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Originally posted by Rey HRH:

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Originally posted by Tn226:
I’ll give Costco a try when they get Scan & Go checkout. The few times I visited Costco, the checkout lines were jammed. I know there are times when they’re not but still.

Their stance “ Costco does not offer scan and go as customers tend to purchase less merchandise in one shop. Additionally, cashiers connect with customers at the checkout to improve their overall shopping experience. Instead, Costco offers several self-checkout lanes.”

To which I say horse hockey.

You got your wish. The Costcos I've been to in California and Arizona have scan it yourself corrals. I don't use them myself.

Scan it yourself is different from Sams scan and go. We scan with an app as we shop, checkout on the app, and walk out the door. There is no scanning corral. Sams does have those as well though.

We only have a Sams. It's ok, but I wish we had both.

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Originally posted by Tn226:

I’ll give Costco a try when they get Scan & Go checkout. The few times I visited Costco, the checkout lines were jammed. I know there are times when they’re not but still.

I have only been in a few Costco stores recently, but every one of them did have self-service checkout lanes, with at least one Costco employee on hand to assist as necessary.

The lanes with cashiers move really fast. There are almost always two employees per register, and they are amazingly efficient. That's their job, they know what they are doing, and they are a heck of a lot faster than customers at the self-service checkout.

We belong to both. Costco does not have a presence on the Florida panhandle but Sams does. Sams does not have a presence in NW Montana but Costco does. We like some food products from each.

We have memberships at both. I use both. Sam’s has some merchandise I need that I’d otherwise have to buy from Amazon or drive all over heck to buy, at higher prices. Costco doesn’t have these items.
I do think Costco is a better store, but shopping at the nearest Sams is much less crowded and tense.

Years ago I worked at Costco. They treat their employees great. I vote Costco.

quote:

Originally posted by Tn226:
I’ll give Costco a try when they get Scan & Go checkout. The few times I visited Costco, the checkout lines were jammed. I know there are times when they’re not but still.

Their stance “ Costco does not offer scan and go as customers tend to purchase less merchandise in one shop. Additionally, cashiers connect with customers at the checkout to improve their overall shopping experience. Instead, Costco offers several self-checkout lanes.”

To which I say horse hockey.

Yeah, that sounds like a load of poop. Scan and Go is awesome.

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Originally posted by V-Tail:

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Originally posted by Tn226:
I’ll give Costco a try when they get Scan & Go checkout. The few times I visited Costco, the checkout lines were jammed. I know there are times when they’re not but still.

I have only been in a few Costco stores recently, but every one of them did have self-service checkout lanes, with at least one Costco employee on hand to assist as necessary.

Self checkout lanes aren't the same as Scan & Go. You pick up the item, scan it with your phone, put the item in your cart, there is no waiting in line, no unloading to scan items. They just scan your phone, "check" your cart and you're out the door. It's the best way to shop.

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Originally posted by Aeteocles:
Costco.

Sam's Club is just an extension of Walmart stuff sold in bulk.

Costco curates their products so aggressively that you can literally buy anything off the shelf without research and know that you are getting a good product. Very rarely am I disappointed by something I've bought at Costco.

Costco meats are also top notch, and they provide a ton of other services such as car insurance (I have my insurance through them, and it's the cheapest around here--I reshop annually).

They also have a fantastic return policy for most items.

^^^^
This then Winco for groceries.

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Originally posted by mark123:

Self checkout lanes aren't the same as Scan & Go. You pick up the item, scan it with your phone, put the item in your cart, there is no waiting in line, no unloading to scan items. They just scan your phone, "check" your cart and you're out the door. It's the best way to shop.

I have never been to a store the uses "scan and go" the way that you describe it. Big question: Doesn't that leave a big opportunity for pilferage?

I pay for a Sam's Club membership, my wife has a free "family" membership card at Costco. Originally from the NW and had a Costco membership since the early 90s or so. Dropped them and joined Sam's, didn't find any difference in the items that we purchased regularly.

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Originally posted by V-Tail:

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Originally posted by mark123:

Self checkout lanes aren't the same as Scan & Go. You pick up the item, scan it with your phone, put the item in your cart, there is no waiting in line, no unloading to scan items. They just scan your phone, "check" your cart and you're out the door. It's the best way to shop.

I have never been to a store the uses "scan and go" the way that you describe it. Big question: Doesn't that leave a big opportunity for pilferage?

I know the one in Tampa has it. I’d be surprised if it isn’t system wide. I haven’t been in one that doesn’t have in a while. My sister in Great Falls uses it. If it’s available in the wilds of Montana, I’d think it’s available everywhere.

No doubt pilferage may be a problem. When you check out on the app, a scan code is returned to your phone. A checker at the door scans it and 3 random items in your basket so it would be something of a gamble.

I would take Costco over Sam's any day. I have a Sam's club 10 min away and I rather drive 20 minutes to Costco. I've had both memberships for years.

Costco all day.

Costco hands down. Better overall quality, and they make it a point to work with local suppliers. A location in Hawaii will have a different assortment of foods and goods, compared to a location in Colorado or, Florida.

While not all locations are the same, if you're able to identify those stores that specialize in specific categories, you can make your shopping a bit more unique. I have 4 Costco's within 30-min of me: 1 is a basic store, 2 are a bit larger and the last one while it has no gas has all the specialty foods (holiday's are great) and one of the largest alcohol selections in the entire region.

I love Costco.

And DO NOT get the regular membership. Get the Executive. You get 2% back on everything. And for me, not only does that 2% make up the difference between the $60 and $120 membership fee, it covers the entire $120, often with much to spare.

Costco. In February I purchased a new vehicle through Costco's Auto Program and saved thousands; Costco verified all dealer pricing to make sure it followed their guidelines. In 2020 purchased home furnishings at a considerable savings while earning cash back. Agree Executive card for $60 more is the way to go. Forgot to mention gas prices are lowest in the area.

I started out with Costco (actually Price Club).I stayed with them for a number of years. Then a Sam's Club was built within 4-5 miles of my home. I switched over, and see no reason to go back to Costco.

I like them both and shop Sam's more often than Costco.

Their price of gas maybe similar but Costco has top tier fuel.

I like both of them. Costco has more organic foods if that’s your thing and they seem to have a better cut of meat. Their snack bar is better, we have actually had dinner there when we were out and it was too late to get home to prep dinner. For less than $10, we had dinner for 3.

Some items at Sam’s are cheaper, in my opinion, such as detergent, trash bags, paper products, etc.