Membership Shopping in the USA

Costco vs. Sam’s Club

And a comparison to one other Membership Club

About a month and a half ago, or so, Feyma and I joined Sam’s club. We had never been a member of Sam’s, we were always Costco customers. Sam’s Club really did not have any stores out west when we lived in the USA before, so Costco it was.

This past weekend, we took a trip down to Indianapolis and also bought a Costco Membership.

Let’s have a look at the two big US Membership Club stores.

Why join both clubs?

Well, there were several reasons why we elected to join both Sam’s and Costco, at least for our first year back in the States.

Sam’s is more nearby, with two stores within about 45 minutes from where we live (one is 30 minutes away).

Being former Costco members, we like Costco and wanted to see how different it is now compared to before.

Comparing online reviews of the two clubs did not really give us a clear winner, so we decided to decide for ourselves.

Sam’s Club

As I said, we joined Sam’s first, about 6 weeks ago. It was nearer to where we live, so convenience was a key factor in that decision. Also, at the time we joined Sam’s we did not have a car yet, so we were relying on a ride from a friend, and going to Indianapolis was just too much to ask.

We paid $45 for a one-year membership at Sam’s Club.

How much did we pay for our purchases?

We toured the entire store, and spent, as I recall, around $200 that day that we joined (not including the membership fee). We mostly bought grocery type items, but a few non-grocery items too.

Frankly, both Feyma and I felt underwhelmed at Sam’s Club. The selection of goods seemed limited, and when we did find things that we wanted to buy, the prices did not seem all that spectacular.

But, we did find things that we wanted or needed to buy.

How many times have I visited Sam’s Club?

Over the past month or so, I have made around 3 more trips to Sam’s Club and bought things each time. With Sam’s being only 30 or 45 minutes away, it is easy and convenient for me to go there during the time when Feyma and Chris are at work. During the month I have gone to both the Kokomo Sam’s Club (30 minutes away) and the Lafayette Sam’s Club (45 minutes away).

Another thing that I have learned, since buying a car, is that if I happen to be in Kokomo or Lafayette, it is a good idea to fill up with gas at Sam’s Club. On my first “gas buying” visit to Sam’s the price for Unleaded was $2.64 per gallon, compared to $2.89 as the best price here in Logansport. So, filling up is well worthwhile, especially if you are already in town, near to Sam’s.

Now, let’s look at Costco

As I said, we had been Costco customers for years when we lived in Washington State, all through the 1990s. We used to love going to Costco. In the past 2 years, Feyma has been to Costco as well, while she was in the United States. She went with a friend who was a member.

So, now that we have a car, and we are freer to travel longer distances, on Saturday I asked Feyma if she wanted to go to Indy and get a Costco membership. Of course, she was eager to do so, so we headed out!

It is about an hour and 15 minutes or so to get to Costco. Not a super long trip, but I am not used to driving long distances, and for me that was a long distance! I am sure that as I become more used to the USA again, that will just be a short jaunt.

Membership

Costco’s regular membership is $60 per year ($15 more than Sam’s). We opted for the Executive Membership for $120 per year. Why? They offered some attractive services that were not available with a regular membership. Also, they guarantee that if you don’t save more than $60 in the first year with the additional services they will refund the membership fee, so there is really nothing to lose.

Time for some shopping

We spent a lot of time in Costco! Probably at least 2 hours.

We were very pleased with Costco. It is big, and they have a huge assortment of merchandise. Even better than back in the 90s when we were members. We were very impressed.

How much did we spend at Costco?

For the most part, we had decided that we were “just looking” on our first visit, but we still wound up spending $125 or so. Just a few “must have” items. We felt that in addition to the great product assortment, the value was great too.

Overall it was a fun trip, and well worth it to go down for the day.

What about Gas? Well, the gas prices at Costco were fantastic. Gas had come down here in Logansport. On the Sam’s Club section of this article, I said that gas was $2.89 here in Logansport, but by the time we went down to Costco, gas in Logansport was $2.64.

Gas at Costco was $2.21 per gallon. That is 43 cents per gallon less than local prices. Fantastic! You can bet that if I am in Indianapolis I will visit Costco for a tank of gas.

Costco vs. Sam’s

Let’s look at a few pluses and minuses.

Checkout. I felt that Sam’s is the winner when it comes to checking out. Lines were shorter at Sam’s (probably because there were fewer customers), and also Sam’s has self-checkout counters. I like self-checkout (I know that many don’t). I find it convenient. So, Sam’s win’s on the checkout battle.

Product Selection. As I said earlier, Costco wins hands-down. Not even a comparison. You could literally spend an entire day in Costco if you wanted to, and probably still not see everything.

Prices. Again, I already said it. Costco prices were better. Yes, membership is more, but not that much more, and you will save the extra cost of membership on the first visit, most likely.

Which club will we join in future years?

It is too early to say, but I am betting that we will keep both memberships.

With Sam’s being much closer, I can see where we would go buy our regular needs there on a weekly basis. But, mostly on weekends, about once a month we would go down to Costco and buy a big haul down there. So, having both memberships would make sense. After we have more time shopping at each store we will see how it works out.

Having both memberships would also be a good thing in terms of buying gasoline. I would tend to be in Kokomo or Lafayette (or both) at least once per week and can fill up at Sam’s. But, going to Indy once a month or so, the savings on gas are much higher.

One other comparison

S&R. S&R is the membership shopping club in the Philippines. We became members as soon as they opened a club in Davao City, where we lived.

S&R was great for the Philippines. But, frankly, it cannot stand up to either Sam’s or Costco.

We did buy a lot at S&R, but looking back now after experiencing the 2019 iteration of Sam’s and Costco.. they are just in a different league.

We had a fun weekend! We’ll be back, Costco! And Sam’s too.