Is it worth buying groceries in bulk from Costco, Amazon, Officeworks or Woolworths Everyday Market?

In this day and age of skyrocketing household expenses, getting the best deal on your groceries is more important than ever.

Tracking specials, comparing prices, venturing to new retailers and even gaming loyalty programs have all become essential weapons in the battle to shave dollars off our ever-mounting grocery bills.

Maybe you’re nailing the grocery budgeting game, effortlessly chasing down the best deals each week, or perhaps you’re stuck in a rut, buying the same products each week without thinking about whether or not they’re good value.

Whatever the case, buying products in bulk is a strategy that could help you save on your grocery bill. But it’s not always the case that buying bigger is better.

On this page:

• Is buying in bulk cheaper?
• The best and worst bulk buy deals
• Things to consider before bulk buying
• Verdict: Is bulk buying worth it?

Is buying in bulk cheaper?

At CHOICE, we’ve long said that comparing unit prices between similar products is one of the easiest ways to ensure you’re getting the best deal possible. 

We hope most people know by now that if you’re in a store looking at shelf prices, the larger jar of Vegemite is likely (although not guaranteed) to be cheaper per gram than the smaller jar. (If you don’t understand how unit pricing works, check out the section below.)

But is it always a good idea to upsize? And can going one step further to buy products in large multipacks or giant sizes save you even more cash? Before you add that kilo bucket of M&Ms to your cart, we have some advice. 

We analysed prices for 80 packaged products from retailers Costco, Amazon, Officeworks and Woolworths Everyday Market (all of which often offer either larger pack sizes or multipacks) and compared them to prices for the same or comparable products from supermarkets and other retailers.

We found that there are definitely deals to be had, and certain product categories and retailers may offer better value than others when shopping in bulk, but you still need to keep an eye on unit prices.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that there could be other retailers that sell larger pack sizes or multipacks that might have better deals, so if you’re set on buying large, be sure to shop around.

In our price comparison, we found you could save up to 60% when buying some products in bulk from Amazon (as compared to buying the same products at Coles or Woolies). At the same time, for other items, you might pay nearly three times more for a bulk buy from the digital giant, and that’s before you take into account Amazon’s delivery costs.

Read our explainer on unit pricing below to cut down on your supermarket spending.

The best and worst bulk buy deals

In order to find out if we should clear our cupboards and buy in bulk, we turned to retailers that we know sell lots of supersized products. 

Of the 80 products we compared between the bulk shops (Amazon, Officeworks, Woolworths Everyday Market and Costco) and the major supermarkets (Coles and Woolies), we found it was cheaper to buy the bulk option from the non-supermarket retailer 59% of the time.

The discounts we found ranged from as little as 5% all the way up to 60% and the products we found to have the biggest discounts were cleaning products and health, beauty or personal care products such as body wash and baby wipes. 

It’s not all great news, though. In our sample of prices, we found some bulk products that cost significantly more than their standard supermarket counterparts.

For example, if you’re after a sweet treat, 1.3kg bulk bags of Allen’s Red Frogs and Arnotts Cream Favourites biscuits at Officeworks were 17% and 18% more expensive than their respective prices at Woolies and Coles.

And the 100-pack of Chupa Chups at Officeworks will cost you 57 cents per Chupa Chup, whereas you can pick up a 25-pack of Chupa Chups at Woolworths for just 25 cents per Chupa Chup (the same price we saw in 2024).

You’re in luck if you’re a clean freak and also love a bargain, though. In our sample, we found lots of good deals on bulk cleaning products on Amazon. Some examples included a 5L pack of Windex Glass that was 60% cheaper than buying the standard 500ml bottle from Coles.

There were also some good deals on baby products: at Amazon, we saw a deal of just 25c per nappy for Huggies Newborn nappies compared to 36c at Woolworths. Baby wipes were also cheaper: just 3c per wipe for Curash Simply Water wipes versus 6c at Coles, and 2L of Dove Body Wash was 50% cheaper than its standard supermarket counterpart.

But, don’t forget to check those unit prices, because Amazon also sells Tim Tams in a 2kg bulk pack that works out to be more than 85% more expensive than if you’d simply bought a standard pack from Woolies.

Things to consider before bulk buying

While it can be great for people with large families, those who love entertaining or households with lots of storage space, buying in bulk isn’t the best option for everyone, even if it’s cheaper. Here’s what you need to consider.

Do you have enough storage space? 

