Buy more, pay less at FairPrice's Warehouse

Buy more, pay less at FairPrice's Warehouse

Consumers who like to buy big and pay less can now do so at a mega retail store set up specifically for that purpose.

Supermarket chain FairPrice has opened a membership-only retail warehouse for groceries and household goods, where products are sold in bulk at discounts of up to 20 per cent.

The two-storey, 80,000 sq ft store, named Warehouse Club, stocks more than 4,000 products, including fresh and frozen food, health and beauty products, as well as electronics. It also carries popular house-brand items from major supermarket chains overseas, such as Carrefour.

Located at the FairPrice Hub next to Joo Koon MRT Station in the west, Warehouse Club is modelled after similar formats of successful membership-only stores overseas, such as Costco in the United States, where deep discounts are enjoyed when buying in large quantities.

For example, a 1.6kg box of Kellogg's Coco Pops cereal costs $17.80 at Warehouse Club. At FairPrice's regular supermarkets, the equivalent in weight - four 400g boxes - costs $21, as advertised yesterday. That is a discount of about 15 per cent.

There are also special deals for selected items from time to time. For example, a carton of 24 bottles of Snapple juice drink expiring next month retailed for $12, or 50 cents per bottle, yesterday. A bottle usually costs about $2.40 in supermarkets.

While comparisons in prices may also be drawn between Warehouse Club and hypermarket chains in Johor Baru, such as Aeon Big and Tesco, it is difficult to say conclusively which side is cheaper, as some items cost less here while others are less expensive across the Causeway.

There are plans to offer a home-delivery option, although no timeline was given for this.

Exclusive brands at the store include Costco's house brand Kirkland Signature and Australian hand-towel brand Veora.

Only registered members can purchase from Warehouse Club. A one-year membership costs $35 for NTUC Union members and $50 for non-union members. Consumers can register at www.warehouseclub.com.sg and pay the registration fee at any FairPrice store, or apply at a counter at Warehouse Club. Nearly 12,000 people have signed up since registration started in May.

The store is open from 10am to 9pm on weekdays, and 9am to 9.30pm on weekends.

For housewife Oh Wan Yee, 37, the bulk packs suit the needs of her family, which includes three young boys. She bought a carton of 15 packets of biscuits and three packs of diapers yesterday.

"Things here are cheap. I don't need to wait until there are special offers to buy them," she said.

mellinjm@sph.com.sg


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