Off-Topic OT: Costco vs. Sam's Club?

[Vintage VFer]

Is there much difference between Costco and Sam's Club? I was a Costco member for decades.

I've only been in Sam's Club once when I had a day pass. (It was to buy the original Body Pump VHS that came with a barbell. So, a hundred years ago...)

If you had to choose one, which would you pick?

[Malia]

That's funny that you ask that because I haven't renewed my Sams Club membership yet. The Costco is about a 20 minute drive and Sams Club is about 6 minutes but I still just go to Costco. I like their pre-made meals better (although we don't buy them as much as we used to) but they seem to have more organic products...the quality just seems better.

There are a couple of things that I miss at Sams Club - they had the best granola (snack granola - not a cereal) made by some "mom and pop" type place and they had Sparling V-8 juice in the cans for way cheaper than the grocery store. I just didn't think (at this point) that I could justify the membership cost for those 2 things.

[Tanja]

Originally Posted by Malia

There are a couple of things that I miss at Sams Club - they had the best granola (snack granola - not a cereal) made by some "mom and pop" type place and they had Sparling V-8 juice in the cans for way cheaper than the grocery store. I just didn't think (at this point) that I could justify the membership cost for those 2 things.

Sam's has day passes for free. If you don't overdo it, you could get your shopping done without paying the membership fee.

[Tanja]

I still have both and the memberships pay for themselves with the cash back program. Sam's is closer to work for me, Costco has the better food. They don't really carry the same foods so I can justify both memberships. I like the cheeses, salami, dog food, and cold cuts from Costco. I like Sam's paper towels, smoked sausages, nuts and muscle milk.

[hdw]

I prefer fruits and vegetables at Sams. Costco is also further for me.

You can get cheap Sams membership via Groupon (like $15) for NEW members only.

[rhbrand]

I prefer Costco cause they pay their employees very well, give good benefits and that's worth a lot to me

[wishiwasinhawaii]

I prefer Sam's because their membership is a bit cheaper, although I'm a Plus member and I get the cash back, which is nice. Sam's also has more items I like. I was a member of Costco for a couple of years but noticed I rarely went there so I switched back to Sam's.