Costco vs. Sam's

I've clicked on many a sponsored article or blogpost supposedly explaining which one has the better warehouse deals. Most are disappointing clickbait at best, so I've decided to sit down and write my own.

There's no clear answer as to which is better as each shopper has his or her own personal preference when it comes to goods and spending. So here's a list of my personal pros and cons of each, and hopefully, you can make your own decision at the end.

1. Costco's membership fees are higher than Sam's.

This one is a no brainer. Sam's is $45 a year for basic membership. Costco is $60. You can also consistently find deals for Sam's club where you can get gift cards with purchase, which lowers your "overall membership fee" or vouchers for free items. In the last five years we've owned at least one membership per year to one or the other. We've never paid full price for either, but we've gotten much cheaper membership fees from Sam's overall.

2. Costco's return/exchange/price match policy is better than Sam's

Sam's has a 7-day price match policy and that's it. You can still return things almost whenever (with the exception of certain items such as electronics/special orders, etc). Costco's return policy is pretty much identical, but their price match policy is much more lenient.

3. Costco's merchandise is higher quality.

If you actually bought items (Kirkland's vs Member's Mark) and compared them as closely to apples to apples as you could, their merchandise is definitely better quality. This also includes a higher selection of organic or imported and "exotic" items.

4. Costco's merchandise is more expensive.

Better quality comes with a higher price tag. But, this also applies to some general goods of equal branding that both warehouses carry. For example, diapers. If you bought brand name diapers at wholesale price at each warehouse, you would pay more per diaper at Costco.

5. Sam's sale prices are not as good as Costco

Although Costco's general prices are higher than Sam's, their sale prices beat Sam's sale prices on the same items. Keep in mind you cannot simply compare prices to prices as the quantities manufactured for each warehouse are different to differentiate competition. Even though prices may look lower at one warehouse, you must compare the price per item or ounce for it to be an even comparison. Generally speaking, Costco's prices will always appear to be higher than Sam's prices, but more often than not, their packaging is also larger.

6. Costco gas is top tier.

Costco gas and Sam's gas generally have comparable prices to each other. But Costco offers top tier gas whereas it is ambiguous if Sam's does.

7. Costco memberships work internationally and cross oceans.

Unfortunately, Sam's is not nearly as widespread as Costco is around the world. And Costco gas is way cheaper in Canada (and Hawaii!) than any other gas station. Our Costco membership was a life saver when we went to Hawaii. Unfortunately I can't say the same about our latest trip to Canada because our membership had just expired...

8. Both allow you to shop with gift cards.

Sam's accepts Walmart gift cards as payment which can easily be bought by anyone at any Walmart.** Unsure whether or not you still need a Sam's membership despite Sam's accepting gift cards as payment. Costco accepts their version of a gift card which is a cash card and you don't need a membership to use one. Unfortunately, these can only be purchased by Costco members.

Happy shopping!