CLEVELAND -- There are several wholesale shopping clubs in northeast Ohio including Costco, Sam's Club, and BJ's. Is buying in bulk worth your bucks?

NewsChannel5's Joy Benedict went to BJ's in Willoughby to find out.

Amy Miller shops at BJ's about twice a month to stock up. She's always looking for ways to save money. But with so many choices, it's easy to be wasteful. So Benedict grabbed a cart and BJ's Wholesale General Manager, Randy Sullivan, to help fill it.

Benedict started with toiletries like toothpaste and shampoo, which are great because they don't spoil. And Sullivan said most customers always stock up on paper goods.

At BJ's they take coupons, which makes staples like toilet paper, soap, or trash bags an even better buy. One shopper said, "As a father of two, I can't imagine how much money I've saved."

When it comes to canned foods, unless you are throwing a party, pass on the really big items, because they will spoil after they're opened within a few days.

The big boxes of cereal typically contain several bags, so they won't go stale. Shopping gets a little trickier in the refrigerated section. You only want to buy what you can use. As for meat and chicken, there are great buys if you have a place to put them.

And although one big purchase of a big-screen TV will likely pay for your membership fee in savings, don't expect the sales staff to know too much about the products. So do your research first before you check out.

For larger families, warehouse shopping can save a lot of money, but for singles or even just couples, it may not be worth the membership fee, so you may want to consider sharing a membership with someone else.

Your best bet is to check out the warehouse store nearest you. Ask for a tour or make sure you have the ability to look around before joining to make sure it's a sound investment.

Remember that bulk shopping is not a weekly shopping experience for the most part. Only buying things you would regularly buy will help you stay on budget. And make sure you have the space for the items you buy. Buying in bulk means storing in bulk.