Costco vs sams club vs neither.

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JBTX
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Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by JBTX »

I hear a lot of people here use Costco. I'm not sure I have ever been in one. Years ago my wife had a sams club membership. My perception was that you typically had to buy in such bulk it kind of defeated the purpose.

How is Costco different than sams club?

What makes Costco worthwhile? Lower prices? Buying in bulk.

I may have to take a look sometime. How much is annual fee? Do they take any credit card? My recollection is sams club was they only took discover.
Rupert
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by Rupert »

There was a long, contentious thread about this very question recently that I believe was locked because some people seem to think it's a political question. I recommend you do a search for that thread because I can't imagine there are any additional arguments that could be made re the matter.
barnaclebob
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by barnaclebob »

Costco has generally high quality products, generally in bulk, and generally lower priced than elsewhere. Like anything if you buy more than you need its not really a deal. Their customer service in regards to returns is also top notch.
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N1CKV
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by N1CKV »

It sounds like a lot may have changed since your previous experience with wholesale clubs.
Rupert has good advice.

Both now generally accept major credit cards. Both specialize in "bulk" sale (it is a wholesale club). Costco typically has items a notch higher in quality for generic brands. They both have strong points and weaknesses.
new2bogle
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by new2bogle »

Costco doesn't need to be bulk. You do not need to buy a 6 pack of LG LED TVs to get a good deal on them. Or a 6 pack of winter jackets.

Some "bulk" items save a lot of money. You can "almost" pay for your entire membership buying just one item over a year, like: costco brand zyrtec, contact lens solution, organic ketchup, quaker oatmeal.

ETA:
My in-laws have both Sams and Costco memberships: Sams has a better selection of items they use for their business; Costco has a better selection for their own personal use.
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JBTX
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by JBTX »

Just looked the closest Costco is 13 miles away. Kind of surprising in the DFW metroplex.
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FuyuKei
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by FuyuKei »

Some things are cheaper at Sam's club, some things are cheaper at Costco. As far as price of product goes I feel they generally even out, but I feel like Costco has slightly higher quality with meats and produce. At least locally Costco is usually cleaner as well.

On most things grocery at both stores I found prices to be pretty much the same at Walmart though. May depend on where you live.

Costco does compensate their employees more, which is nice.
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JBTX
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by JBTX »

new2bogle wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2017 3:19 pm Costco doesn't need to be bulk. You do not need to buy a 6 pack of LG LED TVs to get a good deal on them. Or a 6 pack of winter jackets.

Some "bulk" items save a lot of money. You can "almost" pay for your entire membership buying just one item over a year, like: costco brand zyrtec, contact lens solution, organic ketchup, quaker oatmeal.

ETA:
My in-laws have both Sams and Costco memberships: Sams has a better selection of items they use for their business; Costco has a better selection for their own personal use.
You aren't kidding on the generic Zyrtec. I just paid around $40 for 300+ tablets at Walgreens. Here it is $14!!!

https://m.costco.com/Kirkland-Signature ... 12465.html
pshonore
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by pshonore »

Costco (as well as Sams and BJs) definitely takes VISA. Depending on the product, the quantities are not really "bulk". Two loaves of bread, three steaks, one rotisserie chicken, etc. BJs has a deli which will slice any quantity you want. You probably can't buy one can of soup.
EagertoLearnMore
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by EagertoLearnMore »

Personal preferences so here is my experience. Recently I had a Sam's Club membership as well as Costco. I did not renew Sam's Club as I found very few things there at more attractive prices than Costco and their selection was not as high quality. Years ago I had BJ's membership and preferred BJ's to Sam's Club, but not to Costco.

Costco has excellent values on eyeglasses, some clothing, prescriptions, and over the counter items. It depends on what your family buys on a regular basis. The gas prices are usually lower than surrounding stations too.
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by S&L1940 »

new2bogle wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2017 3:19 pm Costco doesn't need to be bulk. You do not need to buy a 6 pack of LG LED TVs to get a good deal on them. Or a 6 pack of winter jackets.
Some "bulk" items save a lot of money. You can "almost" pay for your entire membership buying just one item over a year, like: costco brand zyrtec, contact lens solution, organic ketchup, quaker oatmeal.
Agree, we belong to BJs and Costco - just the two of us - laundry and paper goods are possibly the only items we buy in super quantity. Yet, for us, they store easily in our garage.
Frozen veggies are mostly multiple packs within on bag. Easy to store, use one mini baggy at a time and keep the rest sealed and fresh. Know folks who have two refrigerators to handle the over runs. We are able to get what we need, cover two memberships in savings and pack one fridge/freezer to capacity. And of course there is the savings for gas. We usually are making at least one trip a month to either or both. Never been inside a Sam's. BJs and Costco are each about 12-14 miles round trip.
Well worth it for us
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by Emilyjane »

We have gotten good prices on rental cars and cruises at costco. You can look at the prices without membership. We live over an hour away from the nearest store, still find quarterly visits when we are in the city to be worth it.
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El Greco
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by El Greco »

Costco is great if you know how to use it. You'll save a lot of money and get high quality products. I recommend you have storage space for non-perishable merchandise and a dedicated freezer to get the most benefit out of it. I buy salmon and cod here in large quantities and freeze portions with the aid of a Foodsaver vacuum system as well as steaks, pork chops, chicken etc. The deals on electronics are quite good and Costco automatically doubles the guarantee. You can find stationery supplies and printer ink, furniture, chlorine tabs for pool maintenance and all sorts of stuff you may or may not need from reputable brands at low prices. The other plus is their liberal return policy. More than once I bought boxes of fruit that weren't up to snuff and returned an unsatisfactory carpet steamer 6 months after purchase. Costco took them back no questions asked. If you shop intelligently, you won't waste a thing and save big bucks. Just stay away from the gallon size jars of Mayonnaise :wink:
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oldcomputerguy
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by oldcomputerguy »

N1CKV wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2017 3:19 pm It sounds like a lot may have changed since your previous experience with wholesale clubs.
Both now generally accept major credit cards.
Costco only accepts Visa.
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furikake
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by furikake »

I'm in a DFW suburb myself, the closest Costco to me is 8.3 miles away, next closest is 13 miles. I had a Sam's Club membership years ago but did not renew, I renewed with Costco instead. Last year Amex was doing free Sam's Club membership so I got a Plus membership for free, also did not renew. I walked into Sam's Club several times, I could not find anything I actually needed or wanted. There are a few frozen items that they have that Costco doesn't have that I like, so I'd just stock up during their open house several times a year. But at Costco, everytime I walk in, there are things I need and things I want to buy. They just have better stuff there at Costco. But of course Sam's Club has to one up Costco always, so you may find prices like 1 penny lower at Sam's Club compared to Costco. The closest Sam's Club is less than a mile from the Costco I usually go to.

Shopping at Costco during the day during the week is like shopping at Sam's Club on the weekend. Sam's Club doesn't ever get busy, but Costco is always busy.
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by sport »

In my area, the closest Sam's Club closed up "due to competition and lack of business". The Costco store is always busy.
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by S&L1940 »

oldcomputerguy wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2017 4:16 pm
N1CKV wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2017 3:19 pm It sounds like a lot may have changed since your previous experience with wholesale clubs.
Both now generally accept major credit cards.
Costco only accepts Visa.
A Visa card is not that hard to own, odds are that someone with several cards in their possession has at least one. If not, cash always seems to work just as well as long as you are a member.
When Costco was only accepting American Express, options were kind of narrower.
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by JBTX »

Thanks for the replies! I'll definitely have to give it a look.

2 questions?

Do you spend a long time in a checkout line?

Sounds like there are 2 levels of membership $55 and $110. The $110 gets something like 2% back. Which would pay for itself if you shopped there $250 per month. Which do you go with ?
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by Alexa9 »

Go with the premium membership. If it doesn't pay for itself they refund you. There are several perks for premium members only.