We don’t all have a spare garage, shed or lots of space available in the cupboard. Don’t make the mistake of purchasing 64 rolls of toilet paper just because it’s cheaper and then having nowhere to stash it.

Will you eat it all before it goes bad?

While some products are fine to eat beyond their best-before dates (read about the difference between best-before dates and use-by dates), be wary of buying products in bulk that won’t keep well.

And store items correctly: if you’re buying large quantities of rice or flour, for example, ensure they’re stored in well-sealed containers in a cool, dry place. 

Will you actually want/need that much? 

It’s not a good deal if you buy bulk quantities of, say, packaged snacks, and they sit uneaten for months. Got kids who are obsessed with a certain cracker one day, then avoid it like the plague the next? We hope you didn’t stock up.

How good is your self-restraint? 

Buying a jar of Nutella as big as your head or a multi-pack of Tim Tams becomes a less economical choice if you’re going to scoff it all in one sitting. Gluttons beware.  

Does Costco offer good value?

Our spot check of 18 bulk items at Costco found that all the products were cheaper than the best unit price available at Coles or Woolworths.

But to shop at Costco, you will probably need to visit one of the 15 stores across Australia and pay an annual membership fee of $65.

Home delivery is now available from Costco through DoorDash, but we haven’t compared prices for Costco products purchased via this platform.

However, our investigation in late 2025 found prices to be as much as 40% higher when comparing what you’d pay in-store at Coles, Woolworths and Aldi to what you’ll be charged when buying through third-party delivery platforms, so be wary of the potential loading you might pay for this convenience

Speaking of delivery, if you’re buying online in bulk, you’ll also have to factor in the delivery fees, which may make your savings less attractive, so be sure to take this into account when doing your calculations.

Verdict: Is bulk buying worth it?

It definitely can be. But our advice about the importance of comparing unit prices still stands – buying more won’t always guarantee you a better price.

In some cases, it can be tricky to compare prices as retailers don’t always display the unit price, so you have to work it out yourself.

Exploring retailers and deals beyond the major supermarkets can still be a good way to save money on your shop. But if you’re adding 2kg of Tim Tams to your cart (no judgement), get your calculator out first.

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Pru Engel

Pru Engel is the Audience and Engagement editor at CHOICE. Her job is to ensure as many Australians as possible know about the great work we do at CHOICE.  She works closely with our testers and experts to find the gems of information in our data and research that will resonate with Australian consumers and help them make the best decisions, whether they're purchasing an air fryer, looking for a new mattress or trying to find the cheapest car insurance. She also helps to drive meaningful change for consumers by collaborating with our Campaigns team on content covering issues such as grocery pricing, product safety and scams.  Prior to CHOICE, Pru worked as an editor at many of Australia's leading food and lifestyle titles.  Pru has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Journalism) from the University of Technology, Sydney. Find Pru on LinkedIn.

Pru Engel is the Audience and Engagement editor at CHOICE. Her job is to ensure as many Australians as possible know about the great work we do at CHOICE.  She works closely with our testers and experts to find the gems of information in our data and research that will resonate with Australian consumers and help them make the best decisions, whether they're purchasing an air fryer, looking for a new mattress or trying to find the cheapest car insurance. She also helps to drive meaningful change for consumers by collaborating with our Campaigns team on content covering issues such as grocery pricing, product safety and scams.  Prior to CHOICE, Pru worked as an editor at many of Australia's leading food and lifestyle titles.  Pru has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Journalism) from the University of Technology, Sydney. Find Pru on LinkedIn.

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Margaret Rafferty

Margaret Rafferty joined CHOICE in 2018 as a Content editor and since then has filled the roles of Commissioning editor, Managing editor and now Editorial consultant. Margaret has written on a wide variety of topics and enjoys making complex subjects easy to understand. With over 20 years of media experience, Margaret brings a strong storytelling background to CHOICE. She works closely with people across the organisation to help tell stories that make a positive difference to people and is passionate about uncovering bad practices and helping Australians to avoid falling victim to shonky products and services. LinkedIn

Margaret Rafferty joined CHOICE in 2018 as a Content editor and since then has filled the roles of Commissioning editor, Managing editor and now Editorial consultant. Margaret has written on a wide variety of topics and enjoys making complex subjects easy to understand. With over 20 years of media experience, Margaret brings a strong storytelling background to CHOICE. She works closely with people across the organisation to help tell stories that make a positive difference to people and is passionate about uncovering bad practices and helping Australians to avoid falling victim to shonky products and services. LinkedIn