Sams's Club & Costco

[nebula]

Does anyone have memberships at either of those places? What do you think of it is and is it worth it?

We currently have a Sam's club membership. It seems worth the savings to us, because we are able to buy in bulk and we have a deep freezer. However, every single time we go in- they push us at the Register to upgrade our membership.

The upgraded membership might have it's benefits for businesses and such that spend enough there, but not us. Calculating the savings would only be a few dollars a year we save. BUt without fail, I am pushed and pushed. This is enough to make me think of not renewing my membership..........

Anyone who have memberships there, have those problems?

I find i pay for a membership, I shold not be hounded by salesmen everytime I go in.

 

[Draco]

Costco also pushes for upgrades. it's random though, not every time.

My parents has a membership to Costco. they seem to prefer it over Sams Club. Costco seems to have a greater selection.

I still call Costco Price Club, when it was called Price Club. lol. People look at me weird.

 

[pinkdagger]

My brothers share a membership to CostCo and they use it a lot. If you can find someone to split it with as a family, that's a nice and convenient way to do it (but at least for CostCo in Canada, they need to live in the same address... my brothers live cities apart, but they registered with my parents' address where we all lived prior to moving out). I think they are or were trying the upgraded membership, though I don't recall if they went back or if they preferred it more.

The eldest brother gets lots of food there, the younger has a young son so they buy LOTS of baby/toddler things, and since he lives nearby, I send him with orders of massive tins of hot chocolate, granola bars, and cat food. I just mooch off of their membership because I can't in my right mind afford one, nor would I use it to its fullest.

They get money for people they sign up, even if it's to upgrade a membership. If you shop frequently enough, it can be worth it, but if you're happy with the deals you're getting, just politely decline. It is a bit irritating, but just like call centre workers, they don't like that they're always asking for money or pushing for services, but it's part of their job.

 

[nebula]

We don't have a Costco near us, and we do split the Sams membership with a friend of ours (they don't have to be at the same address apparently, according tot he club I signed up with it.

Another irritating facet is the DirecTTV guy... he even follows people around.

 

[denice]

If the kids were still at home I would probably have a Costco membership but now that it's just me I don't bother with it.  For me part of it also is that Costco isn't real convenient for me.  It isn't that far away but I would have to drive through areas that always have a lot of traffic to get to it.  I try to avoid Walmart because I don't like some of their business practices and the lousy treatment of employees particularly the low pay.  I know at one time, I don't know if it's still true, Costco employees received pay that was well above average.  Sometimes though financial necessity trumps principles and I go to Walmart.

 

[betsygee]

When the kids were around, Costco was great for buying in bulk and stocking up on food--incredible how much teenagers eat!  But now there are just two of us, so I rarely go any more.  

 

[kookycats]

Even though it's just Paul and me, we find Costco to be a great place to shop. We have learned what we need to buy and which items to avoid because the bulk is just too much. For the most part we do buy a lot at Costco -- we love their meat department.

Once or twice they have asked us to upgrade, but nothing persistent. Direct TV sometimes approaches us but we just tell them we're not interested.

 

[Freedom]

I do not a Sam's membership.  And I thought I never would have a membership in some place for the privilege of spending money there!  But things happen.

I do have a Costco membership, and it is the expensive one.  This is because I have severe hearing loss in my left ear, and I needed a hearing aid.  Turns out, the best place to buy a hearing aid is Costco!  I paid $899 for mine; the same one from my ENT -- the SAME ONE -- was $1699.  Costco does not pay their hearing aid dispensers by commission, that is where the difference lies.

Costco is not convenient for me, it is a 40 minutes drive one way.  So I only go there when I need something for the aid -- batteries, for example.  And I buy a bunch of them, so I am not going there too often.  As a single person, buying in bulk is generally not necessary, either.  I do pick up a few things -- LOVE their rotisserie roast chickens for $4.99!  So I always bring one of those home.

