Feeding bees is EXPENSIVE! Any ideas on purchasing sugar cheaper than at the loc

[rast]

 I think its different area's also. I've tried em all around here including Sam's, and Dollar General is the best. 4lb. for $1.75. When someone here was getting a great a Wal Mart last year, I made a beeline for it and it was over a dollar higher than what they were paying.

[qa33010]

    I guess the main thing is to keep your eyes open and COMPARE.  I've seen where the larger amounts are less expensive than the smaller and two days later it was reversed.  I've seen the same thing in grocery stores with other items.  This was after my wife educated me in the ways of shopping.

[patook]

50lbs bags at Costco are $19.99. That is 40 cents a pound

[danno]

I mix small batches an like the 10 & 5# bags for doing this.  I have scales for bulk but its just one more step and alittle more mess

[jdpro5010]

I have read that the smaller bags are cheaper on here before, but I never seem to find that.  My best buy for a couple of years now has been the 50lb. bag at Sam's and it is usually cheaper by a couple cents per lb..

[Brian D. Bray]

Here, a 25 lb bag of sugar sells for $15.95 on sale, I can get 2 5 lb bags for $5.  That equates to 30 lbs for $15.  The reason that the smaller bags are cheaper boils down to numbers.  A lot more 5 lb bags are mnufactured than 10 or 25 lb ones.  Look at the grocery store shells, the biggest amount of sugar is in 4 or 5 lb bags and only 1 or 2 25 lb bags on the shelf. 
Manufactures will package and sell the size that sells best, it is that size that will cost the least per pound.  The truth of supply and demand.

[oldenglish]

I buy the 25lb bag locally at haggens or top foods for $13.95, the 10lb are almost $6. I have found that many stores dont carry the larger 25lb. Figure so far this year I am at around 200lbs for 4 hives, but I was not keeping count so that may be a little low.

[steveb]

Here in the Mountain West we have Associated Food Stores which go by a various names such as Macey's, Dan's, etc.  Because of the culture of food storage here Associated Food Stores have yearly food storage case lot sales which has food deeply discounted for about two weeks when one buys in bulk.  Each year I, and many of our other beekeepers, make sure to buy our sugar during the sale.  This year I was able to pick up white sugar in 50 pound bags at a cost of about 37 cents per pound.  Needless to say I buy hundreds of pounds at a time.  It is also a great time to buy bulk containers such as food grade buckets and 5, 10, 35, and 55 gallon food grade liquid containers at a steep discount.
Steve