Costco and Sam's Club

tartertots9725

Does anyone have a membership to either Costco or Sam's Club?
DH and I have been thinking about getting a membership to one of those. Costco is a good bit further away than Sams but I have heard really good things about them.
If you ever got a membership to either of them do you think it's worth it? We're only a family a three so I'm not sure if it would be really useful to us. We've never even been to any of those kinds of stores so we have no idea if it's something that would be really beneficial. We're just trying to think of ways to save money.
Also, if you shop at one of those are you happy with the quality of produce and meats?

TIA ladies

kellyrs89

We belong to both. We live much closer to Costco so we will be keeping our membership there, and probably won't renew with Sams. I found them to be pretty much the same price for everything. Sams had a much better selection of diapers, which was why we got a membership their. But Costco has a better price for quality pet food, which we buy more of than diapers so it mattered more to us.

Oh and DH does think that Sams has better pizza and hotdogs at their little eatery.

SusieBW

We have a membership to BJ's, which is the same thing.  I can't speak to the quality at the two stores that you're asking about, but I can say that we don't go to BJs all that often.  We go to stock up every now and then, but that's it.  We actually have two memberships (one is my parents', they just added me on, so I can use theirs, the other is through DH's work - they bought an office membership, and through that, each of the attorneys has a card which they can use for work or personal use).

If it wasn't for our free memberships, we wouldn't bother paying for it ourselves.  Some things are cheaper there, and for the things that we care to buy in such huge quantities, it's worth it.  We don't buy diapers there because Target brand is cheaper, and has been working great for us.  I get wipes there if I have a coupon for a few dollars off.  Same with laundry detergent.  We buy free-range, antibiotic-free chicken there for far cheaper than the regular grocery.  If we're there anyway, I get deli stuff there (you don't have to buy bulk, you can get just a 1/4 lb of cheese, if you like), because it is cheaper, but I don't go there just for that.  If we're planning a weekend of cooking to fill the freezer, we'll get produce there, but not too often, because we just don't generally need a 5 lb bag of carrots, you know?  I bought grapes there when I was pregnant because I easily ate 3 lbs a week.  LOL!

tartertots9725

Thanks ladies for all the feedback. I'll have to talk it all over with DH tonight. Costco is tempting me!

mnewlee

We recently got a Sam's membership. I'm not impressed. I won't be renewing it and I might even ask for a refund (they'll refund it at any time)

Cons:

I don't find the prices on a majority of groceries to be that great.

They don't have much in the way of all natural/organic foods. (I've heard costco has a much better selection)

Overall I'm just not impressed with the selection. 

Pros:

I've only bought blsl chicken there but it was good quality and a good price.

I have found pretty good deals on some items.

 

We don't buy formula or diapers so I'm probably missing out on the quickest way to recoup the cost of the membership.

 ETA: oh, one more pro is if you buy produce and it's bad and you return it they have a 200% guarantee. I returned a bag of badly bruised apples and they gave me $14 back. 

bluejetta

We love Costco. We are family of 3.  We typically buy baby wipes, diapers, olive oil, cleaning supplies, cheese, and some frozen items.  We haven't bought much meat or produce only because we feel we don't eat enough to make it worth it in a week but I expect as N gets older that will change.  BIL and SIL don't have kids and they only buy meat at Costco -- they are serious foodies and think the meat is great and keep their freezer stocked with it.  I also love the Carters clothes - limited selection but great prices.

shelley1002

Love Costco.  No sams of BJs close enough to us to bother with.

I love their return policy.  We have had issues with our roombas in the past and they exchanged them with no problems. I go there for gas sometimes too because it is usually $0.10 cheaper if not more than the regular gas stations.

Meat selection is great. You can get anything there or online. from diapers to food to caskets.

We bought our hot tub through Costco because they had the best prices on good ones.

vnstacie

Yes, sams club, Costco is an hour away. Ha

anyway.. We buy basically everything at sams now.

It's cheaper because we get it in bulk, so like a 12 pack of green beans is $8 something, while 1 can is 2.00 at the store. 

I buy baby wipes there also.

Bread comes in packs of 2, they also have orowheat brand and Sara Lee

H eats on the train while working so we buy a lot of snack foods, cookies, crackers, muffins.

We buy chicken at sams as well as pork.

Dog food and treats

Laundry detergent, dishwasher soap etc.

I think it's worth it, but to tell you the truth we don't pay for the membership, my mom added me to her acct when I moved out 7 years ago before I was married.  

Jcraul

We shop at a Bj's which is like costco.  We like there meat and we are a family of 3.  We don't shop their often but there are certain things like dog food, milk, eggs that are cheaper than at the store. 

We actually split our membership with Dh's parents.  It is $75.00 a  year & you get 2 cars so his Mom has one and D has one. 

becasmeca

tartertots9725:

Thanks ladies for all the feedback. I'll have to talk it all over with DH tonight. Costco is tempting me!

If Costco is tempting you ten I will sell you!

1. Like Sweetpea I watched the documentary, and I was surprised to learn their Kirkland brand is actually well established well made products that fight to be the Kirkland brand. For example, their coffee is made by Starbucks, and wine by a well known pricey vineyard!

