Costco vs Sams Club??

[Mickeyherewecome123]

Hi,
Just wondering what your thoughts are on Costco vs Sams Club. I have never been in a Costco before, only been to Sams Club.
We are getting a Costco a few towns over, and we are thinking of joining.

So which do you all think has better prices and products?

Thanks
Fran

 

[Green Tea]

I think Sams is just kind of a WalMart. Costco has similar pricing on bulk itms, but carries a lot of higher end items. JMO

 

[gabriellyn]

I think Sams is just kind of a WalMart. Costco has similar pricing on bulk itms, but carries a lot of higher end items. JMO

I agree. IMHO Costco has superior customer service AND products. That being said, I do have a membership to both. I *infinitely* prefer Costco to Sam's.

 

[Love Pooh Bear]

We have a membership to both Sam's and Costco. We like both places. They each have a bunch of the same items for around the same price but then they both have different items that are exclusive to that store. And sometimes with Costco they send out coupon books that are a big help with saving some money.

 

[arminnie]

When I lived in CA I had a Costco across the street from my office. I would often walk over in the afternoon to get a snack.

I knew every item on every aisle. I would just be enthralled with Sam's when I would visit in another city as it was different stuff.

For a couple of years I lived in two cities and had a membership in both. I like both of them. Each will have something the other doesn't. But a whole lot of the stuff is the same.

 

[Mickeyherewecome123]

So they both have about the same prices on things.
I was thinking we would prob buy our
ground meat, steaks, roasts
chicken breasts
paper towels
toilet paper
household cleaners
and stuff like that

Are these places where I would get the best deals??
Can I use manufacturers coupons at Costco?

 

[crzy4dsny]

Out of the three; Bj's, Costco, and Sams, I think Costco is the best. They have the biggest selection on just about everything. Outdoor stuff, food, toys, tools, clothes you name it. They also have higher quality items than the other clubs. They have great holiday stuff to. But I don't shop at Costco anymore. The lines are always long and the place is always mobbed. They have the worst hours out of the three. I think they are only open from 11:00 to 6:00 on Saturday. Their membership fee is the highest of the three. I go to BJ's because they have great hours, I think it is 9:00am to 10:00pm everyday. I just got a Sam's membership and go every so often.

 

[DisneyMissy318]

I read today that Sam's is offering a "trial" membership - 10 weeks for $10 - starting today (10/17). The closest one to us is 45 miles away - so we'll stay at Costco.

 

[mana_liz]

We used to have both...got rid of Costco when they decided that they would only be excepting American Express. We were not paying a membership fee for Costco and then an annual fee for AX. The membership is more expensive at Costco.

 

[madge]

Hi,
Just wondering what your thoughts are on Costco vs Sams Club. I have never been in a Costco before, only been to Sams Club.
We are getting a Costco a few towns over, and we are thinking of joining.

So which do you all think has better prices and products?

Thanks
Fran

I always compare them like this:

Costco is like the warehouse Target. They aren't owned by Target, though. Costco is to Sam's what Target is to Walmart. The prices are similar, but I think Costco is way better.

 

[Aimeedyan]

I have both. We prefer shopping at Costco. Sams has traditionally marketed themselves to the small business. Costco markets themselves to the upper middle class household. You can see the difference when you visit their stores.

Costco carries unique food items, lots of brands I can't find easily at my grocery store, and their brand food products are superior to most brand name products. They also carry better name clothing and merchandise. Their Kirkland (in house) brand dog food is superior to most regular dog foods out there for half the price. I always scratch my head when people buy the Purina for twice the price laying next to the Kirkland food. They also carry great dog treats.

We have also bought furniture at Costco - our Natuzzi brand sofas are from there. Their travel prices beat Sams by a landslide. Sams has never carried higher end furniture lines.

The only things we still buy at Sams are tea bags, Costco doesn't carry the brand DH likes. Everything else is from Costco.

I will say their customer service is fantastic but their store hours are horrible.

 

[mnasf]

I had memberships in both for awhile. Living in Norther CA, Costco is bigger. The stores are bigger as are the crowds. Sam's Club rarely has bad lines and is empty during business hours. They do carry a lot the same, but there are some things unique to each. At that time I was buying diapers and Sam's club would always be a few pennies cheaper. Not worth going there, but I think the two places do compare prices on similar products. Since the Costco here is a larger store, there is more selection. I gave up my Costco card, but am thinking of doing it again. I love Sam's Club and won't give up it's membership. I think the bakery is very good for the price. A lot of their brand stuff is pretty good, too. I think the employees at Sam's are friendlier and kinder. But that's only comparing where we live.

