Closest to home here in my town in CT is BJ's, so that's where I go for big-box shopping. Since it's just me and hubby, I don't go often. Mostly just to get kitty litter and Breathe-Right strips, and shampoo/conditioner. I get water, toilet paper, and paper towels cheaper at Staples because I'm an employee (discount) and benefit from the ink recycling program (rewards store credit). Bulk salad ingredients would get thrown out by the end of the week. Bulk meat would need to be frozen, plus the local supermarket is only 3 blocks from home and I can pick out a nice chunk of chuckroast and they'll grind it for me while I'm in the aisles tossing coffee by the pound (at buy 1 get 2 free) into my cart.
If we could get smaller quantities of "things that can go stale" I'd get more stuff there. But I have zero interest in wasting space in my freezer with a loaf of over-processed bread, and 2 POUNDS of cereal would feed the bugs more efficiently than it'll feed us.
BJ's is great for families where at least one person cooks almost every night for the whole family. It's great for people who entertain often and need to buy in bulk. It's terrific for large families. But it just isn't very useful for a child-free couple, where one is home and the other only gets 15-minute snack breaks at work (thereby negating the need for leftovers).
If I lived in a community like the Villages I'd probably want to find a neighbor who shares similar tastebuds, and do bulk shopping and split everything in half. I think that way we'd be more likely to save money, and throw out less.
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