Most people wipe their butt everyday. Toilet paper is a huge bargain at Costco. Tires for your car and gas are a great deal. Their meat is quality. They also pay their employees well. TV's, eyeglasses, groceries are also great prices. If you have kids to feed, it's a no brainer.
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by NotWhoYouThink »

Neither. We used to go to Sam's, and tried Costco this past year. Both are fairly close, but I just don't go there. As empty nesters, our consumption of detergent and toilet paper has dropped significantly. Really, it is more of a hassle to store big stockpiles than to go to Target now and then. Costco has good gas prices, but there is always a line, and the gas station between Costco and Sam's has prices almost as low. And best of all, we now have Total Wine, Lucas, and Randall's competing for our beer and wine dollar, so we don't even save much on alcohol at the discount clubs.

It depends on what and how much you buy. For us, it's not worth it. But if one or the other works for you, then good old capitalistic completion has done it's job again.
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by DarthSage »

I haven't been to Costco, but I currently have a Sam's Club membership, which I'm letting expire. I had the "Plus" membership, mostly for the perk of earlier hours. We felt the membership cost was worth it, as we saved more than that when we purchased a few big-ticket items (a mattress, tires, etc.)

I'm letting it expire because I no longer feel we get the value from it. It's a bit of a drive to get there--Walmart is much closer, I don't have to buy in bulk, and pricing is similar on a lot of things. Plus, an Aldi's just opened up, we're huge fans. Lidl is coming soon, too--both are literally walking distance from our house. I find the Sam's Club gas is priced comparably to Murphy's (on Walmart property, but independent). There is a Costco in town, but it's further than the Sam's Club--if I don't find it worth my while to get to Sam's, I'm not likely to get to Costco (although neighbors have raved about their products).

Sorry my thoughts are a little scattered. I should also add, we're a family of 6--you'd think bulk buying would work for us, but I just don't see the savings versus other sources for food and household goods.
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by S&L1940 »

[*]
JBTX wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2017 4:40 pm Thanks for the replies! I'll definitely have to give it a look.

2 questions?

Do you spend a long time in a checkout line?

NO, always use the self check line. Since you no longer need to scan coupons things go quicker
Retired, we like 4.30 or so, avoids the people coming in after work and the families that have have to leave to take care of dinner and the kids coming home from school


Sounds like there are 2 levels of membership $55 and $110. The $110 gets something like 2% back. Which would pay for itself if you shopped there $250 per month. Which do you go with ?

except for the occasional one off large purchase we are usually under $150 per trip - sometimes way under. Never calculated the difference and stay with the $55 membership
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by JBTX »

DarthSage wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2017 4:58 pm I haven't been to Costco, but I currently have a Sam's Club membership, which I'm letting expire. I had the "Plus" membership, mostly for the perk of earlier hours. We felt the membership cost was worth it, as we saved more than that when we purchased a few big-ticket items (a mattress, tires, etc.)

I'm letting it expire because I no longer feel we get the value from it. It's a bit of a drive to get there--Walmart is much closer, I don't have to buy in bulk, and pricing is similar on a lot of things. Plus, an Aldi's just opened up, we're huge fans. Lidl is coming soon, too--both are literally walking distance from our house. I find the Sam's Club gas is priced comparably to Murphy's (on Walmart property, but independent). There is a Costco in town, but it's further than the Sam's Club--if I don't find it worth my while to get to Sam's, I'm not likely to get to Costco (although neighbors have raved about their products).

Sorry my thoughts are a little scattered. I should also add, we're a family of 6--you'd think bulk buying would work for us, but I just don't see the savings versus other sources for food and household goods.
I went to an Aldi. Not impressed. Yes things are cheap but couldn't find anything we actually bought.
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by bogleblitz »

I have both and find them equal. I would go to the closer one to my house.

