January 17th was a special day for those of us in Maryville. It was the opening day of BJ’s Wholesale! For the past year, we’ve been watching the building come to life, receiving ads in the mail, on Facebook, and even coming home in the kids’ backpacks. We anxiously waited with one question in mind: is a membership worth it?
As you read my review, I think it’s important for you to understand that I am frugal, bordering on the edge of cheap, kind of shopper. Each week, I scour grocery ads and consistently visit three to four stores each week to get the best deals. With a large family (three of my four kids being boys), we go through A LOT of food. Aside from our house payment, groceries are our biggest monthly expense. I am always trying to find a way to save money without feeling like we are skimping. My expectations are very high.
BJ’s is your typical big box store.
If you know Maryville, you know that’s what we’ve been missing. Most items are sold in bulk quantities, which is great for my large family. It’s such a hassle to travel to Knoxville every time I want to go to Sam’s Club or Costco. No more, my friends! BJ’s is their equivalent here in Maryville.
There are a few differences, however. While Sam’s and Costco are known for their eateries, the one at BJ’s is fairly disappointing. They have pretzels, popcorn, and hotdogs, but I can’t pick up a quick dinner after a shopping trip. However, BJ’s does have a deli counter with freshly sliced meat and cheese, which is exciting. Another fun thing we noticed is an entire refrigerator case full of all kinds of cheese. We are cheese connoisseurs, so that was a highlight for us. 
Saving money is not a guarantee.
BJ’s big slogan is “Save up to 25% on groceries 100% of the time.” I think this is possible, but you’ll still have to be smart about it. Through their app, you can download monthly coupons and track their sales. Many items in the store that had good coupons, had nothing in store showing that there was a coupon.
Some items were priced very well. A couple that I noticed priced particularly well were eggs (five dozen for $17.99) and King Arthur’s gluten free flour ($9.99 for five pounds). We also got a great deal on Tyson’s frozen BBQ chicken wings ($5 off coupon through the app). But not everything was priced well. Items like chicken and beef were nearly the same as other local stores, if not more. Chicken breast was 20 cents more per pound than what I buy it for at Aldi.
Bonus: the bag of freebies on opening day.
I love anything that I can get for free. Even by those standards, this bag was fantastic! There were so many samples that were actually useful to my family. We loved the drink mixes and snacks. The allergy medicine will come in very handy this spring. Laundry soap and dishwasher detergent samples are always the best. I was sincerely impressed by the variety, the quality, and the quantity of samples.
But can I buy all of my weekly groceries there?
First and foremost, it’s important for me to save money. If I shop smartly, that is very doable at BJ’s. One of the benefits of buying in bulk is that we can rotate what we are buying, so it’s not as taxing each time we go shopping.
Secondary for me was saving time, so I went to the store with the mission to see if I could get my entire shopping list from the store. This was a resounding NO. I was able to get about 2/3 of my list, but was unable to find things like parsley, broccoli, and kefir (the varieties they had were much more kid friendly than I wanted). They have things that are similar, and honestly, they’ll probably have broccoli at some point, but it could not be a one stop shop for me. I headed to Aldi right after to pick up the rest of the items from my list. Many specialty items, such as Asian ingredients, would need to be purchased elsewhere.
Overall, I loved it!
This store is exactly what I’ve been waiting for! I will definitely save enough money to make up for the amount spent on the yearly membership. This store will be a weekly stop for me, which will be so convenient for my budget, as I can disperse my large expenses throughout the month, rather than having them as one large lump.
If you do not have storage for bulk items or your family will not go through a giant box of goldfish before they go stale, this store might not be the right fit for you. Additionally, if I planned to go every couple of months to pick up laundry soap and toilet paper, I would not be saving any money in the long run.
