costco vs. sam's club -- opinions?

[devohoneybee]

So, my new home town has both Sam's Club and Costco, which I've heard are pretty much the same. I'd like to join one. Any opinions on one versus the other?

Comments

[raine]

Costco. For one thing: they don't turn around and resell the same stuff at a sister chain for a higher price. (Sam's Club is the warehouse division of Wal-mart.) One word of warning: last I knew, they were still negotiating with Coca-Cola on pricing, so they'd pulled all Coke products from the stores.

That said: sometimes a warehouse club isn't the best buy for the buck. I used to belong to both, but that was when I was sharing a house with more than my husband and buying things in bulk made sense simply because we were able to go through them fast enough.
http://money.aol.com/top5/general/best-warehouse-club-buys-1 is a list of best warehouse club buys
http://www.walletpop.com/economizer/article/worst-warehouse-club-buys/705826 worst warehouse club buys

For me, it's a matter of proximity. The Fred Meyer's a heck of lot closer than Costco, and that's worth gas to me even if the markup might be more on some things.

[devohoneybee]

thanks for the links! I'll check them out. the overwhelming response is Costco. i had no idea.

[adonnchaid]

I totally agree that you do have to shop prices. Not everything is cheaper at Costco, much as I love it :) But just to get the "two to a package, vacuum packed" Foster Farms boneless, skinless chicken breasts is worth the membership. Just chuck those packages in the freezer, and take them out as needed. That, and office supply sorts of things.

I live alone, and I stock up on mostly dry goods there, not perishables. You know, though, Julia Child once said she shopped Costco meat because it was always so fresh, because of the massive turnover they do.