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View Full Version : Costco, Sam's Club or BJ's - POLL


ColdNoMore
10-23-2018, 05:45 PM
Since we haven't had a Costco thread in a while..... :1rotfl:


If all three were the same distance from your home and you could only shop at one of them...which one would it be?



:popcorn:

Topspinmo
10-23-2018, 10:09 PM
None of the above, I don’t feel I should have to pay yearly fee just to shop at their store.

aninjamom
10-24-2018, 05:08 AM
Years before there was a BJs, I compared Costco and Sam's. I found that Sam's had more groceries that I bought on a regular basis; for example, for some reason Costco wasn't carrying ground chuck and Sam's was.

UpNorth
10-24-2018, 08:34 AM
If Costco was close by, I would shop there and drop Sam's. BJ's is terrible; I don't even take them up on their "free 3-month trial membership" anymore.

Chi-Town
10-24-2018, 09:31 AM
Costco hands down. Sam's is a distant second.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

ColdNoMore
10-24-2018, 07:16 PM
Costco hands down. Sam's is a distant second.

Given right at 4 to 1 over Sam's Club (currently)...I think you're correct.

coffeebean
10-24-2018, 07:46 PM
None of the above, I don’t feel I should have to pay yearly fee just to shop at their store.

The money paid for the annual fee is very quickly absorbed by the savings you will have by shopping at Costco.

EdFNJ
10-24-2018, 08:06 PM
The money paid for the annual fee is very quickly absorbed by the savings you will have by shopping at Costco.

And all the free samples!

Not only that, here is an example of their "world class" customer service:

I purchased 2 x 1 year Movie-pass memberships at $89 each in late Dec of last year right before MP slowly went down the tubes. I sent them a nice email in APRIL asking if I was "stuck" with these 2 useless cards and requesting a 50% refund since I had them for 6 months and we did see 3 movies each between Dec 27th and early April so I had felt 50% was fair. Next day I got an email with a FULL REFUND of $178 and an apology. I cut up the 2 cards and sent hem back in free return mailer they provided.

That would NEVER happen at BJ's or SAMs. I once returned to Sams a large box of "fresh" peaches I bought ONE DAY EARLIER that were mostly all rotten inside (I "ate" 2) and they gave me a hassle for $12.

Fredster
10-25-2018, 04:18 AM
The money paid for the annual fee is very quickly absorbed by the savings you will have by shopping at Costco.

If you purchase one relatively expensive item, the savings will by far cover the annual fee!

Chatbrat
10-25-2018, 04:41 AM
Costco gas is top tier gas, also their breads are great

ColdNoMore
10-25-2018, 04:47 PM
Costco's $5 Rotisserie Chicken (poke here) (http://www.foodandwine.com/news/costco-rotisserie-chicken-production-facility-nebraska) :bigbow:

Costco has relied for years on its $4.99 rotisserie chicken as a way to continue to drive customers into the store.


It leaves a delicious...fowl taste in your mouth. :D

ColdNoMore
10-25-2018, 04:53 PM
The money paid for the annual fee is very quickly absorbed by the savings you will have by shopping at Costco.

Yep.


Some folks could do it...on toilet paper alone. :D

ColdNoMore
10-25-2018, 04:59 PM
And all the free samples!

Not only that, here is an example of their "world class" customer service:

I purchased 2 x 1 year Movie-pass memberships at $89 each in late Dec of last year right before MP slowly went down the tubes. I sent them a nice email in APRIL asking if I was "stuck" with these 2 useless cards and requesting a 50% refund since I had them for 6 months and we did see 3 movies each between Dec 27th and early April so I had felt 50% was fair. Next day I got an email with a FULL REFUND of $178 and an apology. I cut up the 2 cards and sent hem back in free return mailer they provided.

That would NEVER happen at BJ's or SAMs. I once returned to Sams a large box of "fresh" peaches I bought ONE DAY EARLIER that were mostly all rotten inside (I "ate" 2) and they gave me a hassle for $12.

YEP!


As I mentioned in the other thread..."Legendary Customer Service."


The only other place I've personally found on par, when it comes to customer service...is Nordstrom's. :thumbup:

BK001
10-25-2018, 05:02 PM
I love Costco's private label/brand Kirklands. They decided, years ago, that the wanted to be a premium brand. The Kirkland's vodka is made by Grey Goose, the Kirkland Bacon won top taste award by Consumer Reports, Kirkland olive oil receives consistently high marks in controlled taste tests, their coffee is great, etc, etc. Below is an interesting article about their top 15 products:

https://www.gobankingrates.com/saving-money/shopping/top-kirkland-brand-items-only-costco-insiders-know/#2

BK001
10-25-2018, 05:11 PM
And maybe this is old news but another interesting article about the Acushnet—which makes the popular Titleist balls—lawsut against Costco's $15 per dozen "miracle golf balls”:

Lawsuit over popular, lower-priced Costco golf balls shows why Americans can'''t have nice things cheap — Quartz (https://qz.com/942785/lawsuit-over-popular-lower-priced-costco-golf-balls-shows-why-americans-cant-have-nice-things-cheap/)

Rapscallion St Croix
10-25-2018, 05:15 PM
Given right at 4 to 1 over Sam's Club (currently)...I think you're correct.

