what’s found in the typical supermarket, specialty store or Whole Foods.
But club shopping isn’t for everyone. You must be comfortable buying in bulk. You must weigh the likelihood that you’ll use up the large bulk quantity before the product expires or spoils. Or you must have a team on board – family members, neighbors or friends – willing to split up the products and (hopefully) costs with you.
Sam’s Club Gluten Free Retail Tour
The following photos highlight the kinds of gluten-free products and deals shoppers are likely to find at their local Sam’s Club. Note: Product selection varies from store to store, so don’t be disappointed if you can’t find something. Another option is to visit Sam’s Club online.
- Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour. $8.48 for a 5-lb. bag of gluten-free flour is a stupendous deal! Local supermarkets offer the much smaller 22 oz. bag for about $4.59 – $4.99. Do the math: 22 oz. at Sam’s price would equal $2.34. Need I say more?
- Crunchmaster 5-Seed Multi-Grain Crackers. A 20-oz. box is offered at Sam’s Club for $7.48. Each box contains two 10-oz. bags. Sam’s Club wins big again on price. Walmart sells the same product online for $11.03. Amazon’s price is $14.95 plus shipping unless you’re a Prime member.
- Tolerant Foods Organic Green Lentil Penne. Deal of the century. A three-pack of 12-oz. bags of organic gluten-free penne pasta is $5.91 at Sam’s. What? Yes, I did a double-take too! When I asked about the excessively low price, I was told that the product was recently discontinued, hence the phenomenal price. In comparison, Amazon’s price on the identical product is $15.97 plus shipping. The local Kroger carries a 12-oz. box for $7.79 (this week’s sale price is $6.99 for Plus Card members). Wouldn’t it be something if Sam’s Club replaced the lentil pasta with my favorite Barilla gluten-free corn & rice pasta? A girl can dream, can’t she?
- General Mill’s Gluten-Free Rice Chex Cereal. Chex cereal is a staple in my diet and probably many others with Celiac Disease too. It’s like eating “real” cereal because it is real cereal. Sam’s carries a 3-bag box (2 lb 7.5 oz total) for $7.28. One 12-oz. box of Chex cereal at Meijer is priced at $3.59. At Giant Eagle it’s $3.99. On an ounce-by-ounce basis, Sam’s Club price is a heckuva bargain: 12 oz. at Sam’s costs $2.21. (Note: Avoid the smashed boxes. Why do they keep these on display?)
- Amy’s Kitchen Gluten-Free Cheese Enchilada. For a quick and convenient meal, Amy’s Kitchen frozen cheese enchiladas are hard to beat. A 4-pack is available at Sam’s Club for $14.88; that’s $3.72 a box. A single box retails for $5.29 at Giant Eagle. Yet another great Sam’s Club deal.
- Nature Valley Simple Nut Bars. A relatively new product introduction, Simple Nut Bars are one of few Nature Valley items that are gluten free. The bars have only seven ingredients and contain no high fructose corn syrup. Sam’s Club offers a 16-bar pack size for $11.48. That amounts to about 72-cents a bar.
Key Takeaways
- Shopping at Sam’s Club is a big win for consumers – at least in terms of price. There are great deals to be had. But the gluten-free assortment at Sam’s Club is fairly slim and can be hit-or-miss. Fortunately, part of Sam’s Club strategy is an increasing focus on fresh, healthy and good-for-you foods. So expect the gluten-free offer will continue to expand.
- Price comparisons speak for themselves. Sam’s Club prices are hard to beat. Full-service supermarkets can’t offer these kinds of prices. Consequently, mainstream grocers and specialty food retailers must emphasize non-price factors. Non-price factors to consider include selection, service, on-staff nutritionists or dietitians, and the overall pleasant shopping experience.
- Warehouse clubs must be considered a viable distribution channel for manufacturers and other suppliers of gluten-free products. But “mainstream” products won’t do. Warehouse clubs demand special packaging (e.g., bulk sizes or multi-packs) and phenomenal deal pricing. Some concessions will be required, but the return on investment may be worth it.
