WTF happened to Sam's Club?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We belong to both and have for many years. Some products we will buy at either place, but many items we prefer at one or the other. Each year we discuss dropping one of them, but always conclude it’s worth it to stay members at both.

Off the top of my head, we prefer all of the bath/toiletry items at Sam’s, as well as their paper towels/tp/napkins (all store brand.) Their bakery is far superior. And their gas lines are way shorter, at least at our location. Also also the aforementioned scan and go which our Costco does not have. I’m general, we find that if one of them doesn’t have or is out of something we need, the other one will have it. This helps because all of the stock is constantly being rotated in and out.

Funny, I’ve always heard that Costco’s bakery superiority was the biggest difference between the two. We don’t really do bakery any more but I get lots of basic clothes at Costco (especially big teen boys — underwear, t shirts, bathing suits, shorts, dress shirts, etc etc)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We belong to both and have for many years. Some products we will buy at either place, but many items we prefer at one or the other. Each year we discuss dropping one of them, but always conclude it’s worth it to stay members at both.

Off the top of my head, we prefer all of the bath/toiletry items at Sam’s, as well as their paper towels/tp/napkins (all store brand.) Their bakery is far superior. And their gas lines are way shorter, at least at our location. Also also the aforementioned scan and go which our Costco does not have. I’m general, we find that if one of them doesn’t have or is out of something we need, the other one will have it. This helps because all of the stock is constantly being rotated in and out.

Funny, I’ve always heard that Costco’s bakery superiority was the biggest difference between the two. We don’t really do bakery any more but I get lots of basic clothes at Costco (especially big teen boys — underwear, t shirts, bathing suits, shorts, dress shirts, etc etc)

I’m the PP above you. I find the basic clothing to be hit or miss at both clubs, but still manage to find good stuff at both. If I HAD to give up one membership, I would give up Sam’s, but we still like it enough to keep both.

[Anonymous]

OP, my local Sams is clean and well stocked and organized.

I will say though-I don't have a Costco's nearby, but when I venture to it (maybe twice a year) it's a madhouse, but they really do have some nice food items. Particularly as far as GF and vegan (I have those in my life so I stock up).

[Anonymous]

I let my Sam's membership expire this year. The only benefit I got from being a member was the gas. The last year I had the membership I went into the store a couple of times to buy a bought a microwave and a couple of slices of pizza. Paying for the membership just didn't seem worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sams is owned by walmart.

Most people know this. It's literally named for Sam Walton.

[Anonymous]

???? Walmart and Sam's are literally the same company

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We belong to both and have for many years. Some products we will buy at either place, but many items we prefer at one or the other. Each year we discuss dropping one of them, but always conclude it’s worth it to stay members at both.

Off the top of my head, we prefer all of the bath/toiletry items at Sam’s, as well as their paper towels/tp/napkins (all store brand.) Their bakery is far superior. And their gas lines are way shorter, at least at our location. Also also the aforementioned scan and go which our Costco does not have. I’m general, we find that if one of them doesn’t have or is out of something we need, the other one will have it. This helps because all of the stock is constantly being rotated in and out.

Funny, I’ve always heard that Costco’s bakery superiority was the biggest difference between the two. We don’t really do bakery any more but I get lots of basic clothes at Costco (especially big teen boys — underwear, t shirts, bathing suits, shorts, dress shirts, etc etc)

Sam’s bakery section is cheaper and more conveniently sized. Quality on like-for-like items is better at Costco except for croissants, which are pretty good at both stores. I buy dessert from Sam’s more often, tho, because my family likes their cream pies, Bundt cakes, and chantilly cake, none of which have a reliably available equivalent at Costco. The only cookie worth buying at Sam’s is the seasonally iced sugar cookies, which are surprisingly good if you like that kind of thing. Costco’s bakery breads are clearly nicer, but there’s a cheap French loaf at Sam’s I regularly buy because it makes an excellent Cuban pressed sandwich.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We belong to both and have for many years. Some products we will buy at either place, but many items we prefer at one or the other. Each year we discuss dropping one of them, but always conclude it’s worth it to stay members at both.

