Costco, Sams Club, Pay to shop??

[Ingomike]

One thing not mentioned here, the Costco return policies are about the best in all of retailing. Example: bought two boxes of nice brand name 18/10 silver wear for daily use. After 3 years this it started rusting in the dishwasher. Asked about it they said return it. Took it back in a wal-Mart bag without receipt, they asked if we wanted cash or a gift card, since they had silver wear we wanted they put it on a card and we got our replacement. Nobody else will do that...

 

[Snapdragon]

I would say if you are just shopping for groceries for a small family, the membership fee might not be worth it. For a large family, a business, or if you make major purchases like glasses, hearing aids, furniture, or appliances, it is definitely worth it. We just re-joined after a few years off because my mom wanted to get new hearing aids, which are at least 1K cheaper at Costco than anywhere else. We also just got a washer/dryer a couple hundred cheaper than Lowe's sale price, and Costco has free delivery/installation/disposal, which will cost at least a hundred bucks per piece at the big box home stores. Good prices on eyeglasses, but selection is not as good as optical stores. If they don't have a frame you like, you can bring your own frame in and they will put lenses in.

 

[Super Bee]

Costco here. Had Sams for a couple years and we prefer Costco so much more.

I love their meat department, some of the best steaks I have ever had from a store.

 

[Mr. Habib]

Sam's Club. Nearest Costco is over an hour away. Shopped there for years. Well worth the money if you like to shop in bulk. Pro tips 1) Shop early on Saturdays, the place is almost deserted. At least the one in Bloomington. 2) They legally can't charge a membership fee to purchase liquor, and their prices are generally pretty good.

 

[GLOCKMAN23C]

I'm a Costco member while generally better than Sam's, has its drawbacks. They're anti-gun, but concealed is concealed. Their Kirkland Signature products are top notch, from food, to alcohol, to paper, and beyond. I love the cheaper gas, anywhere from .15 - .50 cheaper than most stations.

 

[WebSnyper]

But the pièce de résistance? Rotisserie chicken. Your significant other wants one, seriously.

You can either buy them one rose for $5.99, or you can buy them a whole rotisserie chicken, that’s all I’m saying. Choose wisely.

Agreed, I previously posted from my phone or would have included this as well. The Rotisserie is excellent.

It may not be worth it. I do know, though, that when I was tire shopping, the Michelins I got at Costco were more than $60 less than at other tire shops around my area. That year, the $60 membership fee paid for itself.
And while I'm on the subject of alcohol: You do NOT need a membership, in Indiana, to buy alcohol, tobacco, and/or prescriptions from a shopping club store. The way Indiana laws are set up are that since those items are already specially taxed and/or regulated, a retailer cannot add an extra fee on top of those, which is what membership fees would be. I'm sure it's more nuanced than that, but the end result is the same.

Costco is a GFZ by corporate decree. I know every time I'm there there's at least one armed shopper. And I can generally pick out a few more on a Saturday.

I will say that I was able to price match Costco's installed price with their included road hazard at Discount Tire earlier in the year when I purchased tires for my son's truck. Primarily did so as DT are closer to us and more convenient for free rotates/balance, etc and would be readily available to my son while he is away at school as well. But doing so I also saved more than my costco membership fee by a long shot, so still a win.

And agreed, I'm not really purchasing much alcohol, tobacco, etc but have also understood, no membership needed for that stuff.

On the GFZ thing, never noticed that they had any policy on that, and have never gone unarmed there.

One thing not mentioned here, the Costco return policies are about the best in all of retailing. Example: bought two boxes of nice brand name 18/10 silver wear for daily use. After 3 years this it started rusting in the dishwasher. Asked about it they said return it. Took it back in a wal-Mart bag without receipt, they asked if we wanted cash or a gift card, since they had silver wear we wanted they put it on a card and we got our replacement. Nobody else will do that...

Agreed on the few occasions I have needed a return the policies and service was stellar at Costco for this.

We drive from Avon/Plainfield area to Greenwood when we go to Costco (there is a rumor of a Costco coming to Avon/Plainfield at some point). I wish it was closer, but then again may be better for my wallet that it's not.

I have also ordered stuff online and had it sent to my son, as well as have regularly used Costco to send flowers and other gift basket/occasion type stuff to my mother as well as MIL who live in FL, and always been high quality and delivered promptly.

Have definitely spent less time in actual Costco stores this year due to Covid, but will also say that they seemed to be on top of cleaning carts, etc during Covid the few times I have been in the store during this.

And may not be of as much value now as during some other times, but I've also used my membership to rent a car on a couple of trips through their services and the prices offered through them seemed much better than other options.

Guess you can tell, I'm a pretty big fan of Costco. That said as others have stated, there are definitely some items that I don't purchase there as there are better options. You just need to take a look and see if it will be of benefit to you.

 

[patience0830]

I am member of both.......don;know why; Just my wife and I. She likes Coscto because it seems higher quality and I like Sams because it has somewhat smaller packaging. We seldom go to either.

The reason we joined coscto years ago was for their hearing aids- cannot be beat on price and warranty.

I can live without either one.

Check ihear medical for best deal on hearing aids. Beats the heck out of Sams AND Costco.