Hi,
Just wondering what your thoughts are on Costco vs Sams Club. I have never been in a Costco before, only been to Sams Club.
We are getting a Costco a few towns over, and we are thinking of joining.

So which do you all think has better prices and products?

Thanks
Fran

 

[My2Cinderellas]

of the 2 I prefer Costco. We used to belong to Sam's when it was the only one in town, and I still go with my dad to Sam's in Arkansas where they live. There are a couple things I can't get at Costco, so my neighbor gets them at Sam's for me, I return the favor when Costco has something she wants that Sam's doesn't carry.

The Costco store here is brighter and cleaner than the Sam's, excellent customer service in all areas of the store. Their house brand is called Kirkland Signature, some of the KS items are co-branded national brands. The KS coffee beans are Starbucks, KS tortilla chips are by Mission, KS grape juice is Newman's Own, etc. We use a lot of KS items.

A plus for Costco are the booklets of manufacturer's coupons that come out several times a year, they are good for 2-3 weeks. There are certain items that I know show up regularly so I try to not buy these without a coupon. This week I bought 4 cases of Orville Redenbacher popcorn - each case is 32 bags of movie theater butter or smart pop, they also have cases of 42 100 calorie bags of the smart pop. regular price is $9.59 and a good deal, but with a $4 off coupon per case, limit of 4 cases, I stocked up for the year.

They also send out booklets that last for 2-3 months, with 4-6 coupons per week. These are often for higher ticket items, and not as helpful to me since I have to drive 30 minutes to get to the store, so I don't go weekly.

 

[JandJ]

O.K. prepare for a long post because I LOVE Costco!! Where we live Sam's is closer but we joined Costco, which is about a 20 minute drive. DH's parents have had a membership there for years and we used to go with them until we got our own. My parents used to have Sam's (no Costco in their town) so I can compare those two and the Costco is much cleaner, brighter, better quality grocery items, better store brand items, and nicer employees. I think the comparison: Costco is to Target what Sam's is to Wal-Mart is right. We get Costco coupons in the mail and they're on stuff we actually use so that's a big help.

We get all of our meat at Costco. When we get it home I repackage it into serving sizes (I weigh the ground beef) and freeze it. I like their whole chickens at .79/lb. Sometimes they have BOGO coupons so that's 4 chickens for like .39/lb. I also get their chop meat but sometimes I just get the pre-made frozen burger patties and they're really tasty and a good value.

We get the Basmati rice (it's in bulk so you have to repackage into baggies) and it's really good rice at a great price. We rarely buy bottled water but the Costco water is about $4/case. Their celebration cakes are yummy - HUGE - but very yummy and about $16! We also get a lot of our produce there and it's very tasty and lasts a long time. It's just me and DH so we have to get stuff we can freeze and store for a long time. I've never had a problem with things going bad.

We have switched to Kirkland (Costco brand) toilet paper, paper towels, and napkins. The Kirkland TP is exactly the same as Angel Soft but DH did a cost per square comparison (yes, he really did!) and the Kirkland is a lot cheaper. The Kirkland paper towels are large and very absorbant. I had been getting the Target brand paper towels and napkins but found the Kirkland ones work out to be cheaper and they're much better quality. I do not like the Kirkland tissues though, luckily they carry Kleenex at a cheaper price than Target.

I get Clorox cleaning items and Swiffer too. The Kirkland dishwasher powder works just as well as Cascade and is a much better value. They also carry Woolite and Clorox2 at a great price.

I get my contacts at Costco and can get 2 boxes of contacts for less than the cost of 1 box at my eye doctor. We develop our pictures there too. I think it's 13 cents a print. The quality is excellent and they're ready in an hour - enlargements too.

We have the "gold" membership, or whatever it's called, for $100 (regular membership is, I think, $50) because you get Costco cash back at the end of your membership year based on a percentage of what you've spent. If you don't spend enough to get at least $50 back, Costco will give you $50 - you can't beat that!

Other items we've bought: Michellin tires (including lifetime rotation and hazzard replacement for $20/tire less than Tire Kingdom); a hand-truck; a DVD player; designer jeans and tops. I'm sure there's more that I'm forgetting. Whenever we want a "big ticket" item DH compares Costco to other places, including the Internet, and gets the best deal, which is not always Costco, but it pays to check. Oh, we got my nephew a Wii game for his birthday - retail $24 and Costco $10!

We got our Corian countertops through Costco and saved 20% over any other retailer. Even the Corian discount people in our town said it was a great deal. We will get our master bedroom carpet through them next year.

