I agree. As someone with an internal signal that draws me to the slowest lanes anywhere in retail no matter how many people are standing at the time, the Scan and Go is amazing. Hard to believe Costco doesn't have something similar.
Sam's Club rocks. The Scan and Go App alone is worth it. Sam's kills it for the checkout experience. Their self checkout is more user friendly than the Costco one. Costco near me does not even have a gun for checkout and when purchasing Bagels I needed the attendant to enter the price. SOOOOOOO inconvenient. Self Checkout means I don't need your assistance UGH. Costco is always crowded and causes me anxiety unlike Sam's which is wide open and even when the parking lot is packed I can move and don't feel crowded. Every time I attempt to purchase produce at Costo its horrible unlike Sam's which is always fresh. I do a majority of my weekly grocery shopping at Sam's.
I like both too. I pay for the Costco membership and my mom pays for the Sam’s Club membership and we each have a card for both. It works very nicely for us!
I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks that about the crowds at Costco. Mine finally has a self-checkout but not having a scan and go is really strange, especially because you can do it at Target and Walmart now.
The Sam’s club Scan N Go app and their curbside pick up is what made me transfer from Costco AND the fact that if you forget your card at home you don’t have to stand in the membership line to get a temporary one. Your Sam’s card is on your phone.
I literally signed up for a Costco membership this week. If you are a teacher, they will give you $30 digital credit so it made the membership worth it for me. They also offered other deals for other employee groups such as military and first responders. And can I just say I hate the parking lots of Sams? It is enough for me to rethink my shopping choice. That being said, the Sams pizza is amazing!
My sister has a Sam’s membership and I have a Costco membership. We go shopping together about 3-4 times a year (both stores in same town a little over an hour from us). Prior to going we make a list and check both places so we know where to buy everything. Typically Sam’s is cheaper on food items. Costco has better paper products. Diapers hands down are better at Costco…quality wise not necessarily price. I feel like they both have good and bad points and we are lucky to be able to take advantage of both places as needed
You are right about the availability of organic items at Costco. I have to eat a special diet and appreciate all the options I can find there. Costco, Grocery Outlet and Walmart is my grocery trifecta. Plus Thrive Market for speciality items.
My local Costco's open at 10 and close at 6:30 on the weekend. Sam's is open from 8 until 8:30. When it's 110+ outside you want to shop early morning or later in evening. Sam's gets more of my business for that reason. I do shop both because Costco does have some products I can't find at Sam's. But, Sam's has the easiest check out by far. It also has the better app to check prices. Costco doesn't have all the products online and the prices you see are the Instacart prices so you can't compare prices unless you are actually in the store.
The Costco App tells you the gas price that day when you select that warehouse location under the Warehouse tab. This has come in handy when we go on road trips.
Costco checkout is literally the easiest and quickest shopping experience I have ever had. Their staff are *always* there, and I am checked out (with no effort on my part) in the blink of an eye. Costco also pays their staff decent wages/benefits, which is why they have great service and if you care about businesses taking care of their employees, it's a no brainer.
Excellent point about wages and benefits. I can't speak to what Sam's Club does but since they're part of Walmart I'm going to guess their wages are not top notch. I have heard very good things about Costco wages and benefits. My city has both so I wonder when Costco came in a few years ago if they had a lot of employees move over there.
Depends on where they are in life. My son started working for Sam's when he was 20. Makes him plenty of money for what he needs (starting pay at $15), 401K for part time workers, plus they're paying for his college classes. That's a win in my book.
@Katie- Very true! The waiting might be a little long sometimes but that's because they seem to _always_ be busy! Lol. Costco is the quickest compared to other stores, but everything you said is true. It is a great point that you made that there are always cashiers, in my area, there are *always TONS* of open cashier lines, even self check outs and they very rarely have any of them closed and if they ever do have any registers closed, they only have no more than two closed at one time out of 20 total registers.
Sam’s has an app and you can scan your items in the app and pay right in the app. Costco has an app that is totally useless, you can’t even check what items are in the stores with their app.
@@rosemarydoran9907 having worked at walmart for 13 years part time they actually paid higher than anyone else around. I worked nights after my husband came home to avoid child care. They gave bonus quarterly too.
Please do a part two comparing food options! Prepared foods. Frozen sections. Meat section. I'm trying to decide right now if I'm going to sig up for Sam's.
We had a Sams Club in our area many years before Costco. We have memberships for both and both have their good points. I love that Sams had grocery pickup! It has helped so much during the pandemic and even now. I also love the earlier hours and how some things are packaged (1 gal of milk instead of 2). However, it would be difficult to pick one as my favorite!
I feel like for some stuff Costco might be cheaper, but in a sneaky way. The rebate at the end of the year is greater with Costco. Sam's only gives significant cash back if you use their credit card. Costco has done gifts with membership over the years, but its been a very long time. Can I tell you though, that I usually do Same Club even though its a longer drive for me because they do parking lot pickup. Can't do that with Costco unless you want to deal with Instacart's markup prices. I often drive farther just to not deal with the crazy crowds at Costco. Also there's fewer items than Costco, so its less overwhelming when I'm shopping. I'm a Registered Dietitian and a pretty experienced shopper so I can do okay at either store, but I cringe at Costco's "organic" offerings. Costco leans on organic foods as a "value added" option and as marketing for implied better quality, but honestly the laws governing organics are pretty weak and not only is a lot of that food not clear from pesticides and herbicides completely- but organic food is NOT necessarily higher quality, is NOT lower calorie, and is NOT more nutritious than conventional. its a marketing term designed to make money.
If you add your membership information to your instacart account, you're supposed to get member prices. I never tried though (was an instacart shopper)
Sam’s club plus membership gives you cash back and not just at the end of the year, you can use it as you go. Plus (no pun intended) you get free shipping.
I’m from Wyoming (the top) so I’m only 1.5 hrs from Billings that has both Sam’s and Costco ( at opposite ends) and truly I have cards to both and gladly use both. If I had to give one up I couldn’t choose because each server their purpose and because they DO cater to different “needs” I NEED them both lol. Thank you for the video and info Christine, I’m forever grateful 😇 when I have to do less “footwork” to glean more information! Have a blessed and beautiful day!
My ride or die is hands down Sam’s Club. The store is easier to navigate for me, I love their app (and scan and go), their produce is fresher, and their overall base pricing for things is less expensive than Costco. Costco is like a Trader Joe’s in bulk. I LOVE the “fancier” items that they carry that you cannot find anywhere, and when they put certain items on sale, they are less expensive than at Sam’s, but I have found that most items are less expensive at Sam’s.
Watching this for the first time today as we just purchased a $20 membership on Black Friday Deal. We do have Costco membership and have had it for over 4 years. Love them! I have visited Sams Club now and we walked out of there for $80 as most of the things that we purchase regularly at Costco were not at Sams. As far as the fuel prices that were mentioned, in the day of apps like Google Maps, Gas Buddy, etc. there should never be a concern about the need to drive by a place to know the fuel price. I am sitting in my home today and I am over 50 minutes to each of my locations and I can tell you the exact price at each location. The one gripe that I have for each of them at least in our area is that they do not offer diesel at either location. In rural America many people drive diesel vehicles. Thank you for sharing your video and doing these comparisons as this has confirmed what we discovered this past Saturday.
