# Costco vs Sam’s Club vs BJs **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 4, 2023, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costco-vs-sam-s-club-vs-bjs/977676 "2023-01-04T19:16:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![2\_More\_Bits](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2_more_bits/32/4148_2.png) [@2\_More\_Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2_More_Bits)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costco-vs-sam-s-club-vs-bjs/977676/1 "2023-01-04T19:16:51Z")
We are soon to get a BJs Wholesale Club nearby. I’ve been a Costco member for a decade and was a Sam’s member for the decade before that. Frankly, other than blue signage at one and orange signage at the other, they are pretty much identical (to me). What does BJs bring to the table? (And what color is their signage?) ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costco-vs-sam-s-club-vs-bjs/977676/2 "2023-01-04T19:34:36Z")
Never heard of BJs. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costco-vs-sam-s-club-vs-bjs/977676/3 "2023-01-04T19:35:56Z")
Now you have… [BJ’s Wholesale Club](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BJ%27s_Wholesale_Club). ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costco-vs-sam-s-club-vs-bjs/977676/4 "2023-01-04T19:37:42Z")
Apparently BJ’s is smaller than the other two and sells more name brand products. According to [this](https://www.businessinsider.com/which-is-the-best-warehouse-club-costco-sams-club-bjs-compared-2022-6). ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costco-vs-sam-s-club-vs-bjs/977676/5 "2023-01-04T19:38:31Z")
I think BJs is more regional that Sam’s or Costco, mostly on the East Coast. I _believe_ that Costco’s customer base is, generally, wealthier than that of Sam’s Club and that may be apparent in the mix of merchandise. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costco-vs-sam-s-club-vs-bjs/977676/6 "2023-01-04T19:47:08Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > Never heard of BJs. There is a obvious inappropriate joke to be had here. Suffice to say its understood and I don’t have to go there. But someone has to at least call it out! Least we go off on a BJs tangent. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costco-vs-sam-s-club-vs-bjs/977676/7 "2023-01-04T19:56:13Z")
I didn’t want to go there either. No BJ’s Wholesale Clubs\*\*\* in California. \*\*\* Spelled out the store name this time. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costco-vs-sam-s-club-vs-bjs/977676/8 "2023-01-04T19:58:37Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > > [@carrps](#): > > > > Never heard of BJs. > > There is a obvious inappropriate joke to be had here. Suffice to say its understood and I don’t have to go there. > > But someone has to at least call it out! Least we go off on a BJs tangent. 🙂 Really? You _had_ to call it out? You couldn’t just be an adult and ignore it? ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costco-vs-sam-s-club-vs-bjs/977676/9 "2023-01-04T20:00:15Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > You couldn’t just be an adult and ignore it? What board have you been participating in all this time? 🤨 This is me adulting. 🤪 ---
**Author:** ![mjmartin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3d9bf3/32.png) [@mjmartin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mjmartin)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costco-vs-sam-s-club-vs-bjs/977676/10 "2023-01-04T20:04:18Z")
BJs has red signs. We like it more than Costco, and rely on it extensively with 3 kids. I can’t say that I have done an item by item price check, but they seem fairly similar. The selling point for me is that BJs has a good house brand for a lot a staple products for my family (contact solution, coffee, bottled water, etc.). ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costco-vs-sam-s-club-vs-bjs/977676/11 "2023-01-04T20:11:12Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > Never heard of BJs. Well, I have, but the other two choices are something entirely different. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costco-vs-sam-s-club-vs-bjs/977676/12 "2023-01-04T20:20:49Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > > > > [@carrps](#): > > > > > > Never heard of BJs. > > > > There is a obvious inappropriate joke to be had here. Suffice to say its understood and I don’t have to go there. > > > > But someone has to at least call it out! Least we go off on a BJs tangent. 🙂 > > Really? You _had_ to call it out? You couldn’t just be an adult and ignore it? Sez the guy with the Alfred E. Newman avatar. Really? _Really?_😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costco-vs-sam-s-club-vs-bjs/977676/13 "2023-01-04T20:23:46Z")
That’s a common misconception. The image only _looks_ like Alfred E Neuman but it’s actually a portrait of me. My parents paid a lot of money to a very good artist in Connecticut for that. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costco-vs-sam-s-club-vs-bjs/977676/14 "2023-01-04T20:23:57Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > > [@carrps](#): > > > > Never heard of BJs. > > Well, I have, but the other two choices are something entirely different. I hear that they have red signs, and I bet they light up to make it easier to find your BJs. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costco-vs-sam-s-club-vs-bjs/977676/15 "2023-01-04T20:32:20Z")
BJ’s is one of our local big companies and we have a lot more of them than Costco. But I do not know anyone who drives past Costco to go to BJs, and a lot who drive past two BJs to get to a Costco 20+ miles away.