Sam's vs Costco

[lnh'smom]

We've had a Sam's Club in our city for years. A Costco is getting ready to open in the next month. Anyone that has both in their area have a preference of one over the other? I haven't renewed my Sams membership cause I'm not sure which is better. (I'm sure it's a matter of opinion, just curious as to what others opinions are.) TIA!

 

[Debbie7452]

I prefer Costco for the return policy. I just returned a broken Shark steamer today after 2 years. They didn't question me or bat an eye just gave me a full refund. I did have my receipt and original box and all that stuff. Costco is awesome!

 

[ericstac]

we just got a costco a couple months ago and i prefer it over the two sams clubs we have in our area.

plus like debbie said, that return policy is legit..

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Costco also treats its employees better; that, for me, is the deal maker.

 

[mommy-3]

We've had a Sam's Club in our city for years. A Costco is getting ready to open in the next month. Anyone that has both in their area have a preference of one over the other? I haven't renewed my Sams membership cause I'm not sure which is better. (I'm sure it's a matter of opinion, just curious as to what others opinions are.) TIA!

You must in/near Fort Wayne! I'm in Decatur and I was wondering the same thing! My Sam's doesn't expire till December, so I'm curious too

 

[Muushka]

I belong to Sam's which is about 8 miles away and Costco which is about 15 miles away.

It's worth it to travel the extra 7 miles to Costco. Much better selection.
But Sams has great bread and I get some great deals on clearance items.

 

[Fire14]

I personally find Costco has higher quality foods and staff seem happier. I had both and haven't renewed sam's membership in 3 years. I will say though that sam's has Disney and I tunes gift cards and I've never seen at Costco. I also like fact Costco carries gift cards year around.

 

[mieuxmew]

Costco seems to be a bit more upscale. Costco's brand, Kirkland, often beats out the name brands in consumer reports testing. More designer brand clothing. More organic food selection. Higher quality merchandise. I purchased furniture for my kids rooms and it rivaled the Pottery Barn! Lots of temptations to spend money because you are saving money
You won't find this item at BJ's !! A $150,000 savings definitely makes the $55 membership fee a no brainer!

http://www.costco.com/4.25-ct-Round...itaire-Ring-$459,999.99.product.11658103.html

Only Amex and debit cards accepted (credit cards online only). You can also buy interesting stuff like bulk wedding flowers, Wagyu beef, a years supply of emergency food, and even funeral caskets. All joking aside, we love Costco and have been members since it was the Price Club. The employees are awesome and the return policy is excellent!

Bjs tends to have a bit more selection of brands. We were members when my kids were babies, as BJs had a lot more choices of diapers, formula, wipes, baby gear, etc. They have more selection of kids snacks, toiletries, pet items, etc. BJ's accepts credit cards.

Give Costco a try - the membership fee is refundable.

 

[nalajms]

We have membership to both. Costco is 10mins away and Sams is about 30mins. I make the trek to Sams to load up. Most groceries are cheaper at Sams. But there are some things that are priced about the same or a bit higher. For example, rib eye is about 6.99/lb at Sams. Costco is usually 9.99/lb.

I think it really depends what you buy. We like the bakery at Costco better. Organic milk at Sams is cheaper than the Kirkland brand. Fruit in general is cheaper. Apples at Sams come in a bag. Costco has the plastic case that surrounds each apple. It doesn't make the apples taste better.

Costco does treat their employees better. But that also means they are closed more often when I'm off work. One perk is that our Costco has gas, Sams does not. The gas is usually 15-20cents cheaper than the other local stations.

I'm not sure if it's still the case, but they used to refund your entire membership if you are unhappy with it at anytime during the year.

Oh, and the renewal is less than 12 months. If you purchase on 10/31/13, you'll need to pay membership your next use after 9/30/2014. Sams is the exact date, so sometimes I can stretch it out another week.

 

[tvguy]

Now that we have Super Walmart, don't belong to either. Not much price savings and both kids are out of the house. Having a tough time finishing a half gallon of milk these days before the expiration date.

I think Sam's Clubs big advantage to me was their hours are longer, and they are open holidays. I know some feel that is an indication of how Costco treats their employees better, which it is. But it is also an indication of less customer service for sooo many of us who don't get holidays off.

 

[happymommy]

I belonged to both for years, and recently dropped my Sam's membership (it was on my folks account so only a few dollars a year extra). I hadn't gone to Sam's in such a long time that it was a waste.

I go to Costco about once a week - their food (meat especially) is better than Sam's in my opinion. They do carry a higher quality of things like clothing as well. Sam's is a step down.

I definitely prefer Costco quality. Just wish they opened early like Sam's!

 

[ready123go]

We have memberships to both. Have thought about dropping one or the other, but I use them both enough to justify the dual membership. I agree with previous poster - it depends upon what you buy.

Even though mine are nearly next to each other, I use Sam's more. Both have petrol. Price is roughly the same (last I checked), but C's lines are unreal. I also shop two other Cs and one other SC in my area. In both cases the differing locales have different products that they carry. Most are the same, but a few are different.



