Costco or Sam's

[whiterock]

Which one is the best? Both are local, but I wouldn't want to get a membership to both.

[chamoisee]

Honestly, I am really sold on Grocery Outlet. I can try just a small amount of something and then come back and buy a lot of it, and it's about a third to half the cost of the local grocery store.

[rzrubek]

That's like asking which is best, Ford or Chevy? Depends on who you ask. They both will let you go in and look around for free, so grab pen and paper and go and look around and take notes on the things your family buys. Then compare to what Wal-mart and other stores have. We have had both in the past, and now have one at BJ's, only because they have a certain type of diaper that we buy a lot of. Have fun shopping prices.

[Drew Cutter]

Don't want to hijack this thread. rzrubek , would love the hear more about hydroponic on randy site. bags . any books on this method of growing plants ? Thanks.

[Alice In TX/MO]

Costco

[ninny]

I have family that shops at both and Costco seems to be the favorite. I was at Sams yesterday and wasn't impressed.

.

[no hurry]

I had a membership to Costco and my roommate one to Sam's.

We found almost nothing we needed (basic ingredients) at our local Sam's while Costco usually has about 80 percent of what we buy (flour, sugar, etc).

Try to go with a friend to each and see which better suits your needs.

--Tiff

[wwubben]

We think we do better at dollar general and aldi's than the two you mention.

[raymilosh]

I just have to put in a plug. I advise you actively work toward buying things that are produced locally. It's good for both the large national economy and for your local economy, as well.
It is good and necessary to have local economies that work should the large one falter/be unable to supply us with stuff from far away.
BTW, I'm not being high and mighty about how healthy my local economy is. We have a long way to go before we could support ourselves, but we are actively working on it. K, I'll shut up now.
Oh and to answer your question, I've never been to either store, but people say Costco is better.

[SolarGary]

Hi,
We like Costco a lot.
Good quality stuff and very good prices.
Excellent return policy -- no questions asked -- no hassles.
Consumer Reports rates Costco high.

Never tried Sam's Club as we don't have one nearby.

Gary

[debmal1]

Costco. I find what I need and the prices seem to be a better fit than Sams. I also like the fact their employees are treated well and paid a "living wage". The Costco in Austin is really well kept and organized. I have to drive an hour to get there, but I usually combine it with other errands there.

[Reptyle]

Another vote for Costco...Their Kirkland brand of stuff is usually cheaper, and as good, if not better, than the comparable name brand products.

[mnn2501]

Neither. You can find better deals watching the sales at regular grocery stores and stocking up then.
Most people with memberships never make up the membership fee they pay for the privelage of shopping there.

Having said that, if you are still determined, go to each one and tell them you are thinking about becoming a member, they will let you in to look around, may even gove you a 1 day pass. Take a pen and paper with you and write down and compare prices of the things you will be buying there.
Then find out how much the meberships are and compare prices to your local grocery store sales to see if you will really save anything.

[rzrubek]

Originally Posted by Drew Cutter

Don't want to hijack this thread. rzrubek , would love the hear more about hydroponic on randy site. bags . any books on this method of growing plants ? Thanks.

You should start a new thread or use PM, by the way, check your PM.

[sapphyre]

All the Costcos in my area are going out of business! I'm glad I had chosen Sam's (it was simply closer to my house - otherwise I like Costco better). Before you join, check and see if you can find out if the Costcos in your area are going anywhere.

[PezzoNovante]

It's regional so check them both out for what you buy for everyday living. Here in north Texas, Costco is upscale. All the small businesses and churches belong to Sams. Sams stocks staples at attractive prices, like rice and pasta. Costco stocks organic versions that cost more. We lapsed our Costco membership and stuck with Sams for that reason.

[YuccaFlatsRanch]

Costco cancelled our dog food. We cancelled Costco. Sam's has it, so we go there.

[Ed Norman]

We make it to town about every 2 months. We had a Sams card for several years and would buy all our bulk purchases there. In June last year they called and said our membership had expired in March. I could renew over the phone right now and be good until next March. I said if I renew for a year, it should be good until June. Oh no, it expired in March, a new yearly card will expire next March. I got mad and suggested proper card placement and we went the other direction to Costco and got a membership there. They both have the staples that we buy, we don't get all the ready made frozen stuff. But neither carries charcoal in the winter. Don't people eat in the winter?

[MariaAZ]

Originally Posted by YuccaFlatsRanch

Costco cancelled our dog food. We cancelled Costco. Sam's has it, so we go there.

How funny... we used to get our dog food at Sam's Club but they dropped the brand so we switched to Costco

[Big Mike]

Costco all the way for us. The only negative is how they will not carry a product for very long like a certain brand of frozen pizza and when you go back to get more there is a different brand etc. Other then that we love it. Tough on the wallet though....