So I'm going to let the one which is further away expire.
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by flyingaway »

I will never pay money to shop at any places. In fact, they should pay me to shop at their stores. But my wife has a different view.
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by michaeljc70 »

I've belonged to both. I think Costco has higher end merchandise and the stores are cleaner and have better service. You don't have to buy huge quantities. There are only two of us, and most things are not so big that it turns us off. If I lived in a small apartment with no storage, it would be different. I find most of the veggies to be too much for two people- like 2 lb asparagus, a big bag of avocados, tray of tomatoes, etc.

Costco is the number one seller of wine in the country. They also have very good prices on their brand (Kirkland) of spirits/wine, so if you drink, that is a plus.

As pointed out in the other recent thread, Costco gets new stuff all the time and some of it I find very interesting. Stuff I wouldn't even know existed or that I "needed". Sort of like a treasure hunt.

The gas is at least 15-20 cents per gallon cheaper than anywhere else close by.

If they doubled the membership fee, I would still go to Costco.
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by Broken Man 1999 »

oldcomputerguy wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2017 4:16 pm
N1CKV wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2017 3:19 pm It sounds like a lot may have changed since your previous experience with wholesale clubs.
Both now generally accept major credit cards.
Costco only accepts Visa.
Costco.com accepts Visa, MC, Discover, and their branded Visa card.

I believe the physical warehouse might as well. I'll have to call them tomorrow.

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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by michaeljc70 »

Broken Man 1999 wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2017 5:48 pm
oldcomputerguy wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2017 4:16 pm
N1CKV wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2017 3:19 pm It sounds like a lot may have changed since your previous experience with wholesale clubs.
Both now generally accept major credit cards.
Costco only accepts Visa.
Costco.com accepts Visa, MC, Discover, and their branded Visa card.

I believe the physical warehouse might as well. I'll have to call them tomorrow.

Broken Man 1999
In the store, they accept only Visa as far as credit cards. They accept debit cards and obviously cash. Previously, they took Amex only for credit cards.
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by squirm »

I read the thread regarding Costco and Sam's. Because of that wife and i went to Sam's. It was very clean, very bright, and most importantly, not crowded. Bumping into people while shopping ruins everything, that's what you get at Costco. I'd rather pay a little more to avoid the crowds...i vote for Sam's.
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by oldcomputerguy »

S&L1940 wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2017 4:39 pm
oldcomputerguy wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2017 4:16 pm
N1CKV wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2017 3:19 pm It sounds like a lot may have changed since your previous experience with wholesale clubs.
Both now generally accept major credit cards.
Costco only accepts Visa.
A Visa card is not that hard to own, odds are that someone with several cards in their possession has at least one. If not, cash always seems to work just as well as long as you are a member.
When Costco was only accepting American Express, options were kind of narrower.
Certainly true, I was just pointing it out, the phrase "major credit cards" might lead one to believe that they accepted Mastercard as well, which they do not.
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michaeljc70
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by michaeljc70 »

squirm wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2017 5:59 pm I read the thread regarding Costco and Sam's. Because of that wife and i went to Sam's. It was very clean, very bright, and most importantly, not crowded. Bumping into people while shopping ruins everything, that's what you get at Costco. I'd rather pay a little more to avoid the crowds...i vote for Sam's.
It probably depends on the location. I avoid both on weekends. If Costco is busier...doesn't that mean more people like it than Sam's?
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by BolderBoy »

Alexa9 wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2017 4:45 pmGo with the premium membership. If it doesn't pay for itself they refund you.
Just to amplify on this a bit.

If you don't earn enough in the rebate to bring you up to the Basic Membership ($60), they will refund you the difference. If you are an Executive Member ($120/yr) they will refund you up to the Basic Membership cost and they will degrade your membership back to Basic. This last point is important - if you want the Executive membership you have to buy it again.

Having just gone through this, rebuying the Exec membership triggered Citi to send another Visa card.
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by frugaltigris »

We had Costco and Sams both for two years. Now only have Sams since last couple of years. Sams is far better in my opinion on value. Agrees with Boglehead philosophy more than Costco for me. :happy
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by Iliketoridemybike »

Costco has a 20% markup across the board which is way lower than most places. We cut our food bill by almost half shopping there. They also carry a lot of nice, organic choices as well. Really hard to beat Costco. Rental car rates and eye glasses are awesome as well. My wife just bought a pair of high index progressive glasses for $234. She would have had to pay 2x or 3x anywhere else.
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by Rob5TCP »

I had access to both (mine was Costco hers was Sam's). I found that if I went to Sam's I bought what I intended to get and that was it.
If I went to Costco I ended up getting 2-3x times what I had on my list. They were usually good purchases and values.
I only go to Costco now. Sam's (to me) was a waste of time, despite the shorter lines.
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by lthenderson »

I have neither within 150 miles of where I live. I also dislike any big box stores in general so it works out well for me.
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by Case59 »

Love Costco ribs. And lots of good deals on lots of other things.

Buffet, btw, considers Costco one of the best-run companies in America. Plus, these are the guys who backed Coke down over a price increase.
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by bottlecap »

A long time ago, I belonged to Sam's. Now it's Costco. Costco seems to have better stuff, but I'm sure prices and quality vary.

Lines at Costco depend on the day and time, but they usually move along.

If you are single, you don't need either, unless perhaps you bought a big home you need to furnish.

As a family, you can easily spend $300 a month, perhaps more depending on your needs.

JT
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by Iliketoridemybike »

lthenderson wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2017 8:07 pm I have neither within 150 miles of where I live. I also dislike any big box stores in general so it works out well for me.
I wonder why people post things like this that are generally not helpful in anyway?
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JBTX
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by JBTX »

Iliketoridemybike wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2017 8:30 pm
lthenderson wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2017 8:07 pm I have neither within 150 miles of where I live. I also dislike any big box stores in general so it works out well for me.
I wonder why people post things like this that are generally not helpful in anyway?
Or like this ^^ :wink:
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by Iliketoridemybike »

JBTX wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2017 8:33 pm
Iliketoridemybike wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2017 8:30 pm
lthenderson wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2017 8:07 pm I have neither within 150 miles of where I live. I also dislike any big box stores in general so it works out well for me.
I wonder why people post things like this that are generally not helpful in anyway?
Or like this ^^ :wink:
:oops:
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JBTX
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by JBTX »

Iliketoridemybike wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2017 8:35 pm
JBTX wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2017 8:33 pm
Iliketoridemybike wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2017 8:30 pm
lthenderson wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2017 8:07 pm I have neither within 150 miles of where I live. I also dislike any big box stores in general so it works out well for me.
I wonder why people post things like this that are generally not helpful in anyway?
Or like this ^^ :wink:
:oops:
:sharebeer
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JBTX
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by JBTX »

At some point I'll check it out but I have a strong suspicion that while there may be some nominal savings I'm not sure it will be worth the time and effort. I really dislike long lines. If I have to drive an extra 20 miles round trip and spend an additional hour driving, wading through massive aisles of stuff and then wait in a long line it definitely won't be. If I do all that and save $25 on a $200 grocery bill I don't think it is worth it.

When I grocery shop I tend to by the same stuff and tend to focus on sales of things I usually get. Using the store reward card # I usually "save" 20 to 25% off of list prices on the total bill, according to their calcs. I occasionally go to Walmart and their list prices are cheaper but it usually is not cheaper compared to the discounts.
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Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by kjvmartin »

I'm about to move to a city 3 hours from Costco for a new job, also leaving my family, hometown, church, and lifelong circle of friends.

Leaving the Costco is among the hardest parts of the transition. What I will miss:

#1. Lunch: $1.50-$3.00 at the food court and then free samples galore. $9 giant pizza for dinner once a week that feeds us 2-3x. I discover new foods I end up loving all the time thanks to Costco's sample program.

