Costco Shoppers Say These 5 Grocery Stores Are Actually Better
Costco shoppers are the ultimate bargain-hunters—you don't buy a membership for a major warehouse chain without knowing a thing or two about saving money. While Costco is a great place to shop for many food and household items, there are places where the chain comes up short compared to other grocery and retail outlets—for example, a wide variety of organic produce, or gluten-free goodies. Whether it's for specific types of food and snacks or simply value for money, here are five grocery stores Costco shoppers admit are actually better.
Sam's Club
Sam's Club is definitely Costco's main rival, and some shoppers think the deals —especially on own-brand products—are better, not to mention the ease and convenience of Sam's Club Scan and Go technology. "I've always been a huge fan of Costco, but over the past few years, Sam's Club has stepped up their game tremendously. They basically offer everything that Costco has now and more. Member's Mark branded items are just as good as Kirkland now too," one customer said. "In my area, Costco's are still way overcrowded. People have ZERO self awareness with their carts. Just taking up an entire aisle with their massive carts not paying any attention to people trying to get by. All while Sam's clubs are basically empty in my area. Pair that with Sam's scan and go.. I literally just skip the lines and check out on my phone. That alone makes Sam's miles better than Costco."
Aldi
Some Costco shoppers admit Aldi has better products in certain categories, such as gluten-free. "The Aldi I go to has milk for $1.30, Costco right now is almost at $4," one Redditor said. "Considering we use 3+ gallons a week that adds up alone to make it worth the extra 5 minute drive on the way to Costco hitting both. I also buy French green beans at Aldi that Costco no longer carries for some reason, and English cucumbers for like .80 a piece. Costco now only carries the organic 3-pack of them and sorry I just don't feel like that is worth $5+. Oh and potatoes, they are far cheaper at Aldi and we use about 15 lbs a week. Plus tons of gluten-free options at Aldi that are helpful for us. Long story short, every week at Aldi, potatoes, green beans, milk, sour cream and a few other things for like $60-80."
Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's offers better eggs and produce than Costco, shoppers say. "I love TJ's Lavash bread, organic produce, and specialty crackers. Their frozen prepared foods are healthy and yummy. TJ's flowers are cheaper and their cards are nice and only $1," one customer commented on Reddit. "Unpopular opinion: the peanut butter pretzels at Trader Joe's are better than the ones at Costco," another said. "Trader Joe's has some of the best deals on discounted wine. Some bottles I'd say are worth double or triple the price. I know Costco has great discounted wine too, but not at those lower price points," another commented.
Fred Meyer
Some Costco shoppers think Fred Meyer is better value for money when it comes to produce. "Veggies and fruit are significantly more expensive at Costco than at any of our other chain grocery stores, like Fred Meyer and Safeway. Costco produce has also tended to be moldy/bad sooner than other stores for us. When meat is on sale at Fred Meyer, it is also much cheaper than Costco," one Redditor said.
Whole Foods
It may seem strange to compare Whole Foods to Costco, but many shoppers find the former to offer surprisingly good deals. "We switched to Whole Foods for most produce items," one Costco member said. "Some parts of Whole Foods are expensive but some are cheap, especially for organic," another shopper said. "Their cream cheese tastes just like Philadelphia for 1/3 of the price. And I live in literally Wegmans hometown where that was the 'default' grocery store for the longest time until their prices went through the roof, so if I'm shopping at Whole Foods over Wegs on price, that says a lot." Another Costco shopper confirmed the reasonable pricing, saying, "It's really not that much more expensive and the quality is waaaaaay more expensive. Stick to shopping the perimeter of the store and Whole Foods can be quite competitive."
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