I love Sam's Club! Scan and Go, Pickup at no extra charge per item, and Plus shipping make it all worth it! I asked Costco if they had the pick up option, and they told me I could fax my order in if it was really huge, but if I just wanted to run by on my way home from work and have them shop for me, they don't do that. 🤣 I mean, who faxes anymore🤣🤣🤣, and Sam's shops for me and puts it in my car. I do have a Costco membership only because I got a Groupon deal and needed to buy 12 pair of goggles for our family vacation, so it saved me money to pay for their stupid membership just to get the goggles. I do not intend to renew it. It takes FOREVER to go through their store because of lines. I get so excited to go to Sam's, plus Sam's doesn't mark up the prices to buy online. I LOVE MY SAM'S MEMBERSHIP! 😂 This shows what a mom life I live! 🤣
I'm a Costco girl. I've had a Sam's Club membership a couple of times and I don't love it. They may be cheaper on some items but it's not nearly as fun as shopping at Costco 😉
I've had both. Costco has better quality items... No, organic flour at our Sam's. Might go to Sam's once every 2 months or less.. They have huge lines during the middle of the day. I'm going to have to break down and pay the 60 dollar membership for Costco..
I love watching your channel, Christine! You covered all the bases on this comparison video 👍 I almost wish I had a Sams Club in my area, so I to could experience "The best of both worlds". Love to you and the family ❤️
@@1sttimemom76 in my area, metro Atlanta, Costco pays $35 an hour. Not sure if that is full or part time and if benefits would be offered. It's more than teachers in my area earn but teachers do receive a benefit option and only work 190 days a year. I'm not sure of Sam's in my area.
I did my research on the topic several years ago, but at that time Costco employee made $45k annual and Sam’s Club made $22k annual. A Costco employee could qualify for a home at that time, Sam’s Club could not. If someone has more recent info, I’d appreciate the input!
Costco for me wins hands down. I will forgo the scan and go because they make up for it with high quality, customer service, and they treat their employees very well.
Oh how I wish that Costco did pickup orders like Sam's Club! We have membership at both, but I would use Costco so much more if they offered pickup! At our Sam's you can actually pickup at 7am, which we do almost every Friday! It's a huge blessing, especially if you have little ones in the car or someone who is disabled.
Costco does do pickup orders, but it depends on which membership you have. I think you need a specific membership. I have an Executive membership, and we were able to order several products for pickup when we were rebuilding our house (toilets! flooring, etc).
@Mike S ok but they could still do scan and go... I mean I'm totally ok with going in and doing my own shopping 98% of the time...but the lines make it so I don't want to shop there unless it's in the morning
Christine, could you do a video comparing Costco and Sam's specifically for the holidays? Baking supplies, presents, holiday meals, decorations, wrapping, etc.
I have memberships to both (Sam's since 1999; Costco since 2014). Costco's organic/natural foods selections far outpace Sam's. Sam's tire prices are often better from my experience. In general, I go to Costco more than Sam's.
I am very thankful to have them across the street from each other as well as Lowes and Home Depot. 1/4 of a mile west are craft stores and clothing stores. And a half mile east is a great big mall and sports stores. Loads of restaurants as well. It's fantastic.... All this is15 minutes from home. This could be a budget buster, but I'm a frugal person. My son and I share the memberships, so best of both worlds.😁😁
Absolutely agree with you! Love, love your delivery, methodology and style. You go girl!! Thank you for a quick snapshot and run down of the important factors. I too appreciate having all options between the two and my town has a B.J.'s. Yeah buddy!
We finally have a Costco but, I’m still in love with Sam’s. The scan and go is the best! Our gas prices aren’t posted by the street but they are posted by the exit of the store. I did go as a visiter to Costco and it looked really nice. The extra cost for the membership and not having the same dog food, coffee, etc that we love deterred me for now.
Thanks for this vid, I just got the Sam's club membership promo in June and have noticed a big difference in prices. Comparing 15 of my usual items, 9 of them cheaper at Sam's over Costco.
Love watching these comparisons. Agree with you i like going to both for different things. The big seller for Sams club is the more items they carry but costco has things you cant find at Sams club
I grew up always going to Sam's, my parents only a year or two ago started going to Costco because their closest Sam's relocated so the Costco was just closer. When I went to college we had a Sam's 5 min from my apartment and now that we live in a different state the nearest city has a bunch of Sam's locations but only 1 Costco locations so it still makes more sense to go to Sam's since no matter which part of the city I go to, I'm close to one of the Sam's but might have to drive all the way across town to get to Costco. My husband at his last job had a Costco membership through his job and he went like once lol. One thing I wish Sam's had more variety with was the baking stuff. I would love it if they had cake flour. Though, I do buy the chocolate chips, 25# bags of flour, sugar, powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, spices, salt, yeast, etc for all my baking.
Agree, I do love the scan and go or check out at Sam’s club. I feel like Costco also tries to upsell you the membership every time you go through the checkout maybe that’s why they don’t have a scan and go. Love your content.
I do jump store to store; I have both cards 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👍🏼. What I don’t fibs in one , I fibs the item in the other store . Thank you for sharing & blessings to you 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
I agree. I like both for different reasons. I have a Costco membership bc I buy more to feed my family there and my mom has a Sam's membership. We take each other for the best of both worlds. Sam's has some snack and canned items I can't get at Costco.
Costco carries less product, but they turn around and sell everything in 1 month, as opposed to Sam's 12 month turn around. All that to say, check dates at Sam's. Costco, nah, it's all new.
This post was extremely helpful. My Costco and Sam’s are 1 mile apart. My C is a circus. My S is calm, easy, fast with the amazing scan & go feature. The ONLY thing I love about C is the food court pizzas. C’s are slightly larger than S. When our C membership runs out, not sure I can justify renewing. It’s so good to see I’m not the only person who feels this way! I buy organic ground beef, organic baby carrots, pasture-raised organic eggs at S. We TRY to strike a balance between organic / junk foods, so S works for me. Another problem I’ve run into is several large families in my neighborhood shop at C. It is funny when four mommies show up to the bus stop / cafeteria duty at school / band concerts in the same C clothing. For me, I end up skipping the C clothing section for this reason.
I've been a Sam's Club Plus member for 5 years. I like it and it works for me. I did go to Costco one time just to walk through and see what they have. It was SO packed with people and was very annoying to shop since I was constantly maneuvering around other customers and I didn't even have a cart. Nothing compares to Sam's Club early opening 8am - 10am for Plus members. It's such a pleasant shopping experience.
