Five things that surprised me about @BJsWholesale Club #BJsHoliday

I had never stepped foot inside a BJ’s Wholesale Club before this week.  Sure I have a big family and we eat (a lot) but I don’t belong to a wholesale club and before going to BJ’s, I honestly didn’t see the value.  I don’t want/need 100 rolls of toilet paper at once or 10 lbs of frozen chicken or the industrial size jar of peanut butter.  I thought all warehouse clubs were the same.  I was wrong. 

Here are the top 5 things that surprised me about BJ’s Warehouse Club:

1. BJ’s are a family-focused store, as opposed to all the other warehouse clubs which focus on small-businesses.  This means they have more items, many smaller quantity products (like you’d find in a typical grocery store), and they select items with families in mind.  
2. BJ’s has a butcher on-site that will cut up any meat into the right package for you…free of charge.  These butchers can also tell you how something should be cooked and how to best package the meat for the freezer.  Awesome service!
3. BJ’s accepts coupons!  Who knew?  I love a coupon.  They even offer their own coupons at a rack at the front of the store and through a monthly magazine.  And…you can stack manufacturer’s coupons with a BJ’s coupon for even more savings!  AND, their Black Friday deals start the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Woot…woot for early Christmas shopping! (Check out their Holiday Gift Guide.)
4. They offer unique items I would use.  In the BJ’s store I went to they had Panera Bread-branded soup, Lenox Christmas ornaments, and Lindt chocolates.  That’s like all of my favorite things!
5. You don’t have to be a BJ’s member to shop there.  They charge a 15% surcharge if you’re not a member but you can shop.  An even better way to check it out is to sign up for a FREE 60 day membership.  An annual membership is only $50 and as long as you shop there at least a couple times each year, you’ll save much, much more than that.