Quick question:
So I am tired of hearing from others about the wild deals available at Sam’s Club and Costco. If anyone have experience at both, which would you recommend over the other? I am mostly interested in food, if that helps any.
Costco has a kick ass bakery in which it is not uncommon to get a pizza that is 19 inches in diameter, which is one of the best home-cooked pizzas I have eaten, for around 8 bucks.
Both Costco and Sam’s are on par with the other. Which one is more convenient to you? That’s the way I’d decide. Although we had to go back to Sam’s after a year at Costco. Costco didn’t carry fish sticks. The boys eat a LOT of fish sticks, so not being able to get them in giant bags was the deal-breaker.
If you’re intersted in good food, I’d say Costco has a slight edge over Sam’s. You should be able to take a look at both places before you sign up.
That’s what we had for dinner last night! (And tonight - it’s huge) You’re right - it was $7.99. And better than what we can get delivered around here.
I prefer Costco. The food’s better and the other stuff they stock is nicer - a little more “upmarket” (as much as a warehouse store can be).
The membership for Costco is more than Sam’s, but Costco isn’t part of the eeeeeevil Wal-borg family.
Costco gets my business
All the people I know who go to Sam’s like Sam’s ok, but the Costco shoppers I know are deeply passionate about going to Costco.
I’ve had memberships to both and went over to Costco because I like the food selection better ( meat department, pizza, bakery, Wine) is excellent.
Their sporting goods stuff is outstanding. We bought our huge tent from them and two sleeping bags and two air mattresses and a few other things related and it was under $300 for top of the line stuff.
Also, Costco carries a guarantee with their products. You buy, say a tent, and a year later you realize there is a defect, you can return it and they will replace it with whatever they have on stock ( which is usually the next seasons stuff and a newer & improved version anyway.) I believe this is a life time product guaratee. But don’t quote me on it.
And, I’ve been told that the Prescriptions at Either place are suppose to be cheaper than anywhere else. Haven’t done this yet.
I am about 2 miles away from either, so it looks like Costco gets the nod. Now, to go load up on steaks and chicken for the grilling season…
COSTCO by a mile!
I use to be a member of Costco and loved it. Then I moved to an area that does not have a Costco and only has a Sam’s Club. Thinking that I’d still like to shop at a warehouse style place, I went to Sam’s Club once with a friend to check it out and possibly apply for a membership. Once I got there I was not impressed at all and only wanted to get out of the store. Seems as if the products there weren’t as high end as at Costco and the place looked a whole lot junkier, if that’s possible for a warehouse.
I think this question is kinda like a Wal-mart versus Target thing and if you prefer Target, I think you’ll prefer Costco too.
Now if I could just get Costco to locate here…
I have memberships to both, and they’re virtually across the street from each other here, so I can compare them sort of apples to apples.
Costco takes credit cards (all, I think). Sam’s takes their own and maybe Discover. Since I like to pay with AmEx I find Sam’s more inconvenient; I have to remember to bring checks to pay them.
Sam’s, at least here, tends to be more crowded with older folks. A lot of elderly people in our area use them as a less expensive prescription service and to get the free samples. Since I’m usually in a hurry and on business shopping this a bit vexing, but they do have early hours for Business Members. Costco doesn’t seem to draw as many of the fixed income retirees.
Costco’s does seem to have slightly better brands and quality. This can vary on an item by item basis.
Costco’s definitely has friendlier customer service. This is probably a function of how many people they have to deal with, but it could also be a factor of payscale.
Sam’s does seem to have slightly lower costs on similar or same items, although occasionally I find that Costco is cheaper. They don’t always carry the same stuff, but they do carry very similar items most of the time.
Net I tend to prefer Costco since I get fewer hassles shopping there.
We don’t have Sam’s down here, but we have Costco and B.J.'s, and my family has a B.J.'s membership. I think they are pretty comparable, although I wouldn’t be surprised if the food at Costco had a slight edge.
Check out this article from Fortune Magazine: Costco: The Only Company Wal-Mart Fears:
http://www.fortune.com/fortune/investing/articles/0,15114,538834,00.html
After reading that article, I feel like I’m doing something downright morally right by shopping there!
I’ve been an enthusiastic Costco customer for years–even from when it was called Price Club in this area. I don’t go all that often, but it’s definitely one of the few stores that I patronize regularly. I don’t necessarily go for the prices on food as much as I go because they have stuff there that you just can’t get elsewhere. (I usually do better on packaged food prices with coupons and sales at my local Pathmark.) But for meats, fish, cheese, produce, and bakery, it’s great.
