Is it worth it? I live about 35 minutes from Costco, have a good bunch of grocery stores and a Walmart oh, and a BJ's nearby. I don't ever drive down to the town that the Costco is in--but I'm wondering if I should. I was reading about their different memberships, and got to wondering if it was really that great a deal? I've saved on rental cars, eyeglasses and tires, but what about the food?
What do you guys think?
I was in a similar boat when I moved to my neighborhood -- the closest Costco is about a half hour away, while the nearest Sam's Club is about 10 minutes away.
Given that all three of the big warehouse club chains more or less carry the same food merchandise, I made the switch to Sam's Club and don't find myself missing anything in particular...
Of course, others have their own opinions -- Costco caters to the person who makes more than $50K per year while Sam's Club does not (which is evident by where Costco positions their store locations). Some people also choose their club store based on their political slant, since Sam's Club is owned by Walmart (which isn't really an issue for me) while Costco has been known to contribute to progressive causes.
Also, if you are using credit/rewards cards, Sam's Club accepts MasterCard and Discover, while Costco only accepts American Express.
CAVEAT: I have a close family member who is a contractor for Costco, and has subsequently drank the Costco Kool-Aid (and thinks of it as the only store to shop at - period). As for me, my 10-minute trip still beats the 30-minute drive...
Good luck on your choice.