I have both memberships. Costco originally opened at 8:30am for business membership members. Our Sam’s Club had open at 7am for it’s business and Plus members before Covid, now it opens at 8am. So before COVID’s shutdown, I would go get gas from Costco at 6:45am (their gas station portion opens at 5:30am) then drive the mile between the clubs to go shop at Sam’s Club (no gas here)at 7am, and use the Scan & Go and get back home before most of the world is going to work. It was great!😍 Now I have to make two trips. Still get gas at Costco in the morning (5:30-6 am) beating the lines there. (CA crazy gas prices) but have to wait until 8am before to go to Sam’s. Here’s my take on the difference: Costco does have more organics than Sam’s, Sam’s has more multiples of regular size items vs. Costco’s giant/jumbo sized item to save in bulk. Which can be helpful, buy smaller multiples of say mayonnaise that does not take up your whole fridge especially if there are two of you and it takes months to go through the smaller container. I do like the Scan & Go option of checking out there some exceptions you can’t buy alcohol and certain items like cold meds with the Scan & Go but I just purchase everything I can with the App, then use the checkout line for those items not scannable, make it still way quicker than unload all your groceries, waiting for all to scanned and paid for. Love not having to unload twice- once at checkout lines and then at your car. Is it worth having the two memberships? For me, yes, saving at least 20 cents a gallon on gas each fill up pays for my Costco card. Smaller sized items in multiples at Sam’s Club makes it worth it there.
I have shopped both frequently. I specifically did a one on one comparison and this is what I found. In most cases if Sam’s was less expensive it usually has a smaller quantity package. It can be very deceiving if you don’t compare oz to oz! Love your channel😊
Thank you for this video because I’ve been trying to decide between a Sam’s Club and Costco membership. You explaining Costco checkout issues caused me anxiety just listening and I am happy to avoid going through that in public. I’ve had social anxiety for 25 years so thank you for your insight. For that reason I’m choosing Sam’s Club.
She's exaggerating. You can very clearly see which side the cart goes on and which side you go on (cart side is significantly wider). As for what stays in the cart and what goes on the belt, smaller items go on belt, larger/bulkier items stay in the cart as long as the cashier can see and scan them easily. I have pretty bad anxiety, and it was a painless experience the first time. You can always let someone go in front of you and watch how they do it, as well 🤗
I don't agree with the variety. Sam's club has a very limited selection of items. Also, most of the time warehouses don't carry all member's mark products, which is a shame. Last, Sam's club has a VERY POOR selection of international products. Sorry I will not renew at Sam's.
I CONCUR!! Plus my brothers loves Stacy’s Pita Chips (me too), our store hasn’t had them for over a year!!😠 Even tried to order them & have them shipped (they told us to order online & buy the PLUS membership get you FREE SHIPPING!) BULL HOCKEY!! We were told that the order could NOT be shipped. The ONLY thing to ship was a DASH Mini Rice Cooker. Also, the last 6 to 4 months they haven’t had their brand of “Tylenol” (comes in a 2pk). Most of the food…not what I enjoy eating. EVEYTHING THAT HAS TO BE “PLUGGED IN” HAS DIED WITHIN 8 hrs to 2mths!! We live too far away 25+ miles & have to drive into a different county for things to be replaced. [1 ] was a LASKO tower fan (my old one I’ve had for 7+ yrs) used 4 hrs 3rd July ‘22. [2] Mini FridgeAir fridge lasted 2 mths before it started leaking H2o from the 4 screws in the back & held one less can of beverage in order to clasp the door shut. NOT a HAPPY camper.🤨 Infuriating to say the least! ~~Sorry, I got carried away with their attributes of “NOTS” & “DO NOT HAVE”. 🙂 ✌🏻
Thanks! I always wondered what the difference was. We only have Sam's, which I really like, but I wish we also had a Costco. Well, I'm thankful just to have a local Sam's. We used to have to drive 2 hours to get to the nearest one. I love being a Plus member because I can get items delivered to the door and don't have the hassle of loading and unloading the car on heavy items. (I'm older with back problems, so it's difficult).
I've had both Sam's Club (In NC before Costco arrived) and Costco memberships. I only have Costco now (it's two blocks from my house) and I do so for a couple of reasons. Their quality, in my opinion, is better and they pay their employees appropriately. if it is going to cost me a few bucks more a year to be a member - I am happy to pay because I know more of it is going to employees than to shareholders and owners. As for the pizza - the costco pizza slices are HUGE - not sure about Sams but for $1.99 - that slice is a deal though I am a hot dog gal myself.
Back in the day I had membership to ALL 3: Sam’s, Costco’s & BJ’s. But we moved & the closet & ONLY Sam’s in Western NC is over 23 miles & in a different county. BOO!!! ✌🏻
Tutorial: pull your cart to butt up to the checkout belt, then you can unload it from either side. Leave your heavy, or big things in the cart. BUT put them with the barcode up, to scan easily. When it is time to separate from your cart. It goes on the side with the cashiers, and you go on the side with the credit card swiper. (This is not meant to sound snarky, but to be anxiety reducing)
We have memberships to both Costco & Sam's. We primarily use Costco for gas, where we get cash back each year. We use Sam's for the bulk of our groceries. There are some things I like at Costco that I will buy infrequently. Overall, I prefer Sam's when it comes to shopping. We have the Plus membership, so we get a rebate check each month. I utilize the pickup option weekly. I love that I can get into the store super early before regular customers enter. Sam's prices are much lower than Costco, even when you compare item to matching item. I haven't ever used the scan and go app because I do pickups, but I love the idea and it will be something I use in the future for sure. I really wish Costco did pickups, had a scanning app.
Our Costco has those little wireless guns in self checkout. I was so excited when they got those. Also, while lines may be longer at my Costco, sam's club (closer for me) lines for gas are so slow. The payment system is just so slow at Sam's if you aren't using your phone. Scan and go is a winner but Sam's has really pathetic choices on produce in my area and far fewer choices on nuts. Costco is an easy winner for me but I got a Sam's club one year membership for $8 right before fourth of July just to see if it would be worth it for me. Almost three months in and I've actually gone in to Sam's twice and the first time they didn't have two of the main things on my list (one of them was a box of tomatoes).
I have both SC & Costco. SC big wins for me are Scan&Go and my annual rewards rebate is offered to me during my check out. Come on Costco - I still have to wait on snail mail for an ole timey paper check! But dang it, their Kirkland's Best products still keep me coming back!
When my parents had both memberships, I always went to Sam's Club because it was always less crowded and the line for gas was always shorter. Also remember that Sam's Club is owned by Wal-Mart and Costco is employee owned.
We have both memberships. Costco has a lot more organic and different food selection. But in general Sam’s Club is so much easier. I love the check out on my phone and free shipping. Better pricing mostly.
love both too for different reasons, Sam's for the scan n go and the curbside pickup, and Costco has business centers with some of the specialty products you can't find at the regular Costco's
My sis and her husband used sams gas for a a couple tanks and calculated their gas mileage and then went to another local gas station and calculated their gas mileage and they actually didn’t have as good mpg so they quit going to Sam’s for gas. I prefer Costco gas. It’s always cheaper. I use the GasBuddy app before I leave to get gas to see which warehouse is cheapest. I live in SoCal and all of them differ in price up to 10-15c per gallon. Some things at Sam’s seems cheaper but when you compare to how much is in the Costco package vs Sam’s… Costcos package is usually a little bit bigger. And almost always the quality is a little bit better. I will say that Sam’s has better snacks and spices usually. I love their scan and go a whole lot but ultimately I have a Costco 10 min from me and I go there the most. The closest Sam’s is 20 min away.
We had both memberships for about 20 years. Four years ago, we let the Sam's membership go and kept the Costco. I liked things about both stores, but Costco was my clear winner for our needs. I go around noon every other Saturday and make a lunch off of the samples! Costco is one of my happy places!
