Quote:
Originally Posted by Arctic Fox
I have never been in a Costco store, but many on this forum wax lyrical about them.
What are the main differences between a Costco and the other two?
Thank you
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I mentioned this in another thread about Costco coming here. I've been a member of Costco for about 10 years. I've had a membership at Sam's for a year when I first moved down here. When I found out they were opening a Costco in Claremont I let my Sam's membership lapse and now choose to drive 50 minutes (one way) and pay toll fees over shopping at Sam's.
Why?
Costco has the best:
Meat department: I compared steaks at Sam's, BJ's, and Costco. Costco steaks are about 1-1/4" to 1-1/2" thick. At Sam's you're lucky if it's 3/4" thick. BJ's meat department isn't even worth mentioning. Costco has awesome sirloin, ribeye, and New York strip.
Bakery: the stuff actually tastes like it was made by a real bakery, not store-bought like Sam's. Again, BJ's bakery isn't even worth mentioning.
Generic product line (Kirkland): almost everything I've gotten has been top notch. Probably the best generic product line anywhere. Much better than members Mark as far as I'm concerned. Couple of examples: Kirkland organic salsa is the best store-bought salsa I've ever had. Their frozen tilapia is sourced from India I guess, not China, so it's much cleaner and better quality. The Kirkland beef hotdogs are very good.The Kirkland red tail shrimp shrimp is incredible. Their bedsheets, toilet paper, kleenexes, and paper towels are all excellent.
Never tried anything from BJ's generic.
Return policy: 90 days on most everything, even if you've opened it and eaten part of it (for food). The only question they ask you is if there was something wrong with it. zero hassle returns. A previous neighbor of mine bought a couch and had it for over a month. They ended up not liking it so he just threw it on his snowmobile trailer without any of the original packing and brought it back. It's really kind of crazy.
Sam's carries a lot of namebrand food products that you would find at a Walmart. Costco seems to carry names you wouldn't recognize but are of a higher quality.
This might not be important to everyone but Costco treats its employees pretty well. when I was in Minnesota, I talked with a cashier and her assistant who loads the carts. Both of them had been there for over 10 years and loved working there.
In my opinion, it's not even close between the three.