My husband loves those big discount stores where you usually have to purchase things in bulk. His favorite is Sam’s Club, which as most of you know, is a part of the Wal-Mart family.
I will admit that I like some of the things they sell there. Their DVD movies and television series can be less expensive from time to time and it is a great place to purchase things like food, appetizers, desserts, and flowers for get togethers and parties. Even some of their fresh fruit and vegetables can be a good deal if you need bulk quantities.
At Christmas time they have wonderful Christmas decorations, toys, and gifts like bath sets, food baskets, and candy towers, etc. You can purchase wrapping paper, gift bags, and ribbon in large quantities as well.
In fact, there is quite a bit to like about Sam’s Club. It can, however, be a dangerous place to go if you don’t have a few spare bucks to spend. I don’t think I’ve often walked out of there without something in my hands.
BJs Wholesale Club is not nearly as well known as Sam’s Club. It is, however, just as large. While the two stores have a great deal in common, they also have a lot of differences.
So which is better? Sam’s Club or BJs? Let’s compare them, head to head.
Sam’s yearly flat membership for an individual, couple, or business is $35. Advantage memberships and business plus memberships range from $100 and up, depending upon the services desired. BJs’ yearly membership starts at $45 and ranges up to $80, depending upon the services desired.
Sam’s Club offers many services. They include auctions, auto buying, business, cell phone plans, credit, embroidery, financial, health care, credit card processing, optical, roadside and travel assistance.
Their product line includes apparel, appliances, automotive supplies, baby, bakery, beauty, beer and wine, books, cleaning supplies, computers, electronics, entertainment, flowers, furniture, grocery items, health items, maintenance supplies, medical supplies, home furnishing, home improvement items, jewelry, movies, music, musical instruments, office products, outdoor living items, paper products, pet supplies, restaurant supplies, seasonal items, soft drinks, software, sports and fitness items, televisions, tires, tobacco, toys, vending items, and videos.
Sam’s apparel is cheaper in some instances but not across the board. The same can be said for many of their products. The one area that is generally significantly cheaper is their foral supplies. One can typically purchase 25 long-stem roses for under $20 and the same in sweetheart roses for under $8. Other flowers are similarly inexpensive.
The product line carried by Sam’s Club varies somewhat from year to year, so it’s important not to count on any particular item being available with every Sam’s visit. They often make one-time or short-term purchases on products that are never repeated.
Sam’s Club offers their own credit card, which charges no interest if the bill is paid off within 30 days. This can be particularly helpful around the holidays. They now also accept major credit cards like VISA, MasterCard, and Discover. They also accept checks.
A major disadvantage of Sam’s Club is the lack of enough checkout stations. This is particularly true during busy times of the year. It is possible to stand in long lines for as much as 30 minutes in order to check out.
BJs also offers a variety of services. These include auto buying, Brink’s home security, credit card (VISA) processing, car rental, check processing, cruises, custom built sheds, extended warranties, global sales, home improvement, logo shop, merchant payment options, optical, photo, prepaid phone, vacations, and Verizon wireless.
They also have an extensive product line. It includes apparel, appliances, automotive, baby, bakery, beauty, beer and wine, books, cleaning, cameras, club brands, computers, coupons, electronics, entertainment, flowers, fresh foods, furniture, gas and propane, gifts, grocery, gourmet, health, home, housewares, household basics, jewelry, meal solutions, medical, movies, music, musical instruments, office supplies, paper products, pet supplies, seasonal, soft drinks, software, tires, toys and video.
Our BJs has only been here about a year so I cannot speak to the repetition of their product lines. It is possible that their products will rotate as frequently as Sam’s, making it impossible to count on specific product lines for any length of time.
Like Sam’s, some of BJs items are markedly cheaper than anywhere else, but in other places they are equal to or more expensive than other standard discount stores like Wal-Mart, K-Mart, and Target.
While BJs has a VISA card, they do not have their own separate in-store card. However, their VISA can be used elsewhere, whereas Sam’s credit card can only be used as Sam’s. BJs also accepts other standard credit cards like MasterCard and Discover. Checking cashing privileges must be pre-approved at the time of membership.
BJs appears to have more checkout lines than Sam’s. Additionally, they have a few self-check lanes for those with few purchases who are in a hurry.
I prefer Sam’s when I’m purchasing movies, flowers, and books. They are slightly less expensive and have a better variety than BJs, plus BJs’ flowers are often anything but fresh.
Sam’s carries a remarkable selection of fresh flowers that are actually fresh and diverse enough for almost any occasion (including weddings). They carry both hard and soft cover books and have a variety of both children and adult selections. Lastly, their movie section, on the whole, is excellent and offers prices that can’t usually be beat anywhere else.
On the other hand, I prefer BJs for health and beauty items, gift items, toys, food and bakery items. Their health and beauty section is significantly larger and much more diverse than their major competitor.
BJs’ gift items range from crystal figurines to Hummels to gemstone globes and much more. They carry a lot of different types of gift items, making it easy to find something for just about anyone.
BJs’ toy selections are also more diverse, offering a good selection for both girls and boys and for various age groups. They have up-to-date learning toys and some of the hottest toys on the market; all at reasonable prices.
Their food section is broader and less expensive. I also like that they offer smaller bulk amounts. The bakery is markedly less expensive and has a much better variety of items to choose from.
Head to head, the two stores look like this:
Membership cost goes to Sam’s Club. They are $10 a year cheaper than BJs. Store layout and cleanliness goes to BJs. They are laid out better, have wider aisles, and are pristinely clean. Product/Service volume goes to Sam’s Club, but only by a hair. They have been in business longer so offer more things than BJs. Product/Service selection goes to BJs. They have a better overall cross-section than Sam’s. Price goes to the BJs. They are slightly less expensive on some items and significantly so on many others. Checkout convenience goes to BJs. They are quicker and less burdensome overall.
Overall, BJs manages to best Sam’s Club by a decent margin. While both stores are great, I’m a bigger fan of BJs.
