Bulk shopping steady despite shaky spending

By Ryan Green
Christian Brothers College High School

Shoppers have always bought in bulk and might be continuing to do so even more in this tough economy.

"Yes there has been an increase in business in the past year," said Keith Emms, 41, club manager of the Sam's Club in Maplewood Commons. "When you buy in bulk you get a better price," Emms said.

Emms has been working in retail for 24 years. During that time he has seen that the majority of the stores sales have been coming from food, instead of non-essential luxury items.

But in the current economy, he has seen changes. For example the store has been taking food stamps since the beginning of February.

Also alcohol sales are up. Emms says that the reason for this could be that more people are staying in to have a good time, instead of going out.

The club has also faced some difficulties. This year the club had to curtail the sale of some items, such as Halloween decorations, or other minor items. The club has also changed the main display arrangement from high priced items to more consumer friendly items.

Emms says that his store should be in good standing despite the economy because of the stability of the company, and that its members know name brand recognition.

Sam's Club member Evonne Thompson, 50, says that buying in bulk does save her money, but finds that she can’t buy groceries from stores like Dierbergs and Schnucks because they can be too costly.

Shopper Ed Migneco, 50, buys from Sam's for his business, and usually does find the difference in buying bulk.

For Emms keeping shoppers like Thompson and Migneco happy is key. Small business owners comprise 58 percent of the stores members, while 42 percent are consumers.

The majority of the stores sales are made on food, Emms said. And that should help the store even in rough economic times.

"Because of the economy, a lot of folks aren't getting paid as much as they were before," Emms said. However, because people have to eat, buying food comes before everything else.