Off the top of my head, we prefer all of the bath/toiletry items at Sam’s, as well as their paper towels/tp/napkins (all store brand.) Their bakery is far superior. And their gas lines are way shorter, at least at our location. Also also the aforementioned scan and go which our Costco does not have. I’m general, we find that if one of them doesn’t have or is out of something we need, the other one will have it. This helps because all of the stock is constantly being rotated in and out.

Funny, I’ve always heard that Costco’s bakery superiority was the biggest difference between the two. We don’t really do bakery any more but I get lots of basic clothes at Costco (especially big teen boys — underwear, t shirts, bathing suits, shorts, dress shirts, etc etc)

Sam’s bakery section is cheaper and more conveniently sized. Quality on like-for-like items is better at Costco except for croissants, which are pretty good at both stores. I buy dessert from Sam’s more often, tho, because my family likes their cream pies, Bundt cakes, and chantilly cake, none of which have a reliably available equivalent at Costco. The only cookie worth buying at Sam’s is the seasonally iced sugar cookies, which are surprisingly good if you like that kind of thing. Costco’s bakery breads are clearly nicer, but there’s a cheap French loaf at Sam’s I regularly buy because it makes an excellent Cuban pressed sandwich.

I’m the other PP. When I said Sam’s bakery was far superior, I was specifically referring to cakes/cupcakes/pies. No comparison.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Sam’s I go to is fine. I don’t buy the processed food. I buy milk, eggs, fruit, vegetables, rice, sugar, oil, and meat. The prices are great and I use Scan and Go to avoid lines. My Sam’s is heavily Latino and I wish they would stop buying 3 cases of bottled water every week.

Why are you worried about this? They may not have access to fresh clean water for at least part of their day. Why begrudge them this purchase?

I’m a basic white lady buying canned seltzer by the case. Hard to argue that’s good for the planet but nobody’s posting about me on here.

[Anonymous]

Sam’s Club has always been a Costco wanna be as Walmart wants to be a Target wanna be. But, they appeal to different demographics so their pricing and item selection are different. Sam’s is far more price oriented than Costco so they will have better pricing on basics but they can’t match Costco on quality and innovation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sam’s Club has always been a Costco wanna be as Walmart wants to be a Target wanna be. But, they appeal to different demographics so their pricing and item selection are different. Sam’s is far more price oriented than Costco so they will have better pricing on basics but they can’t match Costco on quality and innovation.

As a regular shopper at both, I would disagree that the demographics are different. At least where I live, shoppers at both stores skew heavily non-white and multi-generational. My two stores at 5 minutes apart and charge very similar membership fees, so it’s really just personal preference where people belong.

[Anonymous]

We got tired of the declining quality of Costco toilet paper and figured let's give Sam's a try. Got a really good deal for a membership and figured why not. I am so glad I didn't pay full price for the membership. The entire store looks like diabetes and cardiac arrest on Adderall! So much processed junk. The store was so filthy. They have almost no organic products. No organic produce. I didn't trust their meat but I also don't buy meat at Walmart. I don't know if other Sam's locations are better. Maybe ours is just that way but there is a clear difference between the quality of food items at Costco and Sam's. Not sure if it was ever better since this is my first Sam's membership but there's definitely no reason for our household to renew. I didn't know it was just a Walmart warehouse. Thought they at least try to keep up with Costco standards

[Anonymous]

Costco at Pentagon City has self-checkout lines.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love Sam's because of Scan and Go. In, scan, out, no lines. My local store is never a mess.

Me too! My store is not a mess and is often crowded.
I prefer Costco, although my teens prefer the clothes at Sam’s…they love the dupes at Sam’s. Costco clothes are for old people.
I wish Costco had scan and go. I rarely go anymore bc of lines.

[Anonymous]

I do Sam's because the membership is cheaper and I would not go to either that often. The one in Gaithersburg is always busy. I went into a Costco (also in Gaithersburg) once with a family member. It looked pretty similar to me.