I waited to get my membership until my hearing aid was in and I was ready to buy it.  At that point, putting such a large amount on as an initial purchase, they waived the membership fee, and I got the American Express card free for the first year, as well.  For years I've had ONE credit card.  I prefer it that way.  Now I have 2, and I  try to use the AmX one for now because I earn lots of points and will have a good amount to spend at Costco post Jan 1 (over $90 at this time).  Since I am so far away, I get the higher points for gas for my car, because none of their gas stations are near me. 

I haven't decided what I will do when my first year is up and the fee is due.  Leaning towards letting it lapse; I'm not having any issues with my hearing aid, I can buy a bunch of batteries before it expires, and be done with them.

 

[kittymomma1122]

My mom has a Sam's membership.  It was great when my daughter was in a dorm room.  She loved the dried cranberries, granola bars and things like that.  Not worth me and my husband to buy in bulk.

 

[raintyger]

We belong to both, but use Costco more. At both we are/were asked to upgrade. At Costco we did.

The Sam's Club we have because it is less than .25 miles away from our house and just from buying a gallon of milk weekly we save enough to at least break even with the membership fee. They also let us buy a gallon of milk while Costco requires a 2-gallon purchase. They have other items that Costco does not have like tech accessories (cables, headphones, mobile device screen covers, etc.).

But we purchase most of our items from Costco. They seem to have better quality items and more upscale items. At Costco in general I do not worry about the quality of the item, only whether or not I'll be able to use it.

Best of all, though, is the service. Costco's return policy has no time limit, with the exception of electronics. I try not to abuse it, but I admit to having returned an unused item that was over 4 years old. I purchase items that I am unsure about, research them on the internet or even try it out, and feel free to return. I bought a bicycle once. I asked when entering if there was a large cart for a bicycle purchase. I did not have to ask for anyone to come to the aisles to help me load it, the store clerk immediately called for help. At the cashier they called for someone to load my car for me. They had ropes and everything.

 

[zoneout]

Costco is the best by far. They pay a fair wage. The quality of their Kirkland products is equal to or better than national brands. There are so many perks to the executive membership that it easily pays for itself.

 

[furmonster mom]

I've had a Costco membership for about 20 years. 

I started out with the regular basic membership, and would occasionally get the upgrade question.

A few years after I got married, I did upgrade.  It's been worth it, as over the years I've learned what works best for us.  We get beer, wine, most of our main meats (for raw feeding), snacks, canned goods, freezer stuff, office supplies, the occasional t-shirt or pair of jeans, the occasional electronic item... It all adds up.  However, we do steer clear of perishables such as produce or dairy.  I get those in smaller quantities for the two of us.

One thing that I discovered is that there is a "business" Costco that has different things from the regular one.  They are geared more toward the restaurant and hotel businesses.  My card allows me to shop there, and I've gotten some nice things for the kitchen, and some better prices on certain meats.

 

[maureen brad]

I love Costco. We have an executive membership because we have a small business and with that membership we pay less for processing credit cards. I live close by and shop there a couple times a month. They really have great meats. Lots of household supplies I like to buy in bulk.When all the kids lived at home I used to go more. It is saving me a fortune this month as I am cooking Christmas dinner for 30.

 

[Winchester]

We would love to have a Costco membership, but the closest store is about 60 miles away, so it wouldn't be worthwhile for us. I wish we had one closer. 

I did break down and get a Sam's Club membership a couple of months ago, largely because it was on Groupon at a cheaper price and because it also came with $20 worth of free stuff as well as a $20 gift card. For the stuff that came with it, membership was pretty much free. We've used it a couple of times since we joined. I don't know that we will renew though; I just have this "thing" about Sam's and about WalMart in general.

Even though it's just Rick and me, some things are still worthwhile to buy in bulk. Things like Quaker oatmeal for Rick's breakfast and baking supplies in general are cheaper in bulk. I got two 10-pounds bags of Domino Sugar at a great price. Soda isn't bad. Paper goods as we go through a lot of paper towels. Sam's Club pet supplies aren't worth it; we can get the cats' food and litter cheaper at our Giant store. We're careful with what we buy and I don't like to buy a lot of junk stuff.