I live five minutes from Costco HQ in Issaquah. Love them! There are zero Sam's in Washington!! They closed all WA stores a few years ago. Found great deals there, as well. You're fortunate to have both.
I think sams just emailed me that it went up to 50 & 110 a year. Just FYI Also scan & go at Sam’s club is a game changer. I’ve never had to wait in a line or touch a self checkout.
An hour to get to the nearest Sam's Club or BJ's, closest Costco is 3 hours away. I've been looking at Sam's Club but I'm not sure about the city. I may drive an extra half hour to go to a different smaller city with a Sam's. We've always had to drive 30 minutes to an hour for shopping, so the drive time isn't off putting until we get past 2 hours. I was jealous of everyone's Costco hauls until this comparison. Thanks Christine, this was very helpful.
Sam's and Costco are practically across the road from one another where I am. The checkout line at Costco would be a deal killer. I have zero patience for such nonsense.
I have both sams and Costco less than 1.5 miles apart. Costco came in about 2 yrs ago. I finally got a membership there just for the gas. Getting gas at Sams sometimes is so frustrating with the limited gas pumps and number of people trying to get best price. Costco, getting gas can usually drive right to pump and the price is the same!!! I've not shopped much at Costco I've tried looking for items on their website but get Zero items found, then go into store and boom there it is. I'd probably shop there more if knew they had what I wanted. Maybe just need to go in and roam when I have time...
The nearest Costco is 75 miles away, so Sam's it is for me. I laughed at your statement about "it doesn't matter." I really wish we had some Kroger branded stores around me. I live in the land of Walmart.
Clothes online at Costco can be an amazing deal. They often run a $x off y number of items promo. I've purchased blanket sleepers for $1, boys multi packs of tees for $4, brand name joggers for $3.
I’ve considered for years to go to Costco, but never have. The Sam’s Club is closer to me & the traffic is much, much less stressful. I’ve found many more useful things at Sam’s Club, than I ever thought I would. Maybe Costco would also be beneficial. But I couldn’t stand driving there.
This was helpful thanks. I’ve never been to Costco but we do have one about 45 min away. My Sam’s Club is about 10 min from my house. Based on this review, I would probably stick w Sam’s, although I would like to walk through the Costco once and check it out. I will agree that the checkout at Sam’s saves a HUGE amount of time.
The Costcos in my town all open at 9am, so it was really interesting to hear that your's open at 10 or 10:30, especially since Sam's club failed in Ontario and Costco really doesn't have significant competition.
I am blessed also because within a 20 mile radius I have either 4-5 liquidation retail stores that sell returns from Costco.I hit the liquidation store first before I go to Costco. $27 bag of dog food $15. Non-perishable food is mark up to 1/2 off of Costco retail price. I buy the Crystal light little tubes that run $10 at Costco for $7. . It’s mainly just because the outside box is crushed which does not affect the product inside. I’ve also brought clothes there. Costco has these bras I like two for 14.99. The retail liquidation store has them for 4.99 each
My crew love the huge hot dog and drink at Sam's for $1.50. I am a fan of the giant bread pretzel! I have been to both Costco and Sam's. Sam's seems to fit our needs best. It is nice that there is a choice for many people.
You gave away my Costco secret… shopping at 7:30 pm. It’s the best! AND the hotdog deal is BOMB! You forgot to mention their tasty hot dog 🌭 buns have sesame seeds!!! 😂
I have both but overall a fan of Costco! When my kids were in school, I found Sam’s to be better because they carried items like grape jelly that you can’t find at Costco. Sam’s is closer to my husband’s job, so it works out best for gas. Always love your videos!!
Costco pays their employees a better wage and treats them better. I’ve never heard a Costco employee complain about their job, can’t say the same about Walmart or Sams. I’ll stick to Costco! Plus the quality is way better.
Definitely a Sam's girl! Love the scan and go! Love the pick-up order option! Going to Costco for me is like going to IKEA.... once or twice a year to check out what goodies they have have (mainly the clothes and kitchen and other seasonal goodies) and pray that I don't spend too much 😁. Shocked that your Sam's and Costco had matching gas prices. That's a fluke. My Sam's (in Sacramento) usually beats out Costco by a few pennies.
Basically comes down to which one is closer to your house and less traffic
I agree. As someone with an internal signal that draws me to the slowest lanes anywhere in retail no matter how many people are standing at the time, the Scan and Go is amazing. Hard to believe Costco doesn't have something similar.
Yes! Love scan and go!!!
I've got that SAME internal signal...
Stuck behind out-dated coupon granny, price look-up dude, last week's sales chick or personal check grandpa. 🤪
Scan and go is where it’s at
Not exactly similar but they have a few self checkouts where I live.
Omg, I thought I was the only one with that problem! So glad I’m not alone 😂
Sam's Club rocks. The Scan and Go App alone is worth it. Sam's kills it for the checkout experience. Their self checkout is more user friendly than the Costco one. Costco near me does not even have a gun for checkout and when purchasing Bagels I needed the attendant to enter the price. SOOOOOOO inconvenient. Self Checkout means I don't need your assistance UGH. Costco is always crowded and causes me anxiety unlike Sam's which is wide open and even when the parking lot is packed I can move and don't feel crowded. Every time I attempt to purchase produce at Costo its horrible unlike Sam's which is always fresh. I do a majority of my weekly grocery shopping at Sam's.
There's a reason Costco always crowded.
I like both too. I pay for the Costco membership and my mom pays for the Sam’s Club membership and we each have a card for both. It works very nicely for us!
Me too! I had to check to make sure this wasn't my own comment 😅
For me the anxiety is too much at Costco most days. I love all the other things but they really need to implement a scan and go
@@dakotacranston2448 a fellow shopper suggested going in the hour before they close and it's a lot less busy and easy to get in and out.
I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks that about the crowds at Costco. Mine finally has a self-checkout but not having a scan and go is really strange, especially because you can do it at Target and Walmart now.
I love my Frugal Fit Mom logic. “It doesn’t matter “ what are your shopping goals and location, is what matters. 🤔🤗👍🏼
The Sam’s club Scan N Go app and their curbside pick up is what made me transfer from Costco AND the fact that if you forget your card at home you don’t have to stand in the membership line to get a temporary one. Your Sam’s card is on your phone.
You can put your Costco card on your phone too.
Well that’s good news. Costco has very limited curbside pick up and no scan n go.
I literally signed up for a Costco membership this week. If you are a teacher, they will give you $30 digital credit so it made the membership worth it for me. They also offered other deals for other employee groups such as military and first responders. And can I just say I hate the parking lots of Sams? It is enough for me to rethink my shopping choice. That being said, the Sams pizza is amazing!
My sister has a Sam’s membership and I have a Costco membership. We go shopping together about 3-4 times a year (both stores in same town a little over an hour from us). Prior to going we make a list and check both places so we know where to buy everything. Typically Sam’s is cheaper on food items. Costco has better paper products. Diapers hands down are better at Costco…quality wise not necessarily price. I feel like they both have good and bad points and we are lucky to be able to take advantage of both places as needed
You are right about the availability of organic items at Costco. I have to eat a special diet and appreciate all the options I can find there. Costco, Grocery Outlet and Walmart is my grocery trifecta. Plus Thrive Market for speciality items.
