Bulk Shopping

I can't quite figure out why wholesale warehouse shopping is so appealing. Perhaps it is because that is the only place you can purchase a package of toilet paper that contains 83 rolls. Or a 165 count of bandaids divided up in 3 different handy plastic dispensers. Or a box of 750 sugar-alternative packets. Or maybe, it's the people standing at the end of the aisles with their hot plates cooking up some tasty bite for you to sample. My kids love that part. Whatever it is, I absolutely love going in there. I feel like I have accomplished something important when I walk out of there and have massive quantities of product that I can't possibly ever run out of for a really decent price. We moved from England to Virginia in 2005. When we got there, we promptly got a membership at one of these warehouses, and my first purchase included a package of restaurant quality saran wrap that had 2 boxes of the stuff, with 500 square feet on each roll. It is 2012 now, we have moved 4 times since then, and I am still using that same saran wrap. I'm on the second box of it, and the container is about to fall apart, but it just keeps unrolling more saran. I think I paid about $11 for that package of saran wrap. I can honestly say, it has been worth every cent. I may cry when it is empty, because it is really good saran wrap!
Today, we went in to the local warehouse, and I purchased shampoo and conditioner that is in a 400 oz bottle with a pump on top for $7.88 each. I wonder how long it will take me to use up that shampoo...or if it will just miraculously keep pumping for 7 years? Probably not, but I will be anxious to see how long it lasts.
I also really like the meat departments in these stores. You can find really great deals on bulk packages of meat and bring them home and re-package in freezer bags the portions you will need to thaw out for a family meal. I got a package of 1 inch thick pork loin chops today for $13 that had 9 chops in it. I brought it home and divided it up into two bags and stuck it in the freezer. I also picked up a really nice looking package of ribeyes that were 1 1/2 inch thick, $26.85 for a package of 4. They generally have a great selection of produce and the bakery products are really great quality.
I guess I felt especially good about the purchases I made today after having gone to a local store yesterday that I have decided is for rich "earthy" people that are really into organic and have special dietary needs. I had a store coupon for a free organic chicken and a free block of Kerrygold Dubliner cheese (my favorite), so I decided to go in and check out their selections. I picked up two different organic chickens, and chose the one that was $9 because I just didn't feel right taking the $14 one for free. $14 for a CHICKEN!!! And it was dead!!!! I picked up a few other produce items in there, and mostly just browsed around looking at what all they had to offer, and decided this wouldn't be a store I would shop at on a regular basis for primary groceries, but have to admit that there are not many stores that you kind find white truffle oil in, and they had a variety of them, along with other specialty gourmet items. Their meat counter had lots to offer, and the steaks looked really nice...for $13.99/lb. They also had a really nice wine and cheese section, with so many different kinds of cheeses it was kind of overwhelming for a novice like me. I also thought it odd that the website for this store boasts that they like to sell products that are made within a 100 mile radius of the store, but the shrimp they had in their freezer section was from....Thailand? (I have a little bit of a problem buying seafood from a foreign country when we have excellent seafood that comes from right here in the good ol' USA...and did I mention I live in a gulf state??) Anyway, I think I will stick with my regular grocery store and keep that store in my back pocket for special occasions.