Bought a membership to Sam's Club

We’ve had both Sam’s and Costco memberships for years, and I agree with most of the comments here.

Although both chains carry some of the same items, Sam’s is geared more toward the small business buyer, and Costco more toward the individual retail consumer.

Costco generally carries higher-quality items, and provides *way* better customer service. Costco also tends to be less expensive more often on similar items carried by both chains.

Sam’s (like Walmart) is the king of discreetly shrinking product packaging but charging the same price. If you’re not paying attention to pounds, ounces, or total square yards of paper towels, you’re probably paying more than you think.

Ironically, the “progressive” Costco is way behind on tech, lacking electronic membership cards, self-checkout, and smartphone-based NFC payment.

I’ve never been hassled with a return at Costco, but dread having to return something at Sam’s, especially without a receipt. Costco can always find the receipt electronically, but Sam’s often cannot, and even when I’ve had the receipt I’ve run into hassles at Sam’s at least 50% of the time.
 
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Sams cupcakes are my kids' favorite and always a hit. $15 for 30. I love costco cakes but these cupcakes are the best. I even bought them for D's graduation in school colors.
 
Compare prices with Walmart and you will be surprised. At least we were when we did

I agree, both Sams and Costco tend to package items in large quantities, but if you compare unit prices to places like Walmart you may be surprised how little difference there is. There are some items where you can get a bargain, but not every item. If you buy 6 months worth of some perishable item and it goes stale before you use it up, then you haven't saved anything and it will actually be more expensive in the long run.
 
Sams definitely has some good deals. I bought my couch, loveseat, and chair there about a year and a half ago. All three pieces were $1,500 for real leather and free delivery. Can’t beat that!
 


I’m on the line with sams now. I made an online purchase immediately when I opened my account. It is now 20 days later and I still have not received my $15 gift card. The groupon said it would be received 7 business days after an online purchase. Sams says that it’s 14 buisiness days. I’m way over both and have called several times. Stumbled on this thread as I am holding to speak with a supervisor. Very frustrating...

I'm at 20 days now too. Was the supervisor helpful?
 
I've just used our Sam's membership to purchase $1,500 in Disney gift cards for $1,429.80. That saves us enough to cover the rental car for our Disney trip (paying with points, but must pay cash for taxes & fees). There is a 5-package limit on the $150 gift card pack, so I've had to place two orders. But with free shipping and them arriving within a few days, it's not a big deal.

I like buying produce at Sam's. My kids can eat fruit by the truckload, so it's nice to get enough to last us for a week. Their cupcakes are the best for class parties, etc - can't beat $15 for 30 cupcakes, and they'll decorate however you want. We like their rotisserie chickens and I buy grass-fed ground beef there at a better price than other places as well. There are some things that are not a better deal than buying at regular stores, but due to the quantity we consume, it keeps me from having to buy it more often. To me, that's worth it. Also LOVE the Scan & Go app, and the fact that I can order online and pick up curbside. And their gas is consistently 5-10 cents cheaper than other stations.

I have friends who love Costco, but it's a 45 minute drive. I can't just run in and grab something. I can at Sam's because it's near lots of things we do. Even though I don't love everything there, it's still worth it to me.
 


My Sam's just expired and I decided to buy a Groupon for BJs because they take coupons and Ive been regretting it ever sense. I think this weekend we will go back to Sam's. I think their prices are great compared to BJs at least
 
We have a Sam's membership and have always loved it. Initially, we bought it to keep up on our Disney habits. That, alone, pays for the membership and a lot more. We do not frequent it, but now that school is back in, we go and buy large stocks of things for lunches, etc.
 
I’ve been using the Dosh app at Sam’s lately because they are doing 20% cashback for a promotion. So I buy a bunch of already discounted Disney gift cards and then get 20% back. There is a limit of $20 per day but since I work by a Sam’s Club I just keep going back on my lunch hour.
 

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