My local Costco's open at 10 and close at 6:30 on the weekend. Sam's is open from 8 until 8:30. When it's 110+ outside you want to shop early morning or later in evening. Sam's gets more of my business for that reason. I do shop both because Costco does have some products I can't find at Sam's. But, Sam's has the easiest check out by far. It also has the better app to check prices. Costco doesn't have all the products online and the prices you see are the Instacart prices so you can't compare prices unless you are actually in the store.
Here in Merida Mexico Sams is open from 8 am to 10pm and costco from 10 am to 8pm
@meyar3135 Wow, those are good times. I have the Sam's plus membership now, so I'm able to shop as early as 7am. So that's been nice.
The Costco App tells you the gas price that day when you select that warehouse location under the Warehouse tab. This has come in handy when we go on road trips.
The GasBuddy app shows the price at every gas station including Costco. Just FYI. And yes Costco is always cheaper.
Costco checkout is literally the easiest and quickest shopping experience I have ever had. Their staff are *always* there, and I am checked out (with no effort on my part) in the blink of an eye. Costco also pays their staff decent wages/benefits, which is why they have great service and if you care about businesses taking care of their employees, it's a no brainer.
Excellent point about wages and benefits. I can't speak to what Sam's Club does but since they're part of Walmart I'm going to guess their wages are not top notch. I have heard very good things about Costco wages and benefits. My city has both so I wonder when Costco came in a few years ago if they had a lot of employees move over there.
Depends on where they are in life. My son started working for Sam's when he was 20. Makes him plenty of money for what he needs (starting pay at $15), 401K for part time workers, plus they're paying for his college classes. That's a win in my book.
@Katie-
Very true! The waiting might be a little long sometimes but that's because they seem to _always_ be busy! Lol. Costco is the quickest compared to other stores, but everything you said is true. It is a great point that you made that there are always cashiers, in my area, there are *always TONS* of open cashier lines, even self check outs and they very rarely have any of them closed and if they ever do have any registers closed, they only have no more than two closed at one time out of 20 total registers.
Sam’s has an app and you can scan your items in the app and pay right in the app. Costco has an app that is totally useless, you can’t even check what items are in the stores with their app.
@@rosemarydoran9907 having worked at walmart for 13 years part time they actually paid higher than anyone else around. I worked nights after my husband came home to avoid child care. They gave bonus quarterly too.
Please do a part two comparing food options! Prepared foods. Frozen sections. Meat section. I'm trying to decide right now if I'm going to sig up for Sam's.
We had a Sams Club in our area many years before Costco. We have memberships for both and both have their good points. I love that Sams had grocery pickup! It has helped so much during the pandemic and even now. I also love the earlier hours and how some things are packaged (1 gal of milk instead of 2). However, it would be difficult to pick one as my favorite!
I feel like for some stuff Costco might be cheaper, but in a sneaky way. The rebate at the end of the year is greater with Costco. Sam's only gives significant cash back if you use their credit card. Costco has done gifts with membership over the years, but its been a very long time. Can I tell you though, that I usually do Same Club even though its a longer drive for me because they do parking lot pickup. Can't do that with Costco unless you want to deal with Instacart's markup prices. I often drive farther just to not deal with the crazy crowds at Costco. Also there's fewer items than Costco, so its less overwhelming when I'm shopping. I'm a Registered Dietitian and a pretty experienced shopper so I can do okay at either store, but I cringe at Costco's "organic" offerings.
Costco leans on organic foods as a "value added" option and as marketing for implied better quality, but honestly the laws governing organics are pretty weak and not only is a lot of that food not clear from pesticides and herbicides completely- but organic food is NOT necessarily higher quality, is NOT lower calorie, and is NOT more nutritious than conventional. its a marketing term designed to make money.
There is a significant difference in what is allowed to be used on organic vs conventional. That's not something I can dismiss.
If you want true organic, needs to be from farmers markets directly sourced from where it’s grown
If you add your membership information to your instacart account, you're supposed to get member prices. I never tried though (was an instacart shopper)
Sam’s club plus membership gives you cash back and not just at the end of the year, you can use it as you go. Plus (no pun intended) you get free shipping.
@@cecilyerker even then there is no guarantee that is is organic. Buying from a farmer doesn’t equal organic.
YOU CAN TELL YOU WORKED SO INCREDIBLY HARD PUTTING THIS VIDEO TOGETHER
THANK YOU
YOU HAVE ANSWERED A LONG TIME QUESTION I HAD🤗
I’m from Wyoming (the top) so I’m only 1.5 hrs from Billings that has both Sam’s and Costco ( at opposite ends) and truly I have cards to both and gladly use both. If I had to give one up I couldn’t choose because each server their purpose and because they DO cater to different “needs” I NEED them both lol. Thank you for the video and info Christine, I’m forever grateful 😇 when I have to do less “footwork” to glean more information! Have a blessed and beautiful day!
I want the organic. Definitely prefer Costco.
Sam’s has lots of organic produce but not so much in other food items.
My ride or die is hands down Sam’s Club. The store is easier to navigate for me, I love their app (and scan and go), their produce is fresher, and their overall base pricing for things is less expensive than Costco. Costco is like a Trader Joe’s in bulk. I LOVE the “fancier” items that they carry that you cannot find anywhere, and when they put certain items on sale, they are less expensive than at Sam’s, but I have found that most items are less expensive at Sam’s.
Watching this for the first time today as we just purchased a $20 membership on Black Friday Deal. We do have Costco membership and have had it for over 4 years. Love them! I have visited Sams Club now and we walked out of there for $80 as most of the things that we purchase regularly at Costco were not at Sams. As far as the fuel prices that were mentioned, in the day of apps like Google Maps, Gas Buddy, etc. there should never be a concern about the need to drive by a place to know the fuel price. I am sitting in my home today and I am over 50 minutes to each of my locations and I can tell you the exact price at each location. The one gripe that I have for each of them at least in our area is that they do not offer diesel at either location. In rural America many people drive diesel vehicles. Thank you for sharing your video and doing these comparisons as this has confirmed what we discovered this past Saturday.
Sam’s scan and go is the best! Also the fact that they have the hand held scanner at the self checkout. I like both stores for different items.
I love Sam's Club! Scan and Go, Pickup at no extra charge per item, and Plus shipping make it all worth it! I asked Costco if they had the pick up option, and they told me I could fax my order in if it was really huge, but if I just wanted to run by on my way home from work and have them shop for me, they don't do that. 🤣 I mean, who faxes anymore🤣🤣🤣, and Sam's shops for me and puts it in my car. I do have a Costco membership only because I got a Groupon deal and needed to buy 12 pair of goggles for our family vacation, so it saved me money to pay for their stupid membership just to get the goggles. I do not intend to renew it. It takes FOREVER to go through their store because of lines. I get so excited to go to Sam's, plus Sam's doesn't mark up the prices to buy online. I LOVE MY SAM'S MEMBERSHIP! 😂 This shows what a mom life I live! 🤣
I'm a Costco girl. I've had a Sam's Club membership a couple of times and I don't love it. They may be cheaper on some items but it's not nearly as fun as shopping at Costco 😉
I've had both. Costco has better quality items... No, organic flour at our Sam's. Might go to Sam's once every 2 months or less..
