Sam’s Club Just Beat Costco in This Key Category and Shoppers Are Taking Notice

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) just dropped its 2025 Annual Retail and Consumer Shipping Study, rating grocery and warehouse chains in terms of customer satisfaction across the board. One major point of competition was the use of technology, a factor especially important for a younger demographic who consider the use of apps and online ordering a necessity. The results of the reports are scored on a scale of 1-100, and one warehouse chain showed tremendous improvement.

Thanks to an intense focus on digital innovation, Walmart-owned Sam's Club jumped 5% to 85 points, beating not just Costco and other warehouse clubs, but scoring number one for general merchandise retailers overall. "Inflation has slowed but price increases have accumulated significantly in recent years. Shoppers are also looking for convenience," according to the ACSI report. "Improvements in checkout technology helped Sam's Club move to the top of the general merchandise category."

Part of Sam's Club's success is offering services such as Scan & Go, where customers can skip checkout lines entirely by scanning their items and then paying via the app. "I'm incredibly proud of the innovation and dedication of our team to deploy this member experience technology at scale," said chief product officer Todd Garner. "Both exit technology and Scan & Go are driving new levels of convenience and raising member satisfaction among members. What distinguishes Sam's Club from our competitors is our ability to seamlessly deploy this technology at scale across our nearly 600 clubs nationwide. Whether it's a single item or a cartful, we're revolutionizing the checkout experience."

5 Major Changes You'll See at Sam's Club Next Month

Sam's Club is also utilizing high-tech AI to help customers get in and out of the store faster. "A combination of computer vision and digital technology deployed in the exit area of the club captures images of carts and verifies payment for all items within a member's basket," the company explains, allowing "member specialists to refocus their time and expertise to assisting members and ensuring they have an enjoyable shopping experience."

Meanwhile Costco scored 82 points, with no regression or improvement in customer satisfaction. "Costco is clearly the market share leader in the club space… we think Sam's Club is a formidable competitor," CFRA analyst Arun Sundaram previously 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."

Sam's Club is actively courting a younger demographic, and the plan is clearly working. "Retailers that offer strong mobile shopping options and are ready to deliver quickly have a great opportunity," reads the ACSI report. "Mobile shopping capabilities are also becoming increasingly important for the 18-25 age group, who expressed significantly lower satisfaction levels compared to older demographics—particularly in the online retailer category. Online shoppers expect innovative features that provide a dynamic and detailed customer experience."