Costco vs Sam's Club vs BJ's

[Pardus]

Which warehouse chain do you prefer, my Sam's club membership is expiring this month and it looks like I'm switching to Costco.

Here is my summery of the three warehouse chains:

Costco: $55/year membership fee or $110 for executive. Takes AMEX/Debit/Cash or buy Costco cash card online with any credit card to use in store. Gas prices not cheaper than local stations, $3.33 at Costco vs $3.23 at Sunoco 1 mile down the road. Online coupons offer better selection of deals, coupons offered every month or so. Best selection of merchandise than the other two from what i have seen. Auto discount program and health insurance program offered.

Sam's: $45/year membership fee or $100 for plus. Takes Discover/Mastercard, Debit and Cash. Overall selection is same as Walmart with very few good deals on food, clothing, etc. Gas prices not cheaper than local stations, $3.24 at Sams vs $3.23 at local station down the road

BJ's: $50/year membership fee or $100 for rewards card. Gas prices not cheaper than local stations, $3.29 at BJ's vs $3.25 locally. Contently offer 60-day free membership. Takes all credit/debit cards. Offers coupons like the others. Only been in a BJ's once, wasn't impressed by there high prices.

 

[PottedMeat]

got any prescriptions? costco tends to run cheaper than sams

the costco amex has no fees and with ~3% cash back you'd have to spend ~$1800/yr to get the $55 membership

costco runs decent tire discounts, they usually have $100 off 4 michelins or $70 off 4 firestones

 

[T_Yamamoto]

It all depends on your location. For exam, BJs is the closest wholesaler. Also the gas price thing is totally location as well. The BJs that our family goes to has very cheap gas (compared to other places.)

 

[olds]

BJ's, hands down

 

[Rockinacoustic]

BJ's, hands down

Well, when you put it that way...

 

[waggy]

hmm my view of the top 2 stores are diffrent.

Costco: pretty much like you say

sams clug: same as costco. The gas at the one i shop is about $.10 cheaper then the other gas stations. BUT not as cheap as hyvee. A ok selection on stuff but not great. IF you pay attention you can save a bunch of money. IT was the same as teh costco i used to go to. you had to pay attention to what you were buying. Though overall costco was slightly better.

 

[classy]

We have memberships to all 3 and have for years now. Each has its pluses and minuses. Costco has a better return policies, comparable pricing to the other two, but not as many different selections. BJs seems to have a much better food selection, but not as good as Costco for like appliances and things of that nature. Sams is little behind the other two, but has better pricing. For those odd things, Sams is the place to look. For exercise supplements Sams is way better than the other two. Like when I bought tires recently Sams was golden over BJs. Better tire and cheaper. I think throughout the year having all 3 memberships is worth the cost, especially if you can allow other family to take advantage.

 

[olds]

Which warehouse chain do you prefer, my Sam's club membership is expiring this month and it looks like I'm switching to Costco.

Here is my summery of the three warehouse chains:

Costco: $55/year membership fee or $110 for executive. Takes AMEX/Debit/Cash or buy Costco cash card online with any credit card to use in store. Gas prices not cheaper than local stations, $3.33 at Costco vs $3.23 at Sunoco 1 mile down the road. Online coupons offer better selection of deals, coupons offered every month or so. Best selection of merchandise than the other two from what i have seen. Auto discount program and health insurance program offered.

Sam's: $45/year membership fee or $100 for plus. Takes Discover/Mastercard, Debit and Cash. Overall selection is same as Walmart with very few good deals on food, clothing, etc. Gas prices not cheaper than local stations, $3.24 at Sams vs $3.23 at local station down the road

BJ's: $50/year membership fee or $100 for rewards card. Takes AMEX/Debit only. Gas prices not cheaper than local stations, $3.29 at BJ's vs $3.25 locally. Contently offer 60-day free membership. Takes all credit/debit cards. Offers coupons like the others. Only been in a BJ's once, wasn't impressed by there high prices.

Huh?

