Ever shopped at restaurant supply stores?
Food and supplyprices keep rising.
And, were in the season of parties, picnics and vacations.
Even if you arent entertaining, its always a good time to look for deals.
(Or to just chip away at that grocery bill.)
In the end, shoppers stand to save at restaurant supply stores.
Is Your Paycheck Not Going As Far As It Used To?
We get it.Everythingis more expensive than it used to be, but your paycheck hasnt kept up.
When money is tight,these resourceswill help nearly everyone.
What Are Restaurant Supply Stores?
They exist to, you guessed it, supply restaurants.
Common supplies include mixing bowls, cooking sheets and utensils.
it’s possible for you to also find food service items like napkins, plates and cups.
However, theyre not just for restaurant owners.
Savvy shoppers have used brick-and-mortar restaurant supply stores to buy equipment for their kitchens for years.
The pandemic drastically impacted the restaurant industry, with more than110,000 restaurantsinitially closing in 2020.
Restaurant supply stores needed to pivot to stay in business.
Doing so meant more of them opened their doors to the general public.
Heres a look at what sets them apart, other than price.
Its common for them tosell in bulk.Do you have enough storage space?
Will you get bored with eating five pounds of chopped lettuce?
If the food spoils, you havent saved any money in the end.
Another factor in comparing prices is individual portion sizes.
The last thing to think about is the range of selection.
The other stores will probably have a smaller range of choices.
Online vs. And, shipping fees dont necessarily cancel out savings.
We didnt find any fresh greens online, nor could we find cans of soda.
In some cases, online restaurant supply stores charge a membership fee.
For instance,Webstauranthas aPlusmembership for $99 a month, which includes free shipping and prioritizing orders.
Clearly, it is geared toward businesses.
Most of the other online restaurant supply stores encourage you to create accounts, but there arent membership charges.
Warehouse stores, however, do have membership fees.
Costco starts at $60.
Sams Club starts at $50.
BJs is $55.
Depending on how often you shop and how much you need, memberships can be worth it.
Can You Survive 10 Days of Budgeting?
If you better wrangle your budget, it may be time to consider a savings challenge.
Heres how grocery stores, warehouse stores and restaurant supply stores stacked up against one another.
Grocery Store vs.
Grocery stores had better-than-expected prices on the plates.
The Penny Hoarder contributor JoEllen Schilke writes on lifestyle and culture topics.
