Costco or BJ's

[disneyfav4ever]

We've been discussing membership at one of these stores, and are looking for opinions on if one is necessarily better than the other.

 

[ambgoph]

Costco!!

They opened a BJs near me last year so I took advantage of a free membership offer through Amex. I won't be renewing it.

BJs reminded me of shopping in a supermarket where all of the products are supersized. They don't really offer unique products. Costco on the other hand has many products that you won't find in a supermarket. Their customer service is top notch.

The one thing I will miss at BJs is their deli section. Costco doesn't have one where you can get sliced meats and cheeses fresh.

Both should offer a trial membership - take a look at both and see what you prefer. I know Costco offers a full refund on their membership if you are not satisfied. Not sure if BJs offers that as well.

 

[Tinkerdreams]

Costco is the better of the two. Their produce is so much better than bjs and as the pp stated, they have great customer service and unique items as well.

 

[soccerdad72]

We also prefer Costco, but then again, it's a lot closer to us than the nearest BJ's, so I haven't shopped there much.

 

[pryncess527]

I prefer BJs, no contest. I miss BJs so much, I only have Costco and Sams where I live


Costco drives me nuts, because my location at least, NEVER HAS THE SAME THING IN THE SAME PLACE!!! It's like the re-arrange the store for fun every week. And they have so many "seasonal" items. I was told in December that French Fries are Seasonal and won't be in stock again until late Spring. ***??

And, while they may have great customer service if you can find someone, I can never find anyone to help me locate the items they decided to move since my last visit. The aisles are clogged with people giving out samples, but those people don't work for Costco and so can't really help.

I miss BJs so much. I did find a selection of unique products there, they take (and mail out) coupons, and I find their products are sized well for family use.

 

[AppleDumpling]

I've been a BJ's member for many years. When I first joined, the nearest Costco was over an hour away so BJ's was more convenient. Since then another Costco has opened closer to me, but there's still two BJ's that are even closer. My sister goes to Costco and I've been a few times with her. As far as the merchandise, it seems pretty comparable.

There are a few differences in policies that I like about BJ's. (Maybe these have changed at Costco, IDK). First, you can use any credit card at BJ's (Visa, MC, Amex), but Costco only accepts Amex. Also, BJ's accepts manufacturers coupons as well as their own and lets you stack coupons. So if you have a BJ's coupon for an item plus a manufacturers coupon for that item, you can use both. You can also sometimes stack coupons on a multipack item, eg. if you're buying a 3-pack jars of spaghetti sauce, you can use 3 coupons.

One of the BJ's near me also has a gas station with great low prices, and an auto center where we've had tires installed, also for a great price.

 

[Meriweather]

no BJs here, but I Love, love Costco and would never go anywhere else.

 

[rwdavis2]

Costco here in Columbia, MD. It's smaller than BJs but the food selections are much better. Especially meat and seafood.

 

[soccerdad72]

There are a few differences in policies that I like about BJ's. (Maybe these have changed at Costco, IDK). First, you can use any credit card at BJ's (Visa, MC, Amex), but Costco only accepts Amex. Also, BJ's accepts manufacturers coupons as well as their own and lets you stack coupons. So if you have a BJ's coupon for an item plus a manufacturers coupon for that item, you can use both. You can also sometimes stack coupons on a multipack item, eg. if you're buying a 3-pack jars of spaghetti sauce, you can use 3 coupons.

The credit card situation has changed now - Costco dropped its arrangement with AmEx, so they now accept Visa. I don't believe they take coupons though, so that hasn't changed.

 

[dish rag]

I don't care for ether.

 

[Hikergirl]

I have a BJ's membership, there is no Costco here. I am always JEALOUS of the things I see posted for Costco. I like BJs but I would like Costco much better!

 

[Branflakes]

We have both. And use them for different things. Bjs is great for deli, seriously Boars Head for 6.99 a lb? Instead of 12.99 at the grocery store, beverages including organic milk, eggs, egg whites, some produce and household items.
Costco for home items, garden supplies outdoor stuff. Impulse buys, stuff I want and don't need, and they're frozen yogurt soft serve for $1.

 

[cluvsdisney]

We have memberships to both but I strongly prefer BJs. The main reason is because the Costco closest to us is a complete and utter madhouse with terrible parking. I like that BJs takes Amex and manufacturers coupons. The prices for the items we buy are about the same which is mostly water, chicken, cheese, ground beef, cat litter, condiments, etc. We only keep the Costco membership because we rent cars for vacation and if we book with their code, we get a free additional driver which saves us more than the cost of the membership and I like their photo department.

 

[Branflakes]

We have memberships to both but I strongly prefer BJs. The main reason is because the Costco closest to us is a complete and utter madhouse with terrible parking. I like that BJs takes Amex and manufacturers coupons. The prices for the items we buy are about the same which is mostly water, chicken, cheese, ground beef, cat litter, condiments, etc. We only keep the Costco membership because we rent cars for vacation and if we book with their code, we get a free additional driver which saves us more than the cost of the membership and I like their photo department.

Yes I forgot about the car rental! I'm currently riding in one and it is a MAJOR save to use Costco for car rental!

 

[OneOftheB's]

We are fortunate to have a Costco, BJ's and Sam's Club within about a 10 mile radius. I prefer BJ's because the location is much better for me (the Costco is near a major mall so it has major traffic and is an absolute pain to get in or out of the parking lot). BJ's has good coupons and between business and personal purchases, we upgraded our membership so we get some money in rebates plus $0.05 off each gallon of gas. The produce department is good and I find great deals on toys, cards and gift bags. Plus with two elementary aged kids, we go through a ton of snacks each month.

 

[dclpluto]

Bjs isn't that good. Can't comment on Costco as there isnt one by me.

 

[DaisyJ]

I've been a BJ's member for many years. When I first joined, the nearest Costco was over an hour away so BJ's was more convenient. Since then another Costco has opened closer to me, but there's still two BJ's that are even closer. My sister goes to Costco and I've been a few times with her. As far as the merchandise, it seems pretty comparable.

There are a few differences in policies that I like about BJ's. (Maybe these have changed at Costco, IDK). First, you can use any credit card at BJ's (Visa, MC, Amex), but Costco only accepts Amex. Also, BJ's accepts manufacturers coupons as well as their own and lets you stack coupons. So if you have a BJ's coupon for an item plus a manufacturers coupon for that item, you can use both. You can also sometimes stack coupons on a multipack item, eg. if you're buying a 3-pack jars of spaghetti sauce, you can use 3 coupons.

One of the BJ's near me also has a gas station with great low prices, and an auto center where we've had tires installed, also for a great price.

Costco only allows Visa. They also have gas and a tire center, as well as an auto buying program for members.

 

[MetalMasterC]

Not a big fan of Super Box Member Retailers, but COSTCO was awesome. I only live near a BJ's and a Sam's now. My parents prefer BJ's.

 

[DaisyJ]

Yes I forgot about the car rental! I'm currently riding in one and it is a MAJOR save to use Costco for car rental!

We used Costco for our recnent car rental in Orlando. We saved over $100 compared to the Alamo site and got a second driver free.

 

[MillauFr]

We love Costco. As some have said here the place can be a complete madhouse. That should be getting better over the next few years as more and more people will chose to have their orders delivered.