And why are these stores limited on payment options, IE Visa?

 

[waggy]

We have memberships to all 3 and have for years now. Each has its pluses and minuses. Costco has a better return policies, comparable pricing to the other two, but not as many different selections. BJs seems to have a much better food selection, but not as good as Costco for like appliances and things of that nature. Sams is little behind the other two, but has better pricing. For those odd things, Sams is the place to look. For exercise supplements Sams is way better than the other two. Like when I bought tires recently Sams was golden over BJs. Better tire and cheaper. I think throughout the year having all 3 memberships is worth the cost, especially if you can allow other family to take advantage.

i have heard the same.

 

[Fritzo]

They all have their uses:

Costco: $100 Executive membership gives you an awesome AmEx card that gives you 4% on gas purchases. Costco gas is generally .10-.25 cents cheaper than anyone else. Use the card for gas purchases only and it pays for your membership every year. Also, Costco tends to stop unusual, high-end stuff for a great price, which I like. Their meat dept. is unmatched. Payment is limited to cash, check, AmEx, or debit card.

Sams- Similar membership prices to Costco, but their gas isn't as cheap and it's lower quality (has up to 20% ethanol for less gas millage, and their premium is only 91 octane). The tend to carry a lot of the same stuff Walmart does, but in larger quantities, plus a few seasonal unique items. Prices are extremely low, which is their strong point. We go to Sams before going to the grocery store and end up getting 2-3x more items for the same amount of money. They also take all forms of payment now.

BJ's seems to be a combination of the two. They carry unique items and seem to have lower prices, but their inventory isn't as good and their fresh food item quality isn't very good. BJ's actually closed around our neighborhood a while back due to competition from Costco and Sams. Just doesn't seem worth the money to me.

 

[Jadow]

my Sams Club has a totally different selection than Wal-Mart and lots of great food options. It's the ONLY place in my town to buy a big rib roast, frenched lamb chops, and lots of other cool meat options.

 

[waggy]

my Sams Club has a totally different selection than Wal-Mart and lots of great food options. It's the ONLY place in my town to buy a big rib roast, frenched lamb chops, and lots of other cool meat options.

same. it has more stuff then walmart and different brands.

 

[fustercluck]

Costco for sure. Great people at Costco. They pay well and treat their employees with lots of respect. My local one has at least 3 people who have worked there for 30+ years. All the workers are happy and glad to help you. Also great products, great food court.

Sam's Club = Walmart and Walmart treats employees like dirt and pays them as such, so they end up with a bunch of disgruntled workers and a high turnover so most of the employees aren't even experienced.

I'll quote this article to further my point:

Despite the sagging economy and challenges to the industry, Costco pays its hourly workers an average of $20.89 an hour, not including overtime (vs. the minimum wage of $7.25 an hour). By comparison, Walmart said its average wage for full-time employees in the U.S. is $12.67 an hour, according to a letter it sent in April to activist Ralph Nader. Eighty-eight percent of Costco employees have company-sponsored health insurance; Walmart says that “more than half” of its do. Costco workers with coverage pay premiums that amount to less than 10 percent of the overall cost of their plans. It treats its employees well in the belief that a happier work environment will result in a more profitable company. “I just think people need to make a living wage with health benefits,” says Jelinek. “It also puts more money back into the economy and creates a healthier country. It’s really that simple.”

And that's why Costco will always be successful.

Costco reported a profit of $537 million last quarter, up from $394 million during the same period last year, according to the Wall Street Journal. The healthy earnings report comes just six days after Jelinik urged lawmakers to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour.

Anyways... Yeah! Costco! Walmart is eeeevil. Not that Sam's is a horrible place by any means. I shop there once or twice a month, they will just never be near as good as Costco. I've never seen a BJ's warehouse. I'm familiar with BJ's brewery, which kinda sucks.

This thread needs a poll!

 

[MontyAC]

Can't beat the meat selection at Costco. Also, there are more Costco stores near my home.

 

[QueBert]

Sam's Club if for no other reason than I can get Chili on my Hot Dog in the food court.

