Costco vs. Sam's Club?

[random_thought]

Going off the grocery store post...if you use one of these, why? Which do think is better? DH and I have been considering buying in bulk to cut down on money spent at the grocery store. I have both within 10 miles of us so either is fine, thanks in advance!

 

[JewelFreak]

I've never shopped at Sam's club but have done at Costco for many years. I buy all my meat there because the quality is excellent & the prices better than other stores. When you need service, they're very helpful. Costco also pays employees much better than similar businesses; the owners say they do not think low prices should come at a sacrifice by their workers. I like that.

Consumer Reports does fairly frequent polling about stores where people buy groceries -- Target, Walmart, Costco, etc., -- and Sam's Club and Walmart come out near the bottom for service almost every time.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

We shop at BJs, but typically only before a party. I don't find that buying in bulk reduces our grocery expenditures.

 

[random_thought]

We shop at BJs, but typically only before a party. I don't find that buying in bulk reduces our grocery expenditures.

...*giggles at the name of the store*

 

[ame]

Costco. I go there not only for good merchandise and excellent meat/produce, but most especially because they pay their employees a fair living wage and treat them well.

I do not patronize Walmart in any of it's formats, and Sams falls under that. They treat their employees and suppliers like crap and their low low pricing BS while making insane profits off the backs of their employees and the communities they destroy does nothing good for the economy. I am slowly weening off Target as well, for the same reason

 

[chrono]

We prefer Costco for the better quality and also the fact that they treat their employees better. For bulk purchases, I find that it is only better priced if you wait for the discount on the item you want. Fortunately, Costco frequently discounts items that we use often and their Costco branded items are of decent quality.

 

[amc80]

Costco. My parents have memberships to both (they used to be full time RVers, and certain places only had one or the other). The quality at Costco is much better than Sam's. Costco also has an amazing return policy. You can return anything, at any time, for any reason (except electronics which have a shorter return policy). You can even cancel your membership at any time and get your dues back.

(I also laughed at BJ's...heehee...)

 

[AprilBaby]

Costco is a MUCH nicer store.

 

[mary poppins]

Ditto what everyone has said so far about Costco are reasons we go there, plus:

- great return policy
- very competitive rates through travel services
- pharmacy, vision (glasses) and gasoline are all generally less expensive than other stores
- rewards and benefits for Costco and restaurant purchases when you use the Costco credit card
- sometimes you can find decent jewelry there

Also, get potentially better deals by knowing your Costco price codes:
http://lifehacker.com/save-even-more-money-at-costco-by-knowing-their-secret-800666594


That being said, I have no experience with other warehouse clubs so can't help with comparisons.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

We shop at BJs, but typically only before a party. I don't find that buying in bulk reduces our grocery expenditures.

...*giggles at the name of the store*

Girl you don't even understand! Seriously, I can't even type the url into a browser on my work computer because I'm afraid of what might happen!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Jokes aside, I would join costco, but there aren't any near us. They're all like an hour away

 

[mr_kroshka]

We shop at BJs, but typically only before a party. I don't find that buying in bulk reduces our grocery expenditures.

...*giggles at the name of the store*

Imagine how the customer service employees feel about that name

We have tried both Sam's and Costco and we felt the quality of goods at Costco was better. Also the return policy is just amazing, plus no need to save the receipts!

 

[aljdewey]

Another vote for Costco

 

[random_thought]

Ok ok I think you may have convinced me

 

[NewShiny]

Costco. I try not to patronize any Walmart brands for reasons others have already stated. We get pretty much everything there except vegetables, and the only reason we don't buy them there is because we can't eat the large quantity fast enough. Happy shopping!

 

[ame]

Costco. I try not to patronize any Walmart brands for reasons others have already stated. We get pretty much everything there except vegetables, and the only reason we don't buy them there is because we can't eat the large quantity fast enough. Happy shopping!

Yea most produce dies a swift death in our house well before its all eaten. When I make meatloaf and my chicken noodle soup though, it's genius to buy it there.

 

[iLander]

We've tried both and Costco wins by a MILE.

Kirkland Signature is excellent quality (consumer reports #1 ice cream, even beats Haagen- Dazs) throughout. LOVE their seafood, veggies, cheese, lasagna, A+++ chocolate. LOVE their bagels!

Return stuff even without a receipt, years later if you want. No hassle.

Their items are great quality, even online items are great. If I want a chair, couch, TV, I just buy there because they do the research of price versus benefit for me. Such a relief.

But I suggest a freezer. I put buns, bagels, breads, meats, etc., there, so it doesn't turn before we can eat it.

Sams has cheap stuff, cheap. Costco has quality stuff, cheap.

 

[zoebartlett]

We shop at BJs, but typically only before a party. I don't find that buying in bulk reduces our grocery expenditures.

I've heard that too, that shopping at Sam's, Costco, or BJ's isn't really cost effective. I've never tried though, so I can't speak from personal experience. I always wonder where people put those huge boxes of everything. They must have huge pantries or extra storage elsewhere.

 

[Gypsy]

Costco for all the reasons stated, but most importantly because of their company values, and how well they treat their employees. Plus their products are just plain great. No comparison.

Here's what costco saves you money on:

Eggs. Milk. Diary (butter). I can't go through that much milk. So I don't buy it there. But I do buy the eggs and the butter there.
Rotisserie chickens.
Trash bags. Paper products (toilet paper, paper towels, napkins).

Movie tickets. Restaurant gift cards. Basic clothing items like socks.


The rest... when it comes to grocery.... not a huge cost savings. But the stuff above, if you can store it (and we can) saves you money. Especially the paper products and the eggs and the trashbags.

 

[ckrickett]

Costco. My parents have memberships to both (they used to be full time RVers, and certain places only had one or the other). The quality at Costco is much better than Sam's. Costco also has an amazing return policy. You can return anything, at any time, for any reason (except electronics which have a shorter return policy). You can even cancel your membership at any time and get your dues back.

(I also laughed at BJ's...heehee...)

I second this. I am a costco loyalist. Everyone that works there (at any I have been too) have been super friendly, and helpful. I am attributing that to the way they treat their employees. Plus Their meats and produces are very good, and their merchandise is always nice.

We shop there so much we got their executive black card (100 a year) but you get cash bask, and it pays for itself and then some by then end, so it's practically free for us to go there.

 

[missy]

Another big Costco fan (for all the reasons already mentioned) and executive card holder here. We got so much money back last year I almost feel guilty lol. I love love love Costco and we do about 80% of our grocery shopping there. The other 20% is divided between Fairway, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's and local farmers markets.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Costco !...and I'd always take a peek inside their jewelry cases when I'm there.

 

[amc80]

Costco !...and I'd always take a peek inside their jewelry cases when I'm there.

The diamond studs in my ears right now are from Costco As is my wedding band- WG with little channel set diamonds and it was around $300. My jeweler quoted me over $1k to have the same thing made.

 

[asscherisme]

Costco is a MUCH nicer store.

Ditto. Plus I won't give any of my money to the Walmart corporation and Sam's club is owned by Walmart.

I love Costco.

 

[asscherisme]

We shop at BJs, but typically only before a party. I don't find that buying in bulk reduces our grocery expenditures.

I've heard that too, that shopping at Sam's, Costco, or BJ's isn't really cost effective. I've never tried though, so I can't speak from personal experience. I always wonder where people put those huge boxes of everything. They must have huge pantries or extra storage elsewhere.

I do have huge pantry, basement fridge/freezer and a lot of kids (including 2 teenagers who always have their friends over) so it is cost effective for me if I shop carefully. Great for fresh produce and frozen foods.

 

[luv2sparkle]

We have memberships to both, but we mostly shop at Costco and buy gas at Sam's because the lines are shorter there. They are pretty close together. Sometimes, I will buy a few things at Sam's because Costco isn't carrying it anymore. There is a certain brand of lunch meat my son likes there, and sometimes Costco will be out of something like a dog treat or especially Chalula or a spice that I will need. It's a quick trip to Sam's to see if they have it. The bulk of my shopping is done at Costco though.

I only have an executive membership at Costco though. I resisted doing this for years because they pushed it so hard I thought there must be a catch. But true to what they said, I get a check every year that not only covers my membership but 100+ bucks extra. I don't buy any more because of it, but what I do spend routinely gives me a nice net. We don't buy much processed food but I get the bulk of my veggies and meat there. We have bought our patio furniture there and I have purchased some jewelry there because the price was better there than anywhere else.