Should You Buy Your Thanksgiving Turkey at Sam's Club?

It's almost time to break out the credit cards and buy a turkey and all the fixings. As you're deciding where to shop for Thanksgiving, you'll want to consider all the options so you can do your bank account a favor and get the best price.

Sam's Club is one possible place where you can purchase a turkey for Thanksgiving. But is it a good option? Here's what you need to know. 

Here's why you may want to buy your turkey at Sam's Club

Sam's Club offers both fresh and frozen turkeys around Thanksgiving so you'll have your choice depending on whether you want a bird you have to thaw or not. 

The turkeys are high quality, earning 4 out of 5 stars, with many reviewers praising the taste and attesting to the bird's moistness (although some disagreed and said it was dry). These reviews and the bird's quality are generally comparable to what you'd get in most grocery stores.

Sam's Club turkeys are also free of antibiotics and are raised without added hormones or steroids. And they include a convenient pop-up timer, so you can tell when they are finished cooking. 

As for the price, the turkeys cost $1.19 per pound online. This is well below what many other stores charge, including Target and Walmart. If you don't want to overpay for your turkey, this could make Sam's Club a great option. 

Here's when buying your turkey at Sam's might be a bad idea

There are also some situations where you may not want to purchase a turkey at Sam's Club, though. 

It wouldn't make sense to try to purchase your bird at Sam's Club if you aren't already a member or planning to become one. The cheapest Sam's Club membership is $50, so paying the membership fee isn't worth it just to get a slightly cheaper turkey than you could get at your grocery store. 

If you want an organic bird or want to make absolutely sure you have the moistest possible turkey, Sam's Club may not be a great choice since the reviews were somewhat mixed and no organic turkeys are sold there. You may want to look into a local farm in this situation. 

If you're hoping for a small turkey, Sam's Club also isn't the place -- the minimum size available is 10 pounds. And you're limited to only two turkeys per membership. If you need multiple birds to feed the whole extended family (or because you just really like turkey), then you may need to go elsewhere for at least some of them. 

Sam's Club birds also aren't available until around Nov. 10 so if you're celebrating early (or like to have your turkey in the freezer way in advance for peace of mind), you won't be able to do it.

Since Thanksgiving is a holiday focused around food, it's important to make an informed choice about where to get the central meat dish. Sam's Club is definitely an option, but only if you're already a member and it has the right size turkeys to meet your needs.