Any experience with Sam's Club Tulips?

OK, I'm cheap, I'll admit it. I'm willing to spend the money on shrubs, perennials of all kinds, daylilies, lilies of all kinds, etc. But I want to plant a fairly large bed of tulips for DH, as every year for the past 30 he has said how much he loves tulips, (even wanted them at our wedding, poor boob) and I have never planted more than a handful. It seems that they don't do all that well in our southern heat and usually don't come back subsequent years, so I am more inclined to spend the money on plants I know will perform and multiply. I was shopping in Sam's Club last week and they had a box of 70-80 bulbs for $14.99, depending on the variety. I have been checking online for some time and that price is pretty hard to beat, especially if I have to pay shipping. Anyone have any experience? I am guessing they are probably from the same source as Walmarts, but my WM did not have this selection.

I peeked in one of those boxes and thought the bulbs looked a little on the small side, so you might want to check before you buy. I did buy a bunch of bulbs at Sam's last month to plant at my MIL's in NC... and I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the bulbs in the boxes that had a mix of grape hyacinths and dwarf daffodils. I bought a box of 'King Alfred' daffodils also, and while the bulbs were smallish, the price was nice, and daff bulbs will grow each year.

I don't grow many "regular" tulips, but since I think tulip bulbs tend to become smaller over time (or is it that they produce successively smaller daughter bulbs), I'd be more hesitant to pay for smallish tulips. Now, I don't know that Sam's tulips are smallish, I'm just saying you should open a box and check before buying half a dozen boxes.

Sometimes you can get really good deals at the end of the season... I scored a bunch of tulips for my neighbor at HD the first week in November last year, and they were a steal... nice fat bulbs, too.