 

[glank09]

To echo the above, Costco return policies are basically no questions asked. I purchased a pellet grill at Costco and abused it for 2 years and it started giving me troubles. Manufacturer refused to help without proof of purchase, which I didn’t have. Went into Costco to get a receipt reprinted and rather than print my receipt they talked me into brining it back in for a full refund.

 

[indyjs]

Costco is overall a nicer experience. Better employees, cleaner store. Gas prices will probably make it worthwhile. I have had Sams for years and just let it lapse. Was only going for a couple of items yearly. One of those items was bottled water. When they did not have any for weeks an employee told me they stopped carrying it. Went to Aqua systems and they were cheaper. Sam's is still carrying it.
Costco employees clean your cart. Sams may have wipes available for you to clean your cart

 

[churchmouse]

If Sams and Cosco were not pay to play those places would be over run with shoppers.
As it is they can be crowded depending on what day of the week you go in. So yes, the membership does have its perks.

 

[gregkl]

Check ihear medical for best deal on hearing aids. Beats the heck out of Sams AND Costco.

Do you have any experience with the ihear products? My mom is very hard of hearing and blind(93 years old) and was asking me about hearing aids the other day. Would she be able to use the rechargeable model?

Sorry about the thread jack, but if she could get some hearing ability, it would improve her quality of life. And ours. You can pm me if you don't want to keep this thread jacked.

 

[dprimm]

From different articles I have read, the majority of the profit by both comes from the membership fees. They sell the items at a small % over cost. They purposely have limited selection for each type of item. When I was researching indecision in shopping, I found a bit on COSTCO. They had found when consumers are presented too many options, they become overwhelmed and don't buy anything of that item. Offering 1 or 2 options results in higher sales.

You are buying in bulk. Some items are great, some not so good. You have to try them. Both have return policies where if you don't like it, you can return it. Personally, I prefer Costco -- but when Sam's upgraded the quality of their fruits and veggies, we stopped driving across Indy. We save enough on the specific bulk stuff we buy to pay for the membership.

This year I upgraded to the Sam's Plus for free shipping. I have not spent MORE with this, but spend more frequently. I quickly replace what is used up by shipping it to the house. And Sam's Club bacon is GREAT! (Not as good as some others that are much much more expensive - but better than anything I have had from Kroger). I have no doubt Costco is the same.

 

[Fixer]

Costco here. Had Sams for a couple years and we prefer Costco so much more.

I love their meat department, some of the best steaks I have ever had from a store.

+1
We have had both Costco and Sam's and the meat department is the best of about any Grocery around. Costco seems to have a bigger selection of meat then Sam's does. I personally love the Baby Back Ribs and the Prime brisket is priced lower than almost everywhere.

 

[D K]

Was realy looking forward to jumping from Sams to Costco when Cc showed up, but the Costco membership was going to be quite a bit more each year.

Sam’s club is basically my place for 55-57 lb bags of dog chow, plus whatever I happen to pick up while I’m there.

+1 on the brisket, it’s not always cheap, but it’s always good and is better when it’s cheap!

They had 57 or 58 lb bags of chow for $18 or $19 a few weeks ago, that’s way cheap, and it’s nice to be able to get 2 big bags for 2 big dogs. Costco’s in-house liquor brand is good.

 

[Snapdragon]

Costco has good house brand dog food. We will probably transition back to it when the current stuff we have is gone.

 

[Ingomike]

To echo the above, Costco return policies are basically no questions asked. I purchased a pellet grill at Costco and abused it for 2 years and it started giving me troubles. Manufacturer refused to help without proof of purchase, which I didn’t have. Went into Costco to get a receipt reprinted and rather than print my receipt they talked me into brining it back in for a full refund.

A few words of warning to small businesses, Costco is great to buy from, terrible to sell to. They usually make that vendor take the return back...

 

[KARP]

It's just my wife and I, but Cotsco really came in handy during this last few months. Buying in bulk, soap,paper goods, meat and so on meant less frequent trips to smaller stores, meaning less contact with people, seeing how we are both in our upper 60s and supposedly in the ( dangerous age group). Plus their gas prices are cheaper than most.

 

[Snapdragon]

It's just my wife and I, but Cotsco really came in handy during this last few months. Buying in bulk, soap,paper goods, meat and so on meant less frequent trips to smaller stores, meaning less contact with people, seeing how we are both in our upper 60s and supposedly in the ( dangerous age group). Plus their gas prices are cheaper than most.

Hey KARP, don't know if you got a welcome from NWI. I'm in Crown Point. There's going to be a meet and shoot at Winamac on the 17th. There's a thread about it if you're interested. Also, NWI folks hang out in the NWI thread since we're the stepchildren of the state.

 

[bogus]

Sam’s member. The Scan-and-Go option in the Sam’s app is fantastic! I didn’t realize how much it improved my shopping experience until I started using it this year. Skipping check-out lines especially on busy weekends great!

 

[linuxhack]

We do Sam's. Had Costco a while back and probably like it better, but it is not as close to home, so not as convenient. Doesn't make sense to do more than one. I only think it barely makes sense to do one for us. I'll have to check out the Scan-and-Go. Thanks for the suggestion.