2. You and I love cooking. Staples there such as olive oil, salt, vanilla, milk, eggs, diced tomatoes, fresh veggies and fruit are SOOO affordable, fresh, and lasts forever! I just brought dinner to a friend and they had butter lettuce! It was still in the dirt and root and was 2.79 for 2!!

3. Premium cheeses and meats are so much cheaper than a market! Seafood is well priced and fresh!

4. Books, towels, sheets, and throws are significantly better quality and price then anywhere else!

5. Electronics have an additional 3 year warranty!

6. Photo center is quick! Amazing quality an so cheap! My Christmas cards were 25 bucks for 75!

7. FLOWERS! Fresh flowers are te eat price and gorgeous!

I am sure I am leaving things out, but I swear by Costco! Their pharmacy is amaze as well! Their prescription bottles are detailed, and the pharmacist is available for counseling during business hours!

Also, the company itself is good to their employees! Benefits, vacation, and wages are steadily increased which is why you see team members tere since 1991! That makes me happy since Walmart the owner of SAMs has been under scrutiny for miss treatment of employees under the listed terms.

Last thing! They have an in questionable return policy! You can take back anything at any time for a full refund!!!

I love love love love Costco! So does Bo! Haha!

MYfallBABY

We have Costco and I love it. It is so easy to buy meat there and have it last for a long time. Plus it is reallg good quality. I don't often buy produce there just because we don't use it fast enough. But the times I have, I have been very happy with the quality. I also love buying toilet paper there and canned goods.

memali26

I grew up with Sam's, had Costco when we lived on the West Coast, and have Sam's membership now that our nearest Costco is over an hour away. I like them both and feel they are worth it. We were a family of 2 when we got our first Costco membership and found a lot that we could save on by stocking up - paper products, health and beauty stuff, canned goods, frozen foods. Now that my kids consume milk by the gallon and fruit by the bushel it's even more worth it. And it's awesome for those times we host birthday parties and such.

tartertots9725

Thank you so much ladies! I am SOLD! Costco, watch out! Tartertots is a coming!

jupiterthecat

We're Costco members, and we've done BJs in the past when we lived in an area that had them (I actually liked BJs better, mainly because it was less crowded and because they had a BJ's-brand granola that I adored). We had a membership when we were just a family of two-- the only times we didn't get one were when we lived in places with very little storage space.

Membership definitely pays for itself. It's true that you shouldn't assume that everything is cheaper there-- if you pay attention to prices, you can sometimes get a better deal at Target or on on-sale, store-brand items at the regular grocery store. But it's very worth it for certain things. I haven't seen that documentary (now I kinda want to), but I can vouch for Kirkland signature being high quality. I never imagined myself buying store-brand beer, but their Kirkland Signature variety pack is actually fairly good. They have these great freeze-dried apple packs that my daughter adores-- it's a fantastic snack on the go. They had these hand puppets that cost something like $7 for a set of four, and two have become LO's most beloved toys. Other stuff we buy at Costco regularly: wipes, paper towels, TP, ziplock bags, vitamins (MUCH cheaper than CVS), olive oil, cheese, salsa, frozen pizza-- anything you go through in large quantities. Also, they have some good meals that tend to rotate-- try their Mediterranean patties and this pre-made salad with "7 superfoods" (brussels spouts, kale, cranberry, etc.)-- YUM. 

Oh, and they can be a good place for major purchases, if ithey happen to have what you're looking for. We bought an awesome LG 50" plasma screen TV for $600, which is unbelievable. 

luvmyducks

We don't have Sam's Club around here, but if we did, I wouldn't shop there.  Same company as Walmart and I don't shop there either.

We have been members of Costco forever.  We love it there.  I just stocked up on diapers because they had an additional sale on their already low prices on Huggies---12? a diaper!  We go probably once a month or once every 6w.  And it never fails, we always spend at least $200.  Their meat is awesome and so is their bakery.  I haven't bought a ton of their produce bc it is in such huge quantities and always goes bad before we can use it all.  Meat and bakery stuff can be frozen though, so we do get those things.  We buy regularly there--toilet paper, paper towels, diapers, frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts, some protein bars DH likes.  And when we need them, we always get batteries and our Sonicare refills there.  And we always find something else too.

luvmyducks

becasmeca:

6. Photo center is quick! Amazing quality an so cheap! My Christmas cards were 25 bucks for 75!

Careful with the photo center.  You might want to test out a small order first.  For places like that (Target, Walmart, etc) it all depends on the employees and how knowledgable they are about calibrating the machines.  Costco.com has great quality but I tell my photography clients to not print at our local Costco bc overall they are not very good.   

missbrightside10

Costco rules! We get cash back on our Amex through them and it has been a great thing for us. I buy the bulk of our meat there, diapers, wipes, facial cleansing cloths, razors, vitamins, and all kinds of food. I also love the Kirkland brand workout/yoga pants. They are incredibly flattering! There is not a Sams close to us so I can't compare, but when my parents come to visit they always want to make a Costco run even though they have a Sams membership.

Ms5586

We have a Sam's Club membership, and I love it!  We get diapers, wipes, meat (awesome quality meat, and really good prices), toothpaste, fruit, milk, etc.  Plus, ours has a gas station (don't know if all of them do), and the price difference is very significant here (at least 10 cents cheaper/gallon than our other gas stations).  The gas savings alone pay for our membership each year.