10 Worst Items to Buy at Warehouse Clubs

Spices

Ground spices have a shelf life of two to three years for peak freshness and flavor, according to manufacturer McCormick. If you’re buying standard-size spice bottles (which usually range from 0.6 ounces to 3 ounces at a traditional grocery store or big-box retailer), finishing them within that timeframe is realistic.

However, when you buy spices in bulk at warehouse clubs, which can range in size from 4-ounce bottles to 5-pound containers, it can take much longer – especially, if it’s a spice you don’t frequently use, says smart shopping expert Bodge.

While spices don’t “go bad” the same way that perishable food items do, they do lose their potency over time, she adds. So that cinnamon apple pie you make every summer that everyone looks forward to at the family reunion may not be as flavorful if you’re using a bottle of ground cinnamon to season it that’s several years’ old.

With that said, unless you regularly cook with certain spices, Bodge recommends buying them from your local grocer in regular sizes so you don’t end up wasting your money later.