I recently had the chance to check out all the amazing holiday shopping offerings at BJs Wholesale Club when they brought a group of bloggers down to their Philadelphia store. We had a fun morning of browsing the holiday items and sampling delicious treats. We were each sent home with a wonderful gift bag of goodies and a gift card. 
I was so impressed with the sheer amount of holiday goodies at BJs Wholesale Club. My local store is a lot smaller (although it still carries quite a bit of the popular holiday items), so it was exciting to see what a large club store looks like. Take a look at some of my favorite items that will really “wow” you, then head to your local BJs for your holiday shopping! By the way, if you’re not a member, you can get a completely free 60-day trial now through Christmas. Also, huge thank you to Sal, who not only drove to Philly (I don’t drive on highways!) but also took great pictures for me.
Holiday Decor and Gifts Galore at BJs
With Thanksgiving coming in just a few days, it’s time to start decorating for Christmas! BJs had a veritable cornucopia of really cool holiday decorations. From huge blow-up snowman with light-up grins to giant nutcrackers to smaller, classy details, you’ll find everything you need to turn your house into a Winter Wonderland.
Once you’ve collected all the essential decor items, it’s time to start tackling that holiday gift list! BJs really has something for every single person on your list. I think the Cotton Candy maker is incredibly cool! I know my brother would get a kick out of the Kegorator (get it, because when it’s empty, it’s kicked? Just laugh, no one likes awkward silence after a joke). Everyone needs a SodaStream! They even have great deals on holiday music to get you in the spirit while you’re wrapping all those gifts.
Need gifts for kids? BJs has those too. You’ll find the most popular items for low prices. After my visit to the Philadelphia store, I stopped in at my local BJs to plan how I would spend my gift card. I was so happy to see that they have Skylanders Swap-Force characters for $8.99. They’re $9.99 everywhere else (and even more on Amazon, what’s up with that???). I know what I’ll be spending my gift card on now! They also have Hot Wheels, Barbie and more.
What about those “hard to please” people on your list? Or last-minute gifts when you just need one more thing to make your shopping complete? At BJs, you can grab a box of holiday cards (or individual cards at a discount) and pop in a gift card to dozens of stores, restaurants or movie theaters. Slap a pretty bow on the envelope and you’re done! The best part? BJs actually sells the gift cards for LOWER than the price on the card. So if you’re buying a $25 Microsoft Gift Card (which will make up half of Jacob’s gifts at this point, because he’s all about the XBOX Live these days), you actually pay closer to $24.50. Hey, 50 cents is 50 cents. If you’re buying a lot of gift cards, the savings really adds up. You can also grab beautiful fresh flowers to give as a last-minute gift too.
Finally, if your child is in school, you’re going to need some teacher gifts. Teachers work their butts off for very little pay, so they deserve a little something. For me, this is hard because I don’t have a lot of money. Jacob has two main teachers this year plus teaching assistants. BJs has great “breakaway” gifts, meaning you pay one price for several items that can be broken down into more than one gift. Their Lindt Chocolate Bears, for example, could got to two teachers. Give each teacher a big bear and a little bear. Eat the third little bear yourself. You earned it. They have other great food gifts for stocking stuffers and hostess gifts too.
Basically, whatever you need this holiday season, BJs has it. In case you missed it above, you can go into your local store right now and tell them that you want the free 60-day membership. It takes less than five minutes. My membership lapsed due to finances, so I had to get the temporary one for now. It’s a real card that you can even use at the gas pump. So check it out! You have nothing to lose!
Do you shop at BJs Wholesale Club? What is your favorite find there?
