Compare and constrast Costco vs Sam's Club vs BJ's (Cary: coupons, credit card)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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In our current area, we only have Costco and Sam's - I am totally unfamiliar with BJ's. I know how the general public here in AZ would rate Costco against Sam's, but what about you guys? And where does BJ's fit?
I have had memberships to all three of the above. Debating Costco vs. Sam's for us was like Target vs. Walmart with an emphasis on location for us. We have loved all our memberships. BJ's is alot like Costco, and I have come to prefer either of these over Sam's. Just personal preference, really. Also, BJs used to do manufacturer coupons when Sam's did not.
I've tried all 3, and Costco has been my favorite. Each of them has pros and cons though.
Sams Club is owned by Walmart, so you get a lot of the similar quality you would find at Walmart. They also don't take manufacturer coupons, and I found a lot of their warehouses/stores to be dirty (compared to BJ's and Costco) and their meat department to be no where near as great.
The nice thing about BJ's as opposed to Costco is that most of their warehouses/stores have longer hours (BJ's usually open early in the morning at about 7, whereas Costco isn't open until at least 10 I'm pretty sure and Costco closes by 7). BJ's also as great prices on gas.
The reason I'm pretty loyal to Costco though is because of their membership rewards. They send you a check at the end of the year giving you a percentage of money back on every purchase. Last year I got a $600 check (and, i didn't even shop there that much!) so that was a nice bonus.
Previously, I'd only lived near a Sam's, so that's all I was familiar with. After moving here, I tried the BJ's free trial and rather preferred Sam's over it. Then I decided to go with Costco because the KitchenAid stand mixer I wanted to buy had the best price at Costco--the savings more than paid for the membership fee. That's where I am currently; I'll likely renew at Costco---or give Sam's a go again, just for more recent comparison.
Costco all the way for me - I've used their house brand dog food for years, buy contact lenses & glass there, clothes, and some food. I also have the rewards Amex, which at least pays for my membership each year. Their return policy is excellent, and the employees are usually quite helpful. I've belonged to BJ's and Sam's in the past, but never found very much there that I wanted to buy.
I can't wait for Costco to come to Cary.. although that may be bad for my wallet! At least I'll save a few bucks on gas at each fill up!
We have a membership to all 3 and rarely use Sam's Club..probably should cancel it. BJ's is the closest to us and I really like their deli meats. We also stock up on our paper goods there using their monthly coupon book. We like Costco's bakery and their meats but I wish it was closer.
Costco all the way for me - ... Their return policy is excellent, and the employees are usually quite helpful. I've belonged to BJ's and Sam's in the past, but never found very much there that I wanted to buy.
I can't wait for Costco to come to Cary.. although that may be bad for my wallet! At least I'll save a few bucks on gas at each fill up!
I agree. Costco seems to carry higher quality items than the other two and their staff is more on the ball. I've been through BJs twice and didn't see much that I wanted to buy plus the staff seemed indifferent, like they were not so much working for a paycheck as fulfilling a requirement of their probation.
We had Sam's and Costco before moving here. We went with BJs because of proximity when we were in Clayton. We both would prefer Costco because of its variety and they seem to have more discount / clearance prices.
Yep, just decided not to renew my membership to BJs- their gas (as I recall!) used to be much cheaper than the competition, but I think those days may be over...and there just wasn't enough else there that I felt that in the discounts I recouped the membership fee (but I'm just one person!). I may change my mind, but for now, I'm ok (Sam's and Costco are a bit far for me....). Neat to see the opinions of others!
We're members at BJs and Costco and former members of Sam's. We definitely prefer BJs...hours are great, closer to our house, deli for custom-slice meats, aisles clearly labeled to help find things, short checkout lines (if any) etc. No rotisserie chicken though.
Costco is miserable any time I go. Masses of humanity leading to a 10-15 minute wait just to get to a checkout. I can never find anything if it's not part of my usual list, no Kirkland 1% milk, etc. Lines for gas are ridiculous, although seems like they're adding more pumps right now. Chocolate chip cookies from the bakery are awesome.
At this point we go to Costco once a year to redeem our rebate check from the Costco AMEX rewards credit card. Everything else is BJs.
Sam's was fine, but their move to Morrisville made it a further drive for us and it was the odd man out when we knew we weren't going to keep memberships at all three clubs.
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