Nobody's asked us about upgrading, nor has anybody asked us about DirectTV.

 

[Draco]

I do not a Sam's membership.  And I thought I never would have a membership in some place for the privilege of spending money there!  But things happen.


I do have a Costco membership, and it is the expensive one.  This is because I have severe hearing loss in my left ear, and I needed a hearing aid.  Turns out, the best place to buy a hearing aid is Costco!  I paid $899 for mine; the same one from my ENT -- the SAME ONE -- was $1699.  Costco does not pay their hearing aid dispensers by commission, that is where the difference lies.

Costco is not convenient for me, it is a 40 minutes drive one way.  So I only go there when I need something for the aid -- batteries, for example.  And I buy a bunch of them, so I am not going there too often.  As a single person, buying in bulk is generally not necessary, either.  I do pick up a few things -- LOVE their rotisserie roast chickens for $4.99!  So I always bring one of those home.

I waited to get my membership until my hearing aid was in and I was ready to buy it.  At that point, putting such a large amount on as an initial purchase, they waived the membership fee, and I got the American Express card free for the first year, as well.  For years I've had ONE credit card.  I prefer it that way.  Now I have 2, and I  try to use the AmX one for now because I earn lots of points and will have a good amount to spend at Costco post Jan 1 (over $90 at this time).  Since I am so far away, I get the higher points for gas for my car, because none of their gas stations are near me. 

I haven't decided what I will do when my first year is up and the fee is due.  Leaning towards letting it lapse; I'm not having any issues with my hearing aid, I can buy a bunch of batteries before it expires, and be done with them.

I totally agree about the hearing aids! I am planning on getting my new ones there my self when I am up. Creating the molds were so much cheaper too with a bigger selection!

 

[Willowy]

I love Costco . Lots of awesome stuff and I have a chest freezer so I can buy a lot of things in bulk and freezr the extra. I did get the upgraded membership because they give you a percentage back and they say that if you don't break even they refund the difference. but I did better than even last year so I think it's worth it.

I split a Sam's Club membership with my mom but I don't go there much anymore, since Costco opened.

 

[muffy]

I don't have a Costco card but sometimes I go with my sister. I love, love, love the store. I've been to Sam's club but don't care for it much. I belong to BJ's and shop there every week. They have some good buys. I buy their kitty litter (my cats won't use any other kind), bread, deserts, paper towels, etc.

 

[catlover19]

I love Costco. Sams Club didn't last long here and closed down. We bought a membership to Costco last January for the first time in years and then a few days later found out my husband gets a membership free from work (he had just started a new job). We went back and they gave us our $62 back for the membership. We always go there and eat the samples (although Aimee steals most of mine) and then get the $1.50 hot dog and drink as we are leaving. 

 

[parsleysage]

We have a Costco membership; Patrick's parents buy it for us each Christmas so we don't have to worry about the cost of the membership vs. the amount of savings. I find the most convenient thing to be paper goods, especially toilet paper. I think we only bought it twice in 2014! The quality of their products for the price is awesome. For example we buy a large bag of mixed berries there for our smoothies. The bag is $8.99 and I believe it's 3 lbs. It lasts us 1-2 weeks. The berries are good quality, firmly frozen, in whole pieces and not crumbly. A smaller bag from Food Lion that would maybe last us 5 to 7 days is $4.99 and the berries are all broken up and crumbly. 

Overall we're still trying to work out what's best for us to buy there vs. a local grocery store, as I want to start couponing (a lite version, haha, not the extreme kind). But I think Costco is great. And their food court is amazing! (Bad for the waistline but so delicious and cheap!)

 

[raintyger]

 
Overall we're still trying to work out what's best for us to buy there vs. a local grocery store, as I want to start couponing (a lite version, haha, not the extreme kind). But I think Costco is great. And their food court is amazing! (Bad for the waistline but so delicious and cheap!)

I would think you'd need to coupon very aggressively to beat Costco prices. It's supposed to be no more than 10% over wholesale.