Sams membership expiring, debating Costco - give me your thoughts

[MMCD]

I have both membership at the lowest level. Sam's is close and I get gas there weekly. Costco finally moved into my "2nd circle bubble" so I am willing to drive a little farther. Costco gas is 10 cents cheaper then my Sams. I mostly shop at Costco for their organic food, gluten free, nitrates free food. Plus they carry approved rating vitamin supplements. I am so mad at Costco for no longer carrying their Greek pasta salad and their "super green" vegetable juice. It is a zoo at Costco. I will get gas at Costco when I shop. There is a line at the gas pumps also. The rental car is a big savings that I usually get my money's worth back having a Costco card.

Sam's gas is 5 cents cheaper then the other gas stations nearby. So I get my membership savings back having a Sams card especially since I have 4 cars that I need to fill up weekly with one of them being a Suburban. But if I can only afford one, then I would go with Costco and really make sure I take the Suburban with me so I can get gas and grocery at the same time.

 

[yanilat]

I love Costco! I prefer it over Sam's .

 

[DreamIsaWish]

I agree with previous posters that you should really do a walk-through, or at least a search on their website, of the items you usually purchase to compare.

I considered dropping our Sam's Club membership back in June because we have a great store in our area called Woodman's that carries a HUGE variety of foods at prices as cheap or cheaper than Sam's. BUT, I cannot get a specific brand of gluten free protein bars at Woodmans, Costco, Meijers,or even Amazon for the price I pay at Sam's. It is something I eat for breakfast every day. The savings I receive for buying these at Sams basically pays for my membership so other savings are just gravy.

Gosh, I love Woodman's! Just got one near our house

 

[DreamIsaWish]

Costco has been carrying nice American Girl bundles every holiday season, so I like that (they used to have the gift cards at 20% off -- I really miss that!). Bought our sofa there and it's been holding out great! New hiking shoes for my Boy Scout son (only $16!), as well as hiking socks and a good jacket for the big trip. Allergy meds are cheap.

They used to have older Disney DVDs for good prices. Haven't seen that in a while.

 

[tcufrog]

I have Sam's business and Costco Executive. The hours at Sam's are much better but the only stuff I regularly buy there are All Free and Clear pods, diabetes testing supplies for my mil and prescription glasses for me. The price of glasses is usually better than Costco and I prefer their selection. I also find a much better price on big bags of name brand Halloween candy for trick or treaters at Sam's and they have a better selection of college gear at Sam's where I live. My dh and I attended the same alma mater and we currently live in the city that the college is in. I usually visit Sam's every fall to get us new college t-shirts before football starts. If I need office supplies I also visit Sam's because they have a better selection.

I visit Costco for most other things. I like the Kirkland brand and it's the only store brand I'm loyal to. Their cashews are huge and buttery. I haven't found another brand that's quite as good. I also think they have a better selection of books and holiday items. When our kids were babies we bought Kirkland wipes and Huggies diapers there. Now that they're older I buy them pjs and Adidas pants and shorts, books, fruit, cheese sticks, and Christmas presents. I'm eyeing for DS7 a Beyblade set. It has two Beyblades and an arena for $17.00. Considering how ridiculously expensive those glorified tops are, that's a great deal. I also love their flowers, paper goods, cleaning supplies, dog food, and dog dental chews.

I don’t believe Costco does the one day pass. Totally worth the membership.

Where else can you buy a shredder, a dress, patio pots and yummy steak?

You can go from birth to death at Costco. Diapers and wipes when you're a baby. Backpacks, uniforms and books/toys when you're a kid. A laptop when you go off to college and wedding invitations and a diamond ring when you get married. Insurance when you move out on your own and a mortgage when you get your own home. When you kick the bucket your family can buy your coffin online from Costco.

 

[mommyrosa2]

You can go from birth to death at Costco. Diapers and wipes when you're a baby. Backpacks, uniforms and books/toys when you're a kid. A laptop when you go off to college and wedding invitations and a diamond ring when you get married. Insurance when you move out on your own and a mortgage when you get your own home. When you kick the bucket your family can buy your coffin online from Costco.

 

[aml3679]

We have both and you may want to do both. We love Costco but there are only 2 of us and I find a lot of their food to be geared towards larger families. It is a nice store though. At Sam's, I find that I can buy most of their food in bulk. If I had to pick one over the other, I would be in the minority and choose Sam's.

 

[seasheller]

When we moved to a different state last year, we signed up for a Costco membership and their credit card since they had a special going on carpeting and installation. A week later I got a request from them asking for so much information before they would give us a credit card. They wanted our tax statements and W-2's from the last two years!!! We have zero debt and our FICO score is over 800 so we had never been asked for anything like that. They never did call to give an estimate on the carpeting. Needless to say, we cancelled the membership. When I called to cancel they never did ask why, but I definitely told them what happened. Their response - "Well, I don't blame you for cancelling!"

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

When we moved to a different state last year, we signed up for a Costco membership and their credit card since they had a special going on carpeting and installation. A week later I got a request from them asking for so much information before they would give us a credit card. They wanted our tax statements and W-2's from the last two years!!! We have zero debt and our FICO score is over 800 so we had never been asked for anything like that. They never did call to give an estimate on the carpeting. Needless to say, we cancelled the membership. When I called to cancel they never did ask why, but I definitely told them what happened. Their response - "Well, I don't blame you for cancelling!"

I actually don't think this is a Costco issue at all. I think it's coming from Citibank. Now one might argue that Costco partnered up with them but it seems like Citi does this with other types of cards they have.

So I would say give Costco membership another chance if you like Costco or want more of an opportunity to see what they have to offer (though I can't speak for non-responsiveness of carpet installation--I go to Costco for so many products so it works out for me at this point).

 

[_19disnA]

I dropped my memberships when Walmart finally came to our area. No lines, no membership fees, almost identical cost on the items I buy.

I agree. Have been to Costco and Sam's with friends who had a membership. While they may sell a few items at a lower price, they mostly trick you into buying a HUGE quantity of something due to the packaging. $10 for 10 rolls of paper towels isn't really a bargain compared to $1 per roll at Walmart or the local grocery store. I think you need to know your unit prices to make the best choices. If you buy a huge container of something perishable or with a shelf life (i.e. herbs/spices) that loses their flavor/goes bad before you use it up, then it really wasn't a bargain.