13 Ways Sam’s Club Outshines Costco

Thanks to an ever-expanding reach, it has never been easier to buy in bulk than it is today. For many consumers who have competitors setting up shop in their communities, that also means having to make a choice as to which retailer they want to buy into through membership fees. While Costco and Sam’s Club may have many things in common, there are plenty of disparities that help a discerning customer make a decision between them with ease.

From the cost of doing business to the accessibility of the food court, the retail giants have measurable differences that, for many, give Sam’s Club a preferential edge. Be it a hunger for an oversized cupcake or a touch more thirst at the soda fountain, the Walmart-owned club has demonstrable ways that it caters to customers differently than Costco. The tech-savvy and the quantity-conscious can each find their own reason to steer toward Sam’s. So, before you pick which box store you’ll be frequenting for savings — and which level tier you want to pay for — consider the various ways that style Sam’s Club as superior.

Unexpected calamities or mere forgetfulness can spoil an occasion for even the best planners. Maybe the power went out overnight spoiling the contents of your fridge or suddenly every invite that failed to RSVP is showing up at your door. If something like this has ever happened to you on a summertime holiday — or you hope to make sure it never does — Sam’s Club’s doors are open to pull you out of the fire and get you back around your fire pit.

While both warehouse clubs close down for major holidays like Christmas and Easter, Costco’s decision to shut for Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day provides an opening for Sam’s Club to capitalize on. Shaving two hours off of its operating time to close early — as is the case on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve — Sam’s promises that its customers won’t be left in the lurch if they run out of hot dogs too fast or their grill gives up the ghost as guests arrive. That said, individual club hours can vary and it remains wise to check ahead, even if you are only counting on the bonus day of a three-day weekend to put off your regular grocery shopping.

Shoppers seeking savings often aren’t satisfied by the deal alone. They want to know how much money they get to hold on to when the sale is complete. In that case, Costco doesn’t make things easy. For the uninitiated, the popular warehouse utilizes a system of price tag codes that require some deciphering to spot a deal hiding in plain sight. Of those, the most notable are tags that end in .00 or .88 as they indicate sale prices as opposed to the regular retail value denoted by a .99.

Similar to Walmart, Sam’s Club likes customers to know where it has rolled back the prices and spotting them once you’ve walked in won’t be difficult. The warehouse typically uses a yellow sign instead of the standard white with the added explanation of what the savings are on the particular item. Additionally, clearance pricing is identