Sam's vs Costco

[here757]

we have been Costco members for years. We like the chicken ceaser salad at the quick serve. The bakery is awesome for big inexpensive cakes. Clothes are decent quality.
My husband just joined SAMs. It's been over 8 years or so since I've even been in one.
Which do u think is better?
We debated between us.. But I reminded him that dis budget board would know

 

[jzuzphreek]

The answer is "yes."

They both have their respective perks. I like SAM's free samples better. And the Costco near me (New Orleans) has the worlds weirdest parking lot.

 

[here757]

The answer is "yes."

They both have their respective perks. I like SAM's free samples better. And the Costco near me (New Orleans) has the worlds weirdest parking lot.

Do u know if they have the holiday cook books?
We just discovered if u download the app u don't have to carry ur SAMs card

 

[Albort]

I prefer Sams Club over Costco.
Pro: Less Crowds. i guess it could be YMMV though, but in my area, it gets soo packed at Costco.
Pro: membership is cheaper, at regular price, its $45 vs $55. Although the last 2 years, i buy them at $45 and it includes a $20 gc + extras.
Pro: i feel like Sam's club items have smaller packages of things. so like, instead of buying 30 rolls of paper towel, Sams usually has one in half that size. great for me since im single in a single household.
Con: Not everying at Sams Club is good. There a few products i found absolutely disgusting. Costco, everything is good.
Con: Somethings can be a bit more expensive than other stores.
Con: its owned by walmart?

 

[usnuzuloose]

I prefer Costco. They have everything I need as where Sam's did not.

 

[havaneselover]

I have a love-hate relationship with Costco. I hate how crowded mine is and how long the lines are. Also, while I love their rotisserie chicken, I can never count on them having any. But there are lots of things I buy there that I like and I do well at their pharmacy for my older dog's rxs. Also in general I think costco's employees are treated better so I'd rather give them the business. I'm not a Walmart/sam's hater, just prefer costco's business model. Plus their return policy is very generous.

 

[JenzyHP]

I love Costco. They have great products and my membership is paid for simply with my allergy medicine savings. A whole year supply costs less than a month at any other store. Some things are more expensive at Costco, but if you shop well, you can do very nicely there. I've heard since the Costco opened in my area that SAMs isn't doing very well in my city. Costco can get busy, but they at least open every single register instead of making people wait in huge lines. I tend to go weekdays at like 10 am and it is empty.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

We have both memberships, mainly because Sam's had a deal that made it almost free this year. We still shop at Costco more, almost every week. Yes, it is more crowded, but I think the benefits out weigh the detriments. We don't buy a lot of prepackaged, processed foods and Costco has a great selection of produce, meats and other staples, so it fits our eating style I think better than Sam's. We like the rotisserie chicken and the larger selection of organic products too. There are some products that Sam's carries that Costco doesn't though, so I like the convenience of having both. Would I renew Sam's again next year? Not unless it is with a deal again that makes it very, very cheap.

 

[tvguy]

The answer is "yes."

They both have their respective perks. I like SAM's free samples better. And the Costco near me (New Orleans) has the worlds weirdest parking lot.

This pretty much sums it up. Products vary a bit. As the Wall Street Journal put it, Sams Club is for people who need to save money, Costco is for people who don't need to save money, but just want to pay less on higher end items..

 

[havaneselover]

I love Costco. They have great products and my membership is paid for simply with my allergy medicine savings. A whole year supply costs less than a month at any other store. Some things are more expensive at Costco, but if you shop well, you can do very nicely there. I've heard since the Costco opened in my area that SAMs isn't doing very well in my city. Costco can get busy, but they at least open every single register instead of making people wait in huge lines. I tend to go weekdays at like 10 am and it is empty.

Last time a friend called me when I was at the Costco pharmacy and she asked me who would (be stupid enough to) go to their pharmacy on the weekend. She doesn't have a full time job I can only hit it during peak times and mine almost always has all lanes open and lines are usually numerous customers deep. I wish we had self checkout or an express lane.

 

[hoffman1]

We have both (mainly because my elderly aunt added me as her second card last month on her Sams's Club account so it did not cost me anything).
We went up and down every aisle at Sam's to just compare prices. Some things were more expensive, some things were less. Sam's was $3-$4 cheaper on most of their cheeses.
We like Costco better --they have more of what we tend to purchase. We get Tide when it is a monthly special. I like the Kirkland brand dryer sheets. Cream cheese is always a good deal. The bathroom towels there are nice and fluffy and a good price.

I think it really depends on what you want to buy.

 

[halfpintpeggy]

We're loyal to Costco. They offer good prices on organic foods and pay & treat their employees very well. Our Costco is also always loaded with free samples which is fun IMO lol. They offer decent discounts of gift cards as well.

 

[arminnie]

I have had both for almost 20 years. I honestly do not think one is automatically better than the other. I prefer Costco jeans as they more often come in lengths. But I prefer Sam's for many other things. If you have the opportunity to shop at both - there are many advantages to that. Twenty years ago I had a Costco across the street from my office in CA - but had access to Sam's when I went to visit relatives in Arkansas.

Now when I am in New Orleans I have access to both within a few miles. I have memberships to both and enjoy the advantages of each.

 

[pryncess527]

Do you have a BJs? I think it's better than both

 

[Mrs. Bob Loblaw]

I prefer Sam's Club, mostly because I can shop online and schedule when I come in to pick up. This saves me a ton of time.

 

[halfpintpeggy]

Do you have a BJs? I think it's better than both

We have all 3 here!

 

[here757]

We have all 3 as well. Why do u like BJ's? Is it the coupons?

Do you have a BJs? I think it's better than both

ve

 

[pryncess527]

We have all 3 as well. Why do u like BJ's? Is it the coupons?

It is partially the coupons -- I like that they accept outside coupons, and they ones they send me save me a fortune. BJs just has a better selection of things I rely on. I think both Costco and BJs do a better job at targeting regular people than Sams Club, which always seems a bit better for businesses. Costco and BJs seem more likely to have a bulk package made up of smaller servings, like three things of ketchup instead of one gigantic tub of ketchup like Sam's Club

So I put Costco as a close 2nd to BJs, but last time I did a comparison, BJ's had a few brands that were critical to me, so it won out. I don't find enough difference to justify paying for 2 memberships.

 

[mrsstats]

I have all 3. With that being said, BJ's is my least favorite. I will not buy meat there, store never looks clean enough to me. I will buy Perdue chicken as it is wrapped. Costco and Sam's are close in my opinion but I shop at Costco more often since there are more of them in my area (only 1 Sam's) and I like many of their own products. Plus you can' beat the $1.50 Hot Dog lunch or their chickens.

 

[brooke789]

We have had Costco for about 5 years and also had a Sams membership for the last two years when one opened up in a convenient location for us. At Costco we have the regular membership (tried the executive, but didn't spend enough for it to pay for itself). At Sam's we have the Plus membership. We have the Plus b/c it allows us the early morning hours (plus the extra sales/coupons). We buy different things at each. It seems like overkill to me to have both. I wanted to cancel our Costco b/c we go there less often and it is more inconvenient, but we made a list of all the things we buy at Costco which can't be bought at Sam's and these things make the Costco pay for it's membership, so we keep both but mainly show Sams.