#2. Fruits, vegetables, fresh meat, and produce cost about 1/2 compared to the local Kroger/Meijer options. The quality is almost always perfect.

#3. Clothing: They seem to know how to get very good quality items for cheap. Fleece lined jeans for $16. Quality cotton summer T-shirt for $7.99. My families clothing budget is next to nil and we end up with good clothing year round.

#4. Auto: With two cars in the family, every so often the tires are wearing out and I can't find a better price than Costco (I've tried). Their batteries are also top shelf and bottom price.

#5. Milk: $1.99/gallon every day. This is 30-50% cheaper than the grocery store depending on sales. Eggs are similarly cheap.

#7 Gas: I go at off peak times while I'm on the clock en-route to work destinations. They usually beat the price at Kroger even with 10-20c off for bonus fuel points.

#8 It's free: Executive check usually balances out our membership cost.

#9 Return Policy: No questions, no receipt, no attitude, no problems.

I am such a fan of the company that I own stock. I took my wife there the first morning of our honeymoon (after breakfast, of course) to put her on the membership (fun story) since our trip was cancelled. I never worry too much about the crowds, the lines look bad but move very fast. We have 3 stores within 15 minutes of our residence, until we move out of state. There is a Sam's where I'm going. I'll probably be disappointed.

kvjm
vbdoug
Posts: 299
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 11:44 am
Location: Palos Verdes, Cal‹

Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by vbdoug »

I have my Part D Medicare plan with Humana/Walmart so I go to Sam's for drugs. Recently they raised the price of one of my drugs and I now save that money because it forced me to purchase Sam's Plus store membership.

Although I have friend that appreciate Sam's meats, in my opinion these warehouse stores are not remotely close in quality or service. Sam's is a large Walmart and all that implies. I am not a Wal-Mart basher; they have relatively low prices with varying quality.

In Torrance, California there is a Costco almost next door to a Sam's. There are more people outside the Costco ten minutes before they open than there are inside the Sam's ten minutes after they open.

For me, that says it all
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Frugal Al
Posts: 1736
Joined: Fri May 28, 2010 10:09 am

Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by Frugal Al »

I've got 2 Costco stores and one Sam's withing 15 minutes of my home. For my consumption pattern, I save more at Sam's. Also, in our area, the meat is better at Sam's, plus I like that I can get individual steaks now, as opposed to six at a time (I hate freezing a good steak). I also like Costco, but not enough to justify another membership. As far as cleanliness goes, I suspect that is highly dependent on the specific store management.
smitcat
Posts: 13227
Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2016 9:51 am

Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by smitcat »

We use Costco both for home and with the business - food, cars, travel, and many other stuff that easily pays the fee within a week. Mostly visit about once every 2 weeks. Lines are not a problem if you have a little flexibility on when you visit.
Angelus359
Posts: 846
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2014 11:56 pm

Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by Angelus359 »

I've found that about once per year I get some major purchase like a car battery or roomba that is so much cheaper at Costco it fully pays for my membership
Systems Engineer
Angelus359
Posts: 846
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2014 11:56 pm

Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by Angelus359 »

I love my Costco visa btw

4% gas, 3% restaurant, 2% Costco, 1% general, plus 2 years extended warranty on everything you buy
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carolinaman
Posts: 5453
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2011 8:56 am
Location: North Carolina

Re: Costco vs sams club vs neither.

Post by carolinaman »

I cannot compare Costco vs Sam's but I am long time Costco customer. I buy OTC drugs there, hearing aids, eyeglasses, cell phone service, some electronics, gas, tires and occasionally other items like small furniture or household items. I do not buy grocery items there as we only need to buy for 2 people. Also, with grocery store specials i probably do as well or better shopping groceries elsewhere. Overall, I save enough each year to more than pay for membership, but not by a lot. I considered Costco travel for a trip to Italy 2 years ago but was able to do better myself using other websites.

I do like the quality of merchandise at Costco. They generally have quality merchandise at great prices, but limited selection. I have heard that Sam's does not offer as high a quality of merchandise.
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