7 Reasons to Pick Sam's Club Over Costco, Say Fans
In the battle of the warehouse wars, Costco is the industry leader—but Sam's Club is offering serious competition not just with products, but the overall shopping experience. While Costco is slower to embrace new technology, Sam's Club is blazing a path with Scan and Go options where customers can skip the checkout line altogether.
"Costco is clearly the market share leader in the club space, … we think Sam's Club is a formidable competitor," CFRA analyst Arun Sundaram told Yahoo Finance. "One area where Sam's Club is better than Costco currently is related to their technology, and that's because it's backed by Walmart, which is very technology savvy, unlike Costco." Customers with experience of both stores say Sam's Club has some definite advantages—here are seven reasons the Walmart-owned warehouse chain is better than Costco, according to fans.
Costco Vs. Walmart Parking
Costco entrances and parking lots are notoriously difficult to navigate at many locations, something where Sam's Club has the upper hand. "Costco was very crowded, it took me 20 minutes to find a parking space while Sam's Club I can always find one quickly. The inside of Costco also had a long line while Sam's Club had no line," one shopper said.
Better Meat Products
Some shoppers say the Sam's Club meat quality is better. "Sam's Club chicken is the same as Costco. I find Sam's beef products — yes I'm gonna say it — to be BETTER than Costco. Shrimp at Sam's? Better. Chicken is a wash. Fish? SAMS. Sam's club wins. I may be even thinking about cancelling the Costco membership in the relatively near future," one Redditor said. "Pork too IMO. I shop at both stores but 95% of our meat and 100% of our seafood is from Sam's. I've had bad fish and shellfish from Costco– like 'not fresh' bad –but never from Sam's," another agreed.
Better Technology and Payment Options
Customers say Sam's Club is more convenient for technology and payment. "Sam's Club has better prices, plus Sam's club offers scan and go. Costco is way behind when it comes to payment options. I like them both for different reasons but Sam's Club would be the winner on my side. I do have membership for both," one shopper said. "Sam's Club accepts my Discover and Mastercard credit cards while Costco will only take my Visa debit card (I have no visa credit cards)," another complained.
Better Value For Money
Some shoppers say Sam's Club offers better deals and value for money. "We found a 10lb bag of frozen chicken wings there for around $18 just before the Super Bowl (normally priced at $25). The pricing at Costco was higher by $5-10 for essentially the same amount. Our location also has a 'sample vending machine' where you scan your membership card and receive a sample to take home. Last time we got a Members Mark K-Cup coffee pod, and today we got a Gain Fling and their scent booster," one Redditor shared.
Better Rotisserie Chicken
Both Sam's Club and Costco offer $5 rotisserie chickens, but Sam's is better, customers say. "I am a diehard Costco fan and tonight, had my first Sam's Club Rotisserie chicken. I was stunned to learn how much better Sam's Club's chicken is! Am I a traitor?" one Redditor asked. "Sam's Club by a mile," another agreed.
Dairy-Free Options
Sam's Club has a bigger variety of dairy-free products, shoppers say. "Sam's Club has better prices and options for dairy-free items, and my daughter has a dairy protein allergy (not lactose intolerance) so we use a lot of almond milk and non-dairy cheeses," one Redditor shared. "Sam's Club's produce lasts far longer than Costco's. The snack bar/crackers section at Sam's Club is also superior."
More Name Brand Products
Sam's Club has a wider variety of name brands to choose from, shoppers say. "Sam's has a lot of common name brands that you would see in a typical grocery store," one Redditor said. "Costco has some name brands but quite a bit is a boutique or small label brand. It seems that Sam's has more brands and varieties of an item, Costco will have one or two, or perhaps none and only Kirkland. Both have their house brands."
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