PITTSBURGH -- Does buying groceries in bulk at a warehouse like Costco or Sam's Club save you any cash over shopping at a grocery store?

Doing your homework first is what really pays off, according to WTAE Channel 4 Action News reporter Tara Edwards.

Gary Graham, of Homestead, considers himself a smart shopper who checks sizes, prices and expiration dates. He shops at in the Homestead Waterfront.

“For the benefit of low, bulk items, it does save you in the short run,” he said.

Bulk items are usually less expensive per unit.

Check the overall price, then check the unit price to see what you're really paying.

“You stock up, which is always a good thing when you have kids. You definitely stock up,” said Katie Watson, of Munhall.

Bulk buyers also save on gas because they buy a lot and don't shop as often.

"You get lots of juice boxes, lots of freeze pops. Bulk is the best,” said Watson.

There are also environmental savings because warehouse stores don’t use as much packaging.

“I use quite a bit of paper towels. That works well,” Watson said.

But bulk isn't always better.

Consider your storage space. Do you really have room for 96 rolls of paper towels?

“Sometimes I do, but it's hard to find places to store them,” said Annette James, of McKeesport. “I have a very small house -- so it's kind of hard.”

And remember, some items don't last forever. Will you really use that 5-pound tub of margarine before September?

“Sometimes, it's a better deal,” James said. “Sometimes, it's not.”

When buying in bulk, two good rules of thumb are to only buy products you can actually use, and don't buy more than you can use before the expiration date.

Non-perishable items -- like diapers, laundry detergent, paper products, soap and shampoo -- work best when buying in bulk.

In some cases, you might sacrifice variety to save in the long run.

Warehouse clubs will cost you as much as $40 to $50 a year, but some shoppers told Edwards they save that much in just a few trips to the store.

Other shoppers said they share the cost with family or friends, then split up the bulk purchases into smaller amounts that are more manageable.

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