The Costco vs Sam's Club Showdown

The definitive pro-con list you've been looking for

I have opinions, and since this is my corner of the internet, you can read all about it. This list has been 2 years in the making (since my town opened a brand spanking new Costco). I have had an ongoing Pro/Con list for each wholesaler and I also have memberships to both. Some of these Pros/Cons may be location specific but overall I think this is a thorough list from my perspective. Without further ado:

Costco: Pros

• Food Court (hot dogs and pizza are far superior)

• Heat and serve meals (like chicken tacos/meatloaf, etc) and Near Ready Made Dinners (Kevin’s Entrees)

• Kirkland Pro-Care Formula is best on the generic formula on the market

• Dietary options for GF, Keto, Vegan, etc.

• Overall healthier food selection

• Cleaner and more spacious

• More locations, 872 (as of 1/12/24). Far more locations around the world as well.

Sam’s Club: Pros

• Mobile App - Scan & Go Checkout

• Offers drive up/pick up service

• Self Checkout ease

• Prices are less expensive - bagged Cesear salad is $3 (versus $7 at Costco)

• Often provides additional discounts on items ($3 off swifter, $5 off premier protein)

• More options for single serve snacks, think vending machine foods (helps my family with portion control)

• Food reliability, the same cereals, meals, frozen items will almost always be there

• Diesel gasoline available

• Pretzels and slushies at the food court

• Generally better produce (at our location)

Costco: Cons

• Does not accept American Express (whhhaaaat)

• Self checkout is a joke, you have to take everything OUT of your cart and put it on their little table after scanning

• Closes at 6pm on weekends (Sams Club closes at 6pm only on Sunday)

• You can LOVE a product and then never see it for a year. RIP Crunchy Korean Chicken and Chicken Tacos.

• Kirkland brand toilet paper is terrible. Like side by side comparison with its counterpart, it’s horrendous.

Sam’s Club: Cons

• Food court is less superior, hot dog buns are not brioche and the pizza isn’t as fab

• A bit dirtier, more crowded

• Less healthier food options

• Gas pumps are more crowded (at our location compared to Costco’s pumps)

• Earlier opening times for business memberships (which is honestly a PRO if you’re a business)

• Fewer locations, almost 600 and internationally only in Mexico and China. It’s a subsidery of Walmart.

Memberships in early 2024 are as follows:

Sams Club - $50 for Club Level. $110 for Plus Level. Plus gets you 2% cash back on purchases in store up to $500/year.

Costco - $60 for Gold Level. $120 for Executive Level. Executive gets you 2% cash back on purchases in store up to $1,000/year.

I personally have the Sams Club Club Level and a Costco Executive Level. I will keep the Exec level at Costco until I’m done having babies because the amount of formula and diapers gets that additional $60 cash back and really makes the difference.

I hope you enjoyed my pro/con list - do you have anything to add?!