If you were to compare Sam’s Club to Costco which wholesale club would come out on top for you? They both have a lot of benefits and a large variety of products to choose from. Having a membership to both there are many occasions when I try to determine which is better.
First lets take a look at Costco. They have four different kinds of memberships that you can choose from. The first is the gold star membership. This membership will cost you around $50.00 for a new member. You will get the following benefits with the gold star membership; you can purchase products at any Costco location, you get two cards per household at no extra charge, and your membership is good for one year. Next is the executive gold star membership, which will cost you $100.00 to sign up. With the executive membership you get everything that a gold star membership with few extras such as a 2% reward on most purchases made at Costco, and lower prices on check printing, auto financing, overnight deliver, and larger Costco cash card amounts for mortgages, and home equity transactions. You also get a year of free roadside assistance if your vehicle is covered through their auto insurance program.
Next is the Business Membership which will cost you $50 to sign up. The benefits of the business membership is it allows you to purchase products for your business, and for resale use, an additional card, and access to any Costco location. The membership is valid for one year.
The executive business membership allows you the same benefits as the business membership with a few additional benefits such as a 2 % reward on most purchases, and the same benefits that the executive gold card offers. The price for this card is $100.00. In order to apply for any of the cards listed above you can visit your local Costco or apply online at www.Costco.com.
So now that you know all about the membership you are probably wondering what products they offer. They have a large variety of food, and cleaning products. Including diapers, paper towels an other household necessities. Most Costco stores open around 10:00 am and close around 9:00pm Monday through Friday, but you should check your local store for the exact hours. I would definitely have to say than the prices at Costco are very reasonable. They even offer optical care for a very reasonable price. You can get a full exam for only $85, but the prices do vary per location. You can also pick up your prescription once you are finished with your food shopping. Their prescription plan is a bit more expensive than most but it is definitely worth the convenience.
So what about Sam’s Club? Sam’s Club has four different membership levels to choose from, and some of their memberships are a bit cheaper than Costco. They have an advantage membership which will only cost you $40. With the advantage membership you will get access to any Sam’s club, two annual membership cards, shop online at www.samsclub.com, get up to 1% cash back with Sam’s club discover card. You will also have access to the financial services, and personal services that are offered at all Sam’s club locations. With the advantage plus member ship you get everything that the basic advantage member ship gets plus up to 2% cash back with Sam’s club discover card, complimentary health and medical discount card, and savings on business services and financial services.
With the Business member ship you will get three annual membership cards to a household, access to any Sam’s club around the country, Gold Key shopping hours (which begin at 7:00am for businesses only. You also get your own personal shopper, where you can order ahead by fax or only and have your order ready for pickup. The price of the business member ship is $35. The business plus membership is $100 and you get the same benefits as the basic business membership with a few additional savings such as truckload savings.
Both of these warehouse clubs have a lot to offer as far as products are concerned. I do think that Sam’s club click and pull service is a lot nicer than the click and pull service offered at Costco. Sam’s club allows you to do all of your shopping including the food shopping online and have it ready upon arrival if you have the right membership. Costco will only allow you to purchase business products online and not all of the grocery products that you would want to pick up. Costco does offer bulk meat items for sale that can be delivered directly to your home.
The bottom line is that they both have a lot to offer but the variety of products is very different. Which one you visit more often really depends on the number of products they have available that you need and use, the price, and the location. Either way you will be saving a lot of money by purchasing your items at either of these wholesale locations.
