Costco vs Sam's Club: I Paid for Both for a Year. One Paid Me Back

Last year I did something my partner called "unhinged": we paid for both Costco and Sam's Club memberships and tracked every receipt. Family of four, suburban, one car. Here's what the numbers said.

The fees

Both clubs have a basic tier and a premium tier with cash back or rewards. The basic tiers are close in price, with Sam's Club usually a bit cheaper. Both raise prices from time to time, so check the current rates.

Where Costco won

• **Produce and meat quality.** Consistently better in our area. Fewer surprises.
• **House brand.** Costco's house brand is excellent across almost everything: coffee, batteries, olive oil, paper towels.
• **Gas.** Our local Costco gas was usually the cheapest in town.
• **Return policy.** Very generous on most items.

Where Sam's Club won

• **Scan and Go.** Checking out on your phone saved us so much time on busy weekends.
• **Lower membership fee.**
• **Frequent instant savings** that made some items cheaper than Costco.
• **Locations.** Sam's was closer for us, which matters more than people admit.

The actual savings

Compared with our regular grocery store, both clubs saved us money on staples like paper goods, coffee, snacks, cleaning supplies and meat. Costco saved us more over the year, mostly through gas and the quality of meat and produce, which meant less food waste.

But the premium tier only paid off at Costco because we spent enough to make the cash back exceed the extra fee. At Sam's, the basic tier was the better deal for us.

Who should pick which

• **Pick Costco** if you value quality, buy gas there and spend a lot.
• **Pick Sam's Club** if you want a cheaper fee, faster checkout and a closer store.
• **Pick neither** if you live alone, have little storage or waste bulk food. Bulk is only cheap if you use it.

Bulk buying traps

• Perishables that go bad before you finish them
• "Deals" on stuff you don't normally buy
• Giant packs of snacks that get eaten twice as fast

Online and delivery

Both clubs offer delivery and online orders, often at higher prices than in store. Check the price difference before relying on it.

Where to compare

Costco and Sam's Club both list prices online, and their apps show weekly deals. Amazon and Target are useful benchmarks for non-bulk prices.

Verdict

We kept Costco and dropped Sam's. Your answer depends on distance, family size and storage. Track one month of spending before you commit to a premium tier.