Yes, you will walk out of there with a $150-$250 bill but, for us at least, what we by will last for months. DH and I track every penny in Quicken and we are very careful with our budget and we have found that we're saving on our grocery budget in the long run.

They take cash, check, debit, or Am/Ex. I just use the debit card and have never had a problem. Also, IMO, the food court is pretty decent. The price is right and the food tastes good. The other night DH and I got 2 hot dogs, a slice of pepperoni pizza, and 2 drinks (with free refills) and it was $5

No, I don't work for Costco, or know anyone personally who does, nor do I hold stock, although I wish I could!

 

[Mickeyherewecome123]

Thank you all so much for the great info.
I think we will def get the Costco card. I am hoping they might run a special with a discounted membership fee since it is going to be a brand new store.

 

[My2Cinderellas]

Thank you all so much for the great info.
I think we will def get the Costco card. I am hoping they might run a special with a discounted membership fee since it is going to be a brand new store.

they did this when ours opened 3 years ago. DH signed up at work, paid full price $45 at the time, it's $50 now, but got a $10 gift card. If you spend $2500 or more in one year, it's worth it to get the $100 Executive membership. This gives a 2% cashback on most of your purchases (gas and travel are excluded, other special services might be also). $2500 sounds like a lot, but each monthly trip for me is $200-300, plus we bought truck tires and 2 mattress sets this year. Another bonus is that you can get in at 10AM, this works great for me. 2% of $2500 is $50, the difference in cost between the regular and executive memberships. When I had the basic membership, the front end manager would come over and let me know that I had spent enough to make the executive membership worthwhile. Now they occasionally come over and remind me of the extra cashback with the Costco amex (no annual fee, does not have to be paid in full every month). I still just use my debit card. It's a very quick and easy going sales pitch with no pressure at all.

 

[fivefordisney]

they did this when ours opened 3 years ago. DH signed up at work, paid full price $45 at the time, it's $50 now, but got a $10 gift card. If you spend $2500 or more in one year, it's worth it to get the $100 Executive membership. This gives a 2% cashback on most of your purchases (gas and travel are excluded, other special services might be also). $2500 sounds like a lot, but each monthly trip for me is $200-300, plus we bought truck tires and 2 mattress sets this year. Another bonus is that you can get in at 10AM, this works great for me. 2% of $2500 is $50, the difference in cost between the regular and executive memberships. When I had the basic membership, the front end manager would come over and let me know that I had spent enough to make the executive membership worthwhile. Now they occasionally come over and remind me of the extra cashback with the Costco amex (no annual fee, does not have to be paid in full every month). I still just use my debit card. It's a very quick and easy going sales pitch with no pressure at all.

I agree! It's totally worth paying for the executive membership. Between what you get back from Costco and what you get back from American Express, it is well worth it. Any big purchase (big tv, tires, etc) definitely helps. On the American Express, we charge gas, travel, and almost everything. What you get back is pretty surprising. I wouldn't have even know about this if not for a manager...I was buying a big tv for my dad, and Costco wouldn't take his check because he wasn't the member, I was. It really worked out wonderfully. The membership paid for itself.

 

[owensamo]

We used to have both...got rid of Costco when they decided that they would only be excepting American Express. We were not paying a membership fee for Costco and then an annual fee for AX. The membership is more expensive at Costco.

If you get the Costco Amex, there is no fee, but I think you have to renew on the card. You also get 1-5% cash back annually in Costco money (but you can cash it if you want at Costco), and the rebate is on all purchases, not just Costco.

We went this route since there are rare occations where we run into a place while travelling that doesn't take Visa or Discover. We have a free AmEx to use, and get a rebate - which helps pay for the Costco membership!

Amanda

 

[teacup princess]

Hi,
Just wondering what your thoughts are on Costco vs Sams Club. I have never been in a Costco before, only been to Sams Club.
We are getting a Costco a few towns over, and we are thinking of joining.

So which do you all think has better prices and products?

Thanks
Fran

Hi - I see you're from Chicagoland. I bet you live near me as we are getting one in my hometown. We signed up for the executive membership at the Scarecrow Festival . They were running a deal where if you bought the executive membership for $100 you got a $20 gift card on the spot and a guaranteed $50 rebate (at least) at the end of the year no matter how much you spend. So basically the executive membership is $30 for the new store.

 

[4lilpoohs]

OMGosh!! I read the first post and wondered where the OP was from since we are getting a Costco in my town. Then I got to the post from teacup princess and I thought I posted it myself!! lol We also signed up at Scarecrow Fest. We got the executive membership too. Small world!!