Sam's- I use this one the most. Produce, meat (C's tastes/smells odd), seafood (better price, smaller packages), eggs (smaller package, brand I like), cheese (they use paper between slices, so you can get them apart), clothes, some furniture.

SCs produce is much the same from store to store. I also like that they have smaller 'bulk' packaging - i.e. 2 lbs. containers vs. 5 lbs containers. Entertainment electronics - TVs, Bose stereo, Onkyo receiver (SC got this set before C). C has newer electronics, but we wait a few months before buying. That way SC get them in, the price drops and they run specials on their credit card - no interest for 12, 18 or 24 months. Same basic return policy, but customer service has given me a little attitude from time to time.



Costco- Office electronics (laptops, servers, etc.), soft furnishings (pillows, blankets, area rugs - my Pottery Barn rugs were junk- Costco's seem better, so far) some few groceries, Costco brand laundry detergent & dishwasher detergent (Kirkland). Also the quality of produce seems to differ at C more. Couldn't tell you why. Customer Service has given me a tiny bit of attitude, less than SC, but it's there.

Our local branch looks like they drop-kick the produce before attempting to sell it, but the 2 stores further out have nicer-looking stuff. I find that though Customer Service has a better attitude, the clientele at (our) C can be overbearing.

Oh, one last, weird thing - at C my car get more dents, dings and broken taillights. Pretty sure this has something to do with the above.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I belong to both and prefer Costco's. Sams is closer so I go there weekly to get gas and if the DH says "we are having a potluck in the morning and work" I will run there to see what I can come up with since its close.

Like someone else said the Costco's return policy is GREAT! Took back an items DH bought a year ago that was never taken out of the box and they refunded it with no problem.

Sometimes the rental car prices on their website are pretty good other times not so. I usually take the Costco discount code and go directly to the car rental sight and get a better deal than what is on Costco travel section.

Gift cards are discounted at Costco. For example you can get $100 worth of Wolf Gang Puck GC for $79.99. Which are good at Disney!

 

[Lita]

We have membership to both. Costco is 10mins away and Sams is about 30mins. I make the trek to Sams to load up. Most groceries are cheaper at Sams. But there are some things that are priced about the same or a bit higher. For example, rib eye is about 6.99/lb at Sams. Costco is usually 9.99/lb. I think it really depends what you buy. We like the bakery at Costco better. Organic milk at Sams is cheaper than the Kirkland brand. Fruit in general is cheaper. Apples at Sams come in a bag. Costco has the plastic case that surrounds each apple. It doesn't make the apples taste better. Costco does treat their employees better. But that also means they are closed more often when I'm off work. One perk is that our Costco has gas, Sams does not. The gas is usually 15-20cents cheaper than the other local stations. I'm not sure if it's still the case, but they used to refund your entire membership if you are unhappy with it at anytime during the year. Oh, and the renewal is less than 12 months. If you purchase on 10/31/13, you'll need to pay membership your next use after 9/30/2014. Sams is the exact date, so sometimes I can stretch it out another week.

Our local Sam's club has gas and is much cheaper than other places. I use them if I don't have a lot of Kroger fuel points. We only have Sam's and BJs in our area. I haven't really shopped at Costco since I lived in CA.

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[lost*in*cyberspace]

Costco is much better.

There are many discussions here already on this same topic. Try doing a search; you'll find a lot more information.

 

[DreamerWDW]

This is a great thread! Thanks for all the info. I have a Costco opening near me soon and I was wondering how it compared to Sam's as well.

 

[My3kiddos]

I have a Sams membership thru my work and have 2 Sams Clubs on my route home so I shop there alot. We are getting a Costco next month about 5 miles from my house so I'm going to check it out and possibly get a membership. I notice alot of you saying that Sams treats their employees bad, but both of my kids work at Sams Club and LOVE IT and all of the members of management. They both work part time, but get between 30-40 hours a week and their starting pay was high in my opinion. They also just got a bonus. My son previously worked for Walmart and he said there is no comparison between the two. Walmart was just awful to its employees.

 

[Judyat]

Good question. We had up until July both Costco and Sam's and we've had them for years. Both are about 10 miles away in opposite directions. We like them both but get to Costco more often since it is by more things that we go to.. When our Sam's membership ran out in July we did not renew figuring we would the next time we got there we would. So far we haven't. We also have BJs which is much closer and that's the one we use the most so in some cases it may have to do with how close it is. I would also agree that I like Costco because of it's return policy (which I haven't needed to use but like it if I did need to return something.) I also like how they treat their employees with higher wages. I'm not a fan of walmart and Sam's is connected to them so I think I will not renew my Sam's.

 

[EPCOTatNight]

It's ironic that I saw this thread this morning. The only Costco in Louisiana opened here last week. We'll be going there in about an hour. I have a Sam's membership and we have multiple within a 20 mile radius, but I just want to go check Costco out. We'll probably get a membership. I've been interested in Costco since I learned that they give cash cards when booking a cruise with them.

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[4HppyCamprs]

We have both. Costco is classier. Costco also treats their employees much better so it is my first choice everytime. That said we have SAMs because they carry items different from what Costco carries. Overall for us Costco is just a better organization.

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