They have huge lines during the middle of the day. I'm going to have to break down and pay the 60 dollar membership for Costco..
My best friend has a sams membership and I have costco. We both feel like its the same stuff in 2 different stores
We got a Sam's membership for this year ($8). We won't be renewing. Sam's just underwhelms me.
Sams for me. Scan and go, pick up, and free shipping on most items. But i do once in a while stop by costco. But not often
I love watching your channel, Christine! You covered all the bases on this comparison video 👍 I almost wish I had a Sams Club in my area, so I to could experience "The best of both worlds". Love to you and the family ❤️
Costco for me, I like that they pay a living wage to their employees and the prices are only a few cents off (by ounce).
How much do they pay vs Sam's?
@@1sttimemom76 in my area, metro Atlanta, Costco pays $35 an hour. Not sure if that is full or part time and if benefits would be offered. It's more than teachers in my area earn but teachers do receive a benefit option and only work 190 days a year. I'm not sure of Sam's in my area.
I did my research on the topic several years ago, but at that time Costco employee made $45k annual and Sam’s Club made $22k annual. A Costco employee could qualify for a home at that time, Sam’s Club could not. If someone has more recent info, I’d appreciate the input!
I was going to say the same. Costco is an excellent employer.
Minimum starting hourly rate at Sam's Club in our area is $15.
Sam’s also has the $1.50 hot dog/drink deal. I have had both memberships, but currently have Sam’s Club and BJs even though all 3 are in my area.
Costco for me wins hands down. I will forgo the scan and go because they make up for it with high quality, customer service, and they treat their employees very well.
Oh how I wish that Costco did pickup orders like Sam's Club! We have membership at both, but I would use Costco so much more if they offered pickup! At our Sam's you can actually pickup at 7am, which we do almost every Friday! It's a huge blessing, especially if you have little ones in the car or someone who is disabled.
Yea I agree!
Though I do shop Costco more...
Scan and go and pick up would have me shop there even more
Costco does do pickup orders, but it depends on which membership you have. I think you need a specific membership. I have an Executive membership, and we were able to order several products for pickup when we were rebuilding our house (toilets! flooring, etc).
@Mike S ok but they could still do scan and go...
I mean I'm totally ok with going in and doing my own shopping 98% of the time...but the lines make it so I don't want to shop there unless it's in the morning
Yes a ‘blessing’ from the Sam workers not some Magic religious scam dream.. sheeple.
Christine, could you do a video comparing Costco and Sam's specifically for the holidays? Baking supplies, presents, holiday meals, decorations, wrapping, etc.
I’d watch that!
I have memberships to both (Sam's since 1999; Costco since 2014). Costco's organic/natural foods selections far outpace Sam's. Sam's tire prices are often better from my experience. In general, I go to Costco more than Sam's.
I am very thankful to have them across the street from each other as well as Lowes and Home Depot. 1/4 of a mile west are craft stores and clothing stores. And a half mile east is a great big mall and sports stores. Loads of restaurants as well. It's fantastic.... All this is15 minutes from home. This could be a budget buster, but I'm a frugal person. My son and I share the memberships, so best of both worlds.😁😁
This cracks me up as I just had this convo on Saturday with a few ladies…I’m a Costco girl
Absolutely agree with you! Love, love your delivery, methodology and style. You go girl!! Thank you for a quick snapshot and run down of the important factors. I too appreciate having all options between the two and my town has a B.J.'s. Yeah buddy!
We finally have a Costco but, I’m still in love with Sam’s. The scan and go is the best! Our gas prices aren’t posted by the street but they are posted by the exit of the store. I did go as a visiter to Costco and it looked really nice. The extra cost for the membership and not having the same dog food, coffee, etc that we love deterred me for now.
I have been on a binge watching of your videos for past week. Totally enjoying your content... I strive to be like you...
Thanks for this vid, I just got the Sam's club membership promo in June and have noticed a big difference in prices. Comparing 15 of my usual items, 9 of them cheaper at Sam's over Costco.
When I discovered the scan-n-go on the app I said I will never stand in line again. It's awesome!
That’s what made me go with sams club. That’s scan and go is the best. Especially when the store is packed.
Love watching these comparisons. Agree with you i like going to both for different things. The big seller for Sams club is the more items they carry but costco has things you cant find at Sams club
Like what?
I grew up always going to Sam's, my parents only a year or two ago started going to Costco because their closest Sam's relocated so the Costco was just closer. When I went to college we had a Sam's 5 min from my apartment and now that we live in a different state the nearest city has a bunch of Sam's locations but only 1 Costco locations so it still makes more sense to go to Sam's since no matter which part of the city I go to, I'm close to one of the Sam's but might have to drive all the way across town to get to Costco. My husband at his last job had a Costco membership through his job and he went like once lol. One thing I wish Sam's had more variety with was the baking stuff. I would love it if they had cake flour. Though, I do buy the chocolate chips, 25# bags of flour, sugar, powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, spices, salt, yeast, etc for all my baking.
Agree, I do love the scan and go or check out at Sam’s club. I feel like Costco also tries to upsell you the membership every time you go through the checkout maybe that’s why they don’t have a scan and go. Love your content.
I do jump store to store; I have both cards 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👍🏼. What I don’t fibs in one , I fibs the item in the other store . Thank you for sharing & blessings to you 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Sam's club curbside pickup is free for plus members but $4 for regular members
_That's crazy_
_Can you compare BJ's Wholesale Club along with these two stores?_
They’re mostly on the East Coast, I think she’s in Colorado. ✌🏻
I agree. I like both for different reasons. I have a Costco membership bc I buy more to feed my family there and my mom has a Sam's membership. We take each other for the best of both worlds. Sam's has some snack and canned items I can't get at Costco.
Costco carries less product, but they turn around and sell everything in 1 month, as opposed to Sam's 12 month turn around. All that to say, check dates at Sam's. Costco, nah, it's all new.
Curbside pickup is $4 each if you don’t have the plus membership
This post was extremely helpful. My Costco and Sam’s are 1 mile apart. My C is a circus. My S is calm, easy, fast with the amazing scan & go feature. The ONLY thing I love about C is the food court pizzas. C’s are slightly larger than S. When our C membership runs out, not sure I can justify renewing. It’s so good to see I’m not the only person who feels this way!
I buy organic ground beef, organic baby carrots, pasture-raised organic eggs at S. We TRY to strike a balance between organic / junk foods, so S works for me. Another problem I’ve run into is several large families in my neighborhood shop at C. It is funny when four mommies show up to the bus stop / cafeteria duty at school / band concerts in the same C clothing. For me, I end up skipping the C clothing section for this reason.
I've been a Sam's Club Plus member for 5 years. I like it and it works for me. I did go to Costco one time just to walk through and see what they have. It was SO packed with people and was very annoying to shop since I was constantly maneuvering around other customers and I didn't even have a cart. Nothing compares to Sam's Club early opening 8am - 10am for Plus members. It's such a pleasant shopping experience.
