Costco, been going since it was price club. My local Sam's club smells funny and has less selection. Also everything at Costco is more 'premium' including their private label stuff.

I have both, Sam's club offered a deal that if you have Discover CC then you get the first year for free. I really like the package pickup at Sams because I have limited mobility so that works.

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Additionally, cashiers connect with customers at the checkout to improve their overall shopping experience.

I’d say the checkout “experience” is by far the worst aspect of a shopping trip to Costco. The cashiers seem harried and tense, like they have a quota of shoppers to process every hour. And there’s generally a line of mouth breathers at every open register. I hate standing in line.

And parking - I tried to go to Costco this afternoon. The parking lot was like a border town Walmart parking lot the weekend before Christmas. I didn’t even bother going in the store.

I prefer meat from Costco vs Sam’s. Our Costco also has self check out which moves pretty quick

I use Costco which for me is an hour drive (60 miles almost all freeway). But I use their online shopping (Costco.com) for non-perishable groceries, paper goods, plastic trash bags, and other items as many of the regular items a Costco stocks (wiper blades, oil, TVs, home and office phones) is available online with free shipping and no sales tax to Oregon. See my closest Costco is in WA and now we have to pay sales tax as Oregon residents in WA.

I also have used their hearing aid services with great success and purchased hearing aids, had my hearing aides cleaned and repaired there on a weekend which one can't do with most audiologists due to working hours of their offices.

I went to Costco and talked to their guy in the electronics about TVs and wall mounts and we came up with a plan. The Costco employee told me to order online and I would save money and get delivery to inside my house.

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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?

That was my thought, too. (It's not an issue with me because I don't have a "smart phone".)

flashguy

As to the question Sam's or Costco, We've had both and found good and not so good with both stores. When we had our business, we settled on Sam's because it was 1/2 mile from our shop, and Costco was about 12 miles. When bought shop supplies as well as food stuffs etc for home. Time was important so the closer store won out. Since we sold our business and retired, we actually find little use for warehouse style stores that sell so much in bulk. No kids etc so a 1/2 gallon of mayonnaise doesn't make sense.

We did settle on a Sam's membership, again mainly because it is much closer to home and we got a promotional deal on the membership, which if I recall correctly was $45 with a $25 shopping coupon. We go there now mainly for fresh meat and fish, and my wife eats Cheerios almost everyday, so the giant size box is a deal. I guess I'd prefer Costco if I could get a deal on membership and they built one closer to home.

Costco and the Costco Visa

Try them both for a year, see who has the products that best fit your needs.

Having said that, Costco is the one we use.

Costco has just about run Sam's club out of town in MA

The competition here is Costco vs BJs.

I like the food better as Costco especially the quality of meat.

Costco is much better quality than Sam's club.

I'm a member of both right now. I find the meat quality to be about the same. Both sell USDA Prime beef for good prices. In this area, Sam's sells a couple of cuts that either Costco doesn't carry or is always out of such as skirt steak and flanken style beef short ribs (for Korean bbq). I'm sure this varies by locality. Sam's has the excellent Scan-n-Go check-out system where you use your phone to scan your items, skip the checkout line, and show a bar code on your way out the door. Our local Sam's has early shopping hours for Plus members, meaning I can get shopping done without a crowd.

Costco has better poultry, fruits, vegetables, deli meats, and cheeses. The bakery is better too. The Kirkland store brand products at Costco are normally better than what you find at Sam's. They carry our favorite canned tuna (Wild Planet) and many other things we like that Sam's doesn't sell. Costco opens later than Sam's around here and is further away from our house. The check out process always sucks.

Anyway, I'd try both and see what works best. I won't keep both memberships long-term, but if I had to choose right now, I'd probably go with Costco, but I'm really not sure.

I wish Costco would put a store further north in NH. Right now the only one is in Nashua right on the border to attract the Massholes with tax-free shopping. It's an hour and a quarter drive. We have a Sam's 45 minutes away in a nicer town with better clientele.