I quite going to Sam's years ago, now it's Costco. Sam's started smelling like stale ass and feet.

We joined Costco about two months ago. Wish we would have much sooner. Not everything is amazing, but I can't disagree with anything I've read so far. Absolutely worth it, and though I haven't been in a Sam's Club in years, I don't feel compelled to try and compare, if that makes any sense.

quote:

Originally posted by Palm:
Do either of them have a gas station? My Costco does, and it's top tier gas that is usually 20 cents cheaper than nearby stations.

I agree with the statements made about Costco's house branded products (Kirkland). They are typically very good. I truly have not found a better dress shirt for less than $100. And Costco's only cost $18!

Both have gas stations. Costco beats every one around, including Sam's.

I belong to Sams and have a free membership card though my parents.

If I was going to pay for it myself I would probably join Costco because they have churros.

"Welcome to Costco, I love you"

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8zNsUTWsOc

having been a member at every club, costco is the best.

Member of both here. Costco is substantially more upscale with a larger variety of specialty items. Generally the same pricing, but Sam's has meat and deli items a tad better quality due to its restaurant business.

I also left Sam's recently over the discrimination against white guys voiced by the CEO.

Costco has amazing prices on gas (Im seeing premium is 40 cents cheaper at Costco as per Gas Buddy now). Also...its Top Tier quality. To my knowledge, Sam's is not. I bought a car that requires high octane fuel and I have probably saved the membership fee twice on the cheaper fuel.

Kirkland-brand product that I have tried have been amazing, especially their non-stick Aluminum cookware - its incredibly heavy duty and I got a ~15 piece set for $160.

The toilet paper and paper towels are very good quality, as is their fragrance and dye-free liquid laundry detergent.

The customer service is top notch, the store is bright and well stocked.

Not to mention the $1.50 hot dog and drink combo!!

And its way more convenient for me to get to than Sam's...

Whats not to like?

quote:

Originally posted by Palm:
Do either of them have a gas station? My Costco does, and it's top tier gas that is usually 20 cents cheaper than nearby stations.

I agree with the statements made about Costco's house branded products (Kirkland). They are typically very good. I truly have not found a better dress shirt for less than $100. And Costco's only cost $18!

Costco, better Chicken and fish, better fruit, as a whole better quality food, imo. I am not one of the herd in there buying trinkets and bullshit, I’m there for my food. I eat a lot of fish and a lot of what I buy at Costco has no antibiotics injected into it and a lot of it is wild caught. The fruit is of excellent quality and I buy primarily berries and super anti-oxidant fruit. Costco gasoline is also Tier 1 fuel. I’ve tuned motorcycles and automobiles on their fuel with excellent comments from tuners.
As much I hear of the bitching about their 2A stance, they sell gun saves or rsc’s there and recently they were even selling ammo cans. Either way I just can’t politicize my food.

I’ve also picked up work shirts there and lots of climalite gear for the gym. I’ve been very pleased with Costco since I started shopping there in 2004. The only thing I won’t do is go there on the weekends. If the shit was free I would not go. I go on the weekdays, at night and upon showing my card at the door until I’m pushing my car out of their facility is 10. i utes most weeks as I know where everything is. The mouth breathers standing in aisles gawking at bs are easy to pass on a weekday, and nearly impossible on a weekend.

We used to have both. We found Costco became the go to place for recurring monthly purchases and Sam's became more for unique one time purchases. Now we only have Costco. They have great deals on my wife's contacts too.

I cancelled my Sam's club a few years back. The Costco is much further away so I never bothered with a membership. I found that I'm not the kind of shopper that buys in bulk. I don't have any kids or any pets and I found myself buying "economy" sized jugs of whatever and then half or more would go bad since my wife and I couldn't consume it fast enough. The Sams club near me was always a fine shopping experience but I've never been in a Costco so I can't honestly compare. Sam's was like being a kid in a candy store. I would usually see something I wanted but wasn't on my "list" then I started with the Sam's club Discover card and found that I was racking up interest costs. So, even though it's a bit more expensive I simply go to the local food lion a couple of times per week and get what I want when I need it. Might be paying more upfront but have nixed the % on the card and no more waste. Think that helps on the back end.

I have membership for both. Costco for the win per Mrs Cliff. Meats, paper towels, spices, etc.

Costco has better quality on almost all levels.

Do you have a preference for one over the other?

I was a Costco member since the early 90s (lived in the Pac NW) and moved to S/W PA in 2002.

When we (my wife and I) learned that Costco had been one of the largest contributors to the Democratic party in 08 - we dropped our Costco membership and joined Sam's

Never looked back - same stuff, only difference is that I now buy Member's Mark jeans instead of Kirkland Brand jeans...

Costco can suck my ... big toe!

If Costco was closer, I'd be a member there.
Our Sam's is not in the 'hood yet; Walmart- I quit going there awhile back.

We were a BJ's family until a Costco opened closer to us. To be honest, I prefer BJ's over Costco because it seemed like they always had the same stuff. Meaning, if I liked Skippy Peanut Butter, BJ's always had the big jar of Skippy Peanut Butter. Sure, Costco has peanut butter, but one time it may be Skippy, the next it may be Jif, etc. For the last several years, we have only carried a Costco membership and been happy with it. That problem seems to have gone away somewhat. I have yet to encounter a Kirkland branded product that I was unhappy with. The precooked Hormel/Kirkland bacon is a staple in our fridge.
There are no Sam's Clubs near us, and I have never been in one.

I'd love Costco, but they have a no-gun policy that they wrote into the member agreement in 2004.

So, from that agreement you can't CCW there or you violate your contract with them -- if anyone cares.

We're Costco members, but mostly because the Costco is less than 5 mins away while the local Sam's Club is appx 20 mins.

What I like best about Costco is the gasoline. Their prices are consistently cheaper than others in the area, sometimes .10/gal or more.

What we save just on gas more than covers the yearly membership fee.

I've only been in Sam's once as a guest. Seemed like a large walmart to me. No real opinion on good or bad.

But I like Costco. The buyers are generally good (they select products that are generally good quality). The pricing is reasonable. The customer service, ime, is excellent. Warranty programs are good. Return program is good. They actually have a decent online store as well.

That being said, not everything is good. I'd never buy a Samsung / LG major appliance and the they seem heavy on that. They have quite a bit of made in PRC clothing (more than they used to). But the wine/-OH selection is great. The Prime grade beef is great. And all for reasonable prices.

I'd join w/out hesitation, at least my location. There are locations where I used to live that were just horrendous -- a zoo on weekends and not much better during the week. In that case, I wouldn't join.

I had a Sam's Club membership for approx a decade, but have been exclusively Costco for 15 years.

I made the switch when I lived in SoCal, and Costco was the same exit as my house but Sam's was a 30 minute (without gridlock) drive. Costco is so much nicer that I've never had the urge to go back to Sam's.

I've used Costco in California, 2 places in Texas, Alaska, and Calgary (Can-eh-duh). I like buying a huge 3 to 6 month stash of paper products (TP, paper towels, paper plates, kleenex), they have lots of 90+ rated wine for a great price, their Kirkland brand of alcohol is very good, their prices on 1 lb chubs of lean ground beef are great, and I like to stock up on canned goods for the pantry.