I have both memberships. Costco originally opened at 8:30am for business membership members. Our Sam’s Club had open at 7am for it’s business and Plus members before Covid, now it opens at 8am. So before COVID’s shutdown, I would go get gas from Costco at 6:45am (their gas station portion opens at 5:30am) then drive the mile between the clubs to go shop at Sam’s Club (no gas here)at 7am, and use the Scan & Go and get back home before most of the world is going to work. It was great!😍
Now I have to make two trips. Still get gas at Costco in the morning (5:30-6 am) beating the lines there. (CA crazy gas prices) but have to wait until 8am before to go to Sam’s. Here’s my take on the difference: Costco does have more organics than Sam’s, Sam’s has more multiples of regular size items vs. Costco’s giant/jumbo sized item to save in bulk. Which can be helpful, buy smaller multiples of say mayonnaise that does not take up your whole fridge especially if there are two of you and it takes months to go through the smaller container. I do like the Scan & Go option of checking out there some exceptions you can’t buy alcohol and certain items like cold meds with the Scan & Go but I just purchase everything I can with the App, then use the checkout line for those items not scannable, make it still way quicker than unload all your groceries, waiting for all to scanned and paid for. Love not having to unload twice- once at checkout lines and then at your car. Is it worth having the two memberships? For me, yes, saving at least 20 cents a gallon on gas each fill up pays for my Costco card. Smaller sized items in multiples at Sam’s Club makes it worth it there.
I have shopped both frequently. I specifically did a one on one comparison and this is what I found. In most cases if Sam’s was less expensive it usually has a smaller quantity package. It can be very deceiving if you don’t compare oz to oz! Love your channel😊
I agree. I shop at both. Each gives me what I need.
Thank you for this video because I’ve been trying to decide between a Sam’s Club and Costco membership. You explaining Costco checkout issues caused me anxiety just listening and I am happy to avoid going through that in public. I’ve had social anxiety for 25 years so thank you for your insight. For that reason I’m choosing Sam’s Club.
She's exaggerating. You can very clearly see which side the cart goes on and which side you go on (cart side is significantly wider). As for what stays in the cart and what goes on the belt, smaller items go on belt, larger/bulkier items stay in the cart as long as the cashier can see and scan them easily.
I have pretty bad anxiety, and it was a painless experience the first time. You can always let someone go in front of you and watch how they do it, as well 🤗
We shop at both depending on what we need and what’s in stock.
I don't agree with the variety. Sam's club has a very limited selection of items. Also, most of the time warehouses don't carry all member's mark products, which is a shame. Last, Sam's club has a VERY POOR selection of international products. Sorry I will not renew at Sam's.
I CONCUR!! Plus my brothers loves Stacy’s Pita Chips (me too), our store hasn’t had them for over a year!!😠 Even tried to order them & have them shipped (they told us to order online & buy the PLUS membership get you FREE SHIPPING!) BULL HOCKEY!! We were told that the order could NOT be shipped. The ONLY thing to ship was a DASH Mini Rice Cooker. Also, the last 6 to 4 months they haven’t had their brand of “Tylenol” (comes in a 2pk). Most of the food…not what I enjoy eating. EVEYTHING THAT HAS TO BE “PLUGGED IN” HAS DIED WITHIN 8 hrs to 2mths!! We live too far away 25+ miles & have to drive into a different county for things to be replaced. [1 ] was a LASKO tower fan (my old one I’ve had for 7+ yrs) used 4 hrs 3rd July ‘22. [2] Mini FridgeAir fridge lasted 2 mths before it started leaking H2o from the 4 screws in the back & held one less can of beverage in order to clasp the door shut. NOT a HAPPY camper.🤨 Infuriating to say the least!
~~Sorry, I got carried away with their attributes of “NOTS” & “DO NOT HAVE”. 🙂 ✌🏻
Where I live, they have both Costco and sams and they’re literally right next to each other
Thanks! I always wondered what the difference was. We only have Sam's, which I really like, but I wish we also had a Costco. Well, I'm thankful just to have a local Sam's. We used to have to drive 2 hours to get to the nearest one. I love being a Plus member because I can get items delivered to the door and don't have the hassle of loading and unloading the car on heavy items. (I'm older with back problems, so it's difficult).
I've had both Sam's Club (In NC before Costco arrived) and Costco memberships. I only have Costco now (it's two blocks from my house) and I do so for a couple of reasons. Their quality, in my opinion, is better and they pay their employees appropriately. if it is going to cost me a few bucks more a year to be a member - I am happy to pay because I know more of it is going to employees than to shareholders and owners.
As for the pizza - the costco pizza slices are HUGE - not sure about Sams but for $1.99 - that slice is a deal though I am a hot dog gal myself.
Also regarding the chocolate coconut almonds - yes, yes it does.
Costco has their prices on their app for gas.
Back in the day I had membership to ALL 3: Sam’s, Costco’s & BJ’s. But we moved & the closet & ONLY Sam’s in Western NC is over 23 miles & in a different county. BOO!!! ✌🏻
Tutorial: pull your cart to butt up to the checkout belt, then you can unload it from either side. Leave your heavy, or big things in the cart. BUT put them with the barcode up, to scan easily.
When it is time to separate from your cart. It goes on the side with the cashiers, and you go on the side with the credit card swiper.
(This is not meant to sound snarky, but to be anxiety reducing)
I prefer Sam's because scan and go and also cost will only take visa which is frustrating.
Sams club is also raising their membership prices
First year they’re giving you back $10 in sams club cash to offset the increase.
When is this happening?
This year, Costco is increasing their membership price.
We have memberships to both Costco & Sam's. We primarily use Costco for gas, where we get cash back each year. We use Sam's for the bulk of our groceries. There are some things I like at Costco that I will buy infrequently. Overall, I prefer Sam's when it comes to shopping. We have the Plus membership, so we get a rebate check each month. I utilize the pickup option weekly. I love that I can get into the store super early before regular customers enter. Sam's prices are much lower than Costco, even when you compare item to matching item. I haven't ever used the scan and go app because I do pickups, but I love the idea and it will be something I use in the future for sure. I really wish Costco did pickups, had a scanning app.
Our Costco has those little wireless guns in self checkout. I was so excited when they got those. Also, while lines may be longer at my Costco, sam's club (closer for me) lines for gas are so slow. The payment system is just so slow at Sam's if you aren't using your phone. Scan and go is a winner but Sam's has really pathetic choices on produce in my area and far fewer choices on nuts. Costco is an easy winner for me but I got a Sam's club one year membership for $8 right before fourth of July just to see if it would be worth it for me. Almost three months in and I've actually gone in to Sam's twice and the first time they didn't have two of the main things on my list (one of them was a box of tomatoes).
I have both SC & Costco. SC big wins for me are Scan&Go and my annual rewards rebate is offered to me during my check out. Come on Costco - I still have to wait on snail mail for an ole timey paper check! But dang it, their Kirkland's Best products still keep me coming back!
The scan and go app is the best!!!!!
I’m not sure about other Costcos, but ours only accepts Visa which is a HUGE inconvenience!!
Very interesting comparison. Thank you for doing all the work.
Yes, you can use the "scanning gun" for items in your cart at Costco.
When my parents had both memberships, I always went to Sam's Club because it was always less crowded and the line for gas was always shorter. Also remember that Sam's Club is owned by Wal-Mart and Costco is employee owned.