4 to 1 also applies (actually more like 5:1) to the number of people who viewed the thread vs those who cared enough to vote. I'm in the larger group.

ColdNoMore
10-25-2018, 05:25 PM
4 to 1 also applies (actually more like 5:1) to the number of people who viewed the thread vs those who cared enough to vote. I'm in the larger group.

Ummm, you either don't understand (or are ignoring)...one important fact.

You can only vote once, but that doesn't stop a person who has already voted...from viewing the thread multiple times.

In other words, one doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the other. :ho:

Rapscallion St Croix
10-25-2018, 05:30 PM
Ummm, you either don't understand (or are ignoring)...one important fact.

You can only vote once, but that doesn't stop a person who has already voted...from viewing the thread multiple times. have anything to do with the other. :ho:

Really? I just clicked on the post five times. Then I exited TOTV, logged back in and clicked another few times. The number of views never changed....cookies. In fact, your quoted post did not change the number of views.

skyking
10-26-2018, 11:13 AM
I love Costco's private label/brand Kirklands. They decided, years ago, that the wanted to be a premium brand. The Kirkland's vodka is made by Grey Goose, the Kirkland Bacon won top taste award by Consumer Reports, Kirkland olive oil receives consistently high marks in controlled taste tests, their coffee is great, etc, etc. Below is an interesting article about their top 15 products:

https://www.gobankingrates.com/saving-money/shopping/top-kirkland-brand-items-only-costco-insiders-know/#2

I agree. I have never bought a Kirkland product that was not top quality. If you are unhappy with any purchase they give you a refund without question. I have never been in a BJs so I have no opinion. Sam's mirrors their corporate image. Many are closing.

Abby10
10-26-2018, 11:18 AM
Really? I just clicked on the post five times. Then I exited TOTV, logged back in and clicked another few times. The number of views never changed....cookies. In fact, your quoted post did not change the number of views.

View counts update every hour not each time someone posts.

To keep on topic, Costco is top notch in every way from my experience. If they came to TV, I would bet that Sam's club would see a serious decline in membership.

Packer Fan
10-26-2018, 12:50 PM
None of the above - just go to Walmart.... pay a fee to shop? Really? How much do you buy?

ColdNoMore
10-26-2018, 03:57 PM
None of the above - just go to Walmart.... pay a fee to shop? Really? How much do you buy?

A better question would be... "how much can you save?"


The answer for me (and about 90 million others around the world) is... "a lot more than the cost to join."


Costco Membership (poke here) (http://www.statista.com/statistics/718406/costco-membership/)

This statistic presents the number of Costco members worldwide from 2014 to 2017. For the 53 weeks ended on September 3, 2017, there were approximately 90.3 million Costco cardholders all over the world.

thelegges
10-26-2018, 04:18 PM
It’s just a personal choice. We shop Costco and Sam’s .I’ve never been to BJ’s not one available where we have resided.
I don’t really think it’s a big deal for us I really don’t see a storage problem for us considering that most of what we buy at either Sam’s or Cosco comes in a two pack. So two packs of cereal, two bottles of dressing, that I would normally use anyway. savings for us is roughly about 35%. I have an app for what the cost is on trending products that we used.

OrangeBlossomBaby
10-26-2018, 06:36 PM
Closest to home here in my town in CT is BJ's, so that's where I go for big-box shopping. Since it's just me and hubby, I don't go often. Mostly just to get kitty litter and Breathe-Right strips, and shampoo/conditioner. I get water, toilet paper, and paper towels cheaper at Staples because I'm an employee (discount) and benefit from the ink recycling program (rewards store credit). Bulk salad ingredients would get thrown out by the end of the week. Bulk meat would need to be frozen, plus the local supermarket is only 3 blocks from home and I can pick out a nice chunk of chuckroast and they'll grind it for me while I'm in the aisles tossing coffee by the pound (at buy 1 get 2 free) into my cart.

If we could get smaller quantities of "things that can go stale" I'd get more stuff there. But I have zero interest in wasting space in my freezer with a loaf of over-processed bread, and 2 POUNDS of cereal would feed the bugs more efficiently than it'll feed us.

BJ's is great for families where at least one person cooks almost every night for the whole family. It's great for people who entertain often and need to buy in bulk. It's terrific for large families. But it just isn't very useful for a child-free couple, where one is home and the other only gets 15-minute snack breaks at work (thereby negating the need for leftovers).

If I lived in a community like the Villages I'd probably want to find a neighbor who shares similar tastebuds, and do bulk shopping and split everything in half. I think that way we'd be more likely to save money, and throw out less.

ColdNoMore
10-29-2018, 08:24 AM
The biggest surprise for me in this poll, is that those who chose BJ's...is more than half of those who picked Sam's Club. :confused:

redwitch
10-29-2018, 09:20 AM
I like Sam’s. Had a Costco and a Sam’s within five miles in California. I found Sam’s had better meat, fresher produce and GASP better customer service. Not thrilled with customer service here but it’s passable. So, I’ll stick with my Sam’s vote.

ColdNoMore
11-07-2018, 08:19 PM
It looks like Costco is still the choice...with 70% of the votes.