 

[Nintendesert]

It depends on your area. The Costco here sucks compared to Sam's Club.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

Costco for sure. Great people at Costco. They pay well and treat their employees with lots of respect. My local one has at least 3 people who have worked there for 30+ years. All the workers are happy and glad to help you. Also great products, great food court.

Sam's Club = Walmart and Walmart treats employees like dirt and pays them as such, so they end up with a bunch of disgruntled workers and a high turnover so most of the employees aren't even experienced.

I'll quote this article to further my point:


And that's why Costco will always be successful.



Anyways... Yeah! Costco! Walmart is eeeevil. Not that Sam's is a horrible place by any means. I shop there once or twice a month, they will just never be near as good as Costco. I've never seen a BJ's warehouse. I'm familiar with BJ's brewery, which kinda sucks.

This thread needs a poll!

This is why I won't even consider shopping at Sam's Club. Costco is awesomesauce.

 

[RossMAN]

In before Baked and Staples.

CostCo is the obvious winner.

 

[waggy]

Costco for sure. Great people at Costco. They pay well and treat their employees with lots of respect. My local one has at least 3 people who have worked there for 30+ years. All the workers are happy and glad to help you. Also great products, great food court.

Sam's Club = Walmart and Walmart treats employees like dirt and pays them as such, so they end up with a bunch of disgruntled workers and a high turnover so most of the employees aren't even experienced.

I'll quote this article to further my point:


And that's why Costco will always be successful.



Anyways... Yeah! Costco! Walmart is eeeevil. Not that Sam's is a horrible place by any means. I shop there once or twice a month, they will just never be near as good as Costco. I've never seen a BJ's warehouse. I'm familiar with BJ's brewery, which kinda sucks.

This thread needs a poll!

all that means jack shit. Frankly i really odn't give a shit what the workers get paid.

you talk about walmart being evil because they don't pay as much. What about the fact that Costco is one of the larges business that abuses ED?

http://www.forbes.com/2003/06/11/cz_ic_0611beltway.html

One shareholder asked that Costco STOP doing it. they declined and made up excuses saying since others do it its ok.

http://www.propertyrightsresearch.org/costco.htm

n public statements aimed at diffusing negative publicity, Costco has defended its actions by claiming it is not responsible because cities independently condemn land-even though the company directly benefits by receiving prime real estate, often at below-market prices. Dana Berliner, senior attorney at the Institute for Justice, responds, "At least one court found that a local government had condemned private property at the explicit request of Costco. But even when the deals are not explicitly prearranged, by accepting land taken under the threat of eminent domain, Costco encourages and rewards a practice that strips citizens of their basic rights. A company with the size and clout of Costco could have a big impact on the decisions of local bureaucrats by simply saying 'no' the next time it is offered condemned land."





In short both are Evil. one just happens to pay its people more but steals private property. The other pays its people a lower wage.

 

[Sonikku]

Sams Club meat is decent.

Walmart meat 200 meters down the lot is inedible. Never quite figured that one out.

 

[Staples]

I doubt many people are members of multiple clubs but I have been with Costco for over 10 years and they have served me well. Don't know anything about the others.

And I see Rossman already voted for me

 

[waggy]

Sams Club meat is decent.

Walmart meat 200 meters down the lot is inedible. Never quite figured that one out.

agree. we get Sams club meat on occasion. walmart meat? fuck that i wouldn't feed it to my dog.

 

[davmat787]

Been going to Costco since store #1 opened in Seattle. Costco is so entrenched in the northwest, that there are BJ's and I think there is one Sams.

Costco meat can't be beat! Even freezing some the meat is still better.

 

[MontyAC]

Hard to beat Costco for grade A veggies/fruits, prime cut meats and large seafood selections.

 

[ponyo]

I'm member of both Costco and Sam's Club. Costco tend to cater more to individuals and families. Sam's Club is more small business focused. I prefer Costco for home but I buy most of my business stuff at Sam's Club.