We have both memberships. Costco has a lot more organic and different food selection. But in general Sam’s Club is so much easier. I love the check out on my phone and free shipping. Better pricing mostly.
We had both cards for one year, went to Sam's more because of the hours and less people - that was a win!
love both too for different reasons, Sam's for the scan n go and the curbside pickup, and Costco has business centers with some of the specialty products you can't find at the regular Costco's
Sam's club app tells you what the current price of gas is. So if I see a station on the way to Sam's that is cheaper I can go ahead and buy it.
My sis and her husband used sams gas for a a couple tanks and calculated their gas mileage and then went to another local gas station and calculated their gas mileage and they actually didn’t have as good mpg so they quit going to Sam’s for gas.
I prefer Costco gas. It’s always cheaper.
I use the GasBuddy app before I leave to get gas to see which warehouse is cheapest. I live in SoCal and all of them differ in price up to 10-15c per gallon.
Some things at Sam’s seems cheaper but when you compare to how much is in the Costco package vs Sam’s… Costcos package is usually a little bit bigger. And almost always the quality is a little bit better.
I will say that Sam’s has better snacks and spices usually. I love their scan and go a whole lot but ultimately I have a Costco 10 min from me and I go there the most. The closest Sam’s is 20 min away.
Sam's has more snacks but Costco has healthier ones.
In my Costco checkout is super fast. There's always people putting things in the bell for you and scanning heavy items at self checkout
We had both memberships for about 20 years. Four years ago, we let the Sam's membership go and kept the Costco. I liked things about both stores, but Costco was my clear winner for our needs. I go around noon every other Saturday and make a lunch off of the samples! Costco is one of my happy places!
I live five minutes from Costco HQ in Issaquah. Love them! There are zero Sam's in Washington!! They closed all WA stores a few years ago. Found great deals there, as well. You're fortunate to have both.
I think sams just emailed me that it went up to 50 & 110 a year. Just FYI
Also scan & go at Sam’s club is a game changer. I’ve never had to wait in a line or touch a self checkout.
Yep Sam's is going up next year I think they said?
An hour to get to the nearest Sam's Club or BJ's, closest Costco is 3 hours away. I've been looking at Sam's Club but I'm not sure about the city. I may drive an extra half hour to go to a different smaller city with a Sam's. We've always had to drive 30 minutes to an hour for shopping, so the drive time isn't off putting until we get past 2 hours. I was jealous of everyone's Costco hauls until this comparison. Thanks Christine, this was very helpful.
Sam's and Costco are practically across the road from one another where I am. The checkout line at Costco would be a deal killer. I have zero patience for such nonsense.
I have both sams and Costco less than 1.5 miles apart. Costco came in about 2 yrs ago. I finally got a membership there just for the gas. Getting gas at Sams sometimes is so frustrating with the limited gas pumps and number of people trying to get best price. Costco, getting gas can usually drive right to pump and the price is the same!!! I've not shopped much at Costco I've tried looking for items on their website but get Zero items found, then go into store and boom there it is. I'd probably shop there more if knew they had what I wanted. Maybe just need to go in and roam when I have time...
The nearest Costco is 75 miles away, so Sam's it is for me. I laughed at your statement about "it doesn't matter." I really wish we had some Kroger branded stores around me. I live in the land of Walmart.
Clothes online at Costco can be an amazing deal. They often run a $x off y number of items promo. I've purchased blanket sleepers for $1, boys multi packs of tees for $4, brand name joggers for $3.
I’ve considered for years to go to Costco, but never have. The Sam’s Club is closer to me & the traffic is much, much less stressful. I’ve found many more useful things at Sam’s Club, than I ever thought I would. Maybe Costco would also be beneficial. But I couldn’t stand driving there.
Same for me. My closest Costco is over an hour away. So Sam’s Club it is. I like it enough.
Costcos Kirkland brand is very high quality compared to sams choice.
This was helpful thanks. I’ve never been to Costco but we do have one about 45 min away. My Sam’s Club is about 10 min from my house. Based on this review, I would probably stick w Sam’s, although I would like to walk through the Costco once and check it out. I will agree that the checkout at Sam’s saves a HUGE amount of time.
The Costcos in my town all open at 9am, so it was really interesting to hear that your's open at 10 or 10:30, especially since Sam's club failed in Ontario and Costco really doesn't have significant competition.
What I'm hoping for is, since Sam's and Walmart are the same company, that they somehow combine Sam's+ and Walmart+. That would be phenomenal.
I agree!
I am blessed also because within a 20 mile radius I have either 4-5 liquidation retail stores that sell returns from Costco.I hit the liquidation store first before I go to Costco. $27 bag of dog food $15. Non-perishable food is mark up to 1/2 off of Costco retail price. I buy the Crystal light little tubes that run $10 at Costco for $7. . It’s mainly just because the outside box is crushed which does not affect the product inside. I’ve also brought clothes there. Costco has these bras I like two for 14.99. The retail liquidation store has them for 4.99 each
My crew love the huge hot dog and drink at Sam's for $1.50. I am a fan of the giant bread pretzel! I have been to both Costco and Sam's. Sam's seems to fit our needs best. It is nice that there is a choice for many people.
Came here to say this about the hot dog deal.
We have 2 Sam’s club and 1 Costco. The Cisco is in the other side of town where I don’t go, where there’s a Sam’s club 15 minutes down the street!
I LOVE the "go find less" shirt. Love your videos, too! Thanks for comparing the two places! :)
Costco is the best!!!!!
Thanks for the Harry’s discount. The Big Shave bundle is an awesome deal so we got 2 of them.
You gave away my Costco secret… shopping at 7:30 pm. It’s the best! AND the hotdog deal is BOMB! You forgot to mention their tasty hot dog 🌭 buns have sesame seeds!!! 😂
Love their hot dogs
Thank you for talking about organic! I do 'clean eating' and you helped me make a decision!
I have both but overall a fan of Costco! When my kids were in school, I found Sam’s to be better because they carried items like grape jelly that you can’t find at Costco. Sam’s is closer to my husband’s job, so it works out best for gas. Always love your videos!!
If there’s all the pluses to sams club why do you like costco more
Costco pays their employees a better wage and treats them better. I’ve never heard a Costco employee complain about their job, can’t say the same about Walmart or Sams. I’ll stick to Costco! Plus the quality is way better.
Definitely a Sam's girl! Love the scan and go! Love the pick-up order option! Going to Costco for me is like going to IKEA.... once or twice a year to check out what goodies they have have (mainly the clothes and kitchen and other seasonal goodies) and pray that I don't spend too much 😁. Shocked that your Sam's and Costco had matching gas prices. That's a fluke. My Sam's (in Sacramento) usually beats out Costco by a few pennies.
Sam’s club is sucks. Costco is better and worldwide
@@coning1824literally no one cares. Stay mad
@@ashelynnscott I’m not mad. I’m just said true thing. You don’t need worry because you don’t have money for buying membership anyway 😂
Can you tell me, in your opinion, which place has the best selection of good meat?
@@deborahryan2654Sam's club meat is better than Costco
Thank you Christine for the heads up on the Sams membership promotion, I will have to try it out now😉💛