We’re planning on getting a digital camera this evening. We’ve done lots of research, and figured out what we want. There are several models that fit the bill. So we’re going to go to Costco first and see iwhat they have. If they have one that is satisfactory, we’ll just get it there. I’d much rather buy electronics there than someplace like Best Buy. The selection is very limited, of course, but if you’re open to several possibilites, and what you’re looking for is a common type of thing, then you can usually get the best deal there and you don’t have to deal with the bozos at the electronics store.
ShibbOleth, my Costco doesn’t take any credit cards except their own Amex. I wonder if each store has different rules?
I have never been to a BJ’s or a Sam’s Club but I LOVE Costco. It’s shocking how cheap some of their stuff is. I went a couple of days ago and bought coffee filters for the office - 400 for $3.19. I had bought some at the regular grocery a week ago - 40 for $2.49.
I got Boursin cheese - two wheels for $5.99 - Stop & Shop charges $5.99 each. Jarlsberg cheese at Costco is $3.89/lb. - at S&S, $6.99/lb.
The one disadvantage I’ve found is that as a single person, it’s hard for me to buy perishable items since they tend to go bad. (Not including cheese, which lasts a long time.)
I had a membership with Sam’s Clubs until Costco opened up in our area. It’s better by a mile! The quality of the food is excellent, as is the customer service. The prices are comparable. The stores are slightly more aesthetically appealing, and, as Vunderbob pointed out, they’re not part of the eeeeeeeevil Walmart empire.
As far as I know, they take any Amex, not just a costco one. I don’t have have Amex, so I’m not sure, what I am sure of is that they do also take debit cards.
I love Costco 
Costco pays their workers more than ‘just a living wage’ and all of the ones in my area seem to have a better quality and selection than all of the Sams Clubs in my area (even the newer ones).
The BJs here are not bad, either; but I’m closer to a Costco than a BJs at this point.
In my area, Costco and Sam’s are all of a block apart. For most things, they are comparable. I’ll shop Costco just to be able to say that, today at least, WalMart didn’t get my business. 
ShibbOleth:
As far as I know - and I’ve been shopping at Costco for almost ten years - Costco only takes American Express (any, not just their own). Until a few years ago, they only took Discover. A big part of their business plan, it would seem, is selling one credit card issuer the exclusive rights to be used at Costco.
I’ve never had a Sam’s Club near me, so I can’t compare. However, I do love Costco, and I do think it’s better than BJ’s.
My favorite thing about Costco is their low price on new books, CDs and DVDs. Better than any price you’ll find at on-line search engines like DVDPriceSearch.com (which I heartily recommend for any DVDs not available at Costco, e.g., South Park).
I just realized that the article I linked to only shows you the first part of the article. Sorry. I accessed the full text through my public library website.
Payscale is a huge part of it. According to the article I linked to, Costco starts its employees at $10/hour. And they don’t fart around with stuff like scheduling the workers for 31.5 hours so they don’t have to pay full-time bennies. After 3 years or so, the cashiers make over $40,000. That’s a living wage in this area. Turnover is low because of this and because they treat the employees well. The result is that the person ringing you up is likely to be an experienced and satisfied worker.
This area (central Jersey) has a notorious shortage of retail workers. We have tons and tons of retail stores, and a population that is generally educated and skilled enough to get higher-paying work. The demand for decent retail workers is greater than the supply. But retail being retail, most companies don’t do anything to address this. Those Wal-Mart ads with the smiley workers are so ridiculous. Our Wal-Mart’s are staffed by the bottom-of-the-barrel folks. The better retail workers go to places like Costco where they are paid and treated much better.
I don’t know if Sam’s Club has exactly the same HR policies as Wal-Mart, but I’d expect that the pay and particulars are a lot worse than at Costco.
I think that Costco is the only store that sells Stretch-Tite plastic food wrap and it is the GOD of all plastic food wraps. Once you’ve tried it you’ll never be able to use anything else even if you have to buy 2 500 sq. ft. boxes of it at a time. Since I no longer live in a Costco city, I always have my MIL bring some up when she comes for her annual visit. This stuff can be used over and over without losing its cling and you could mummify yourself in it when you are dead…or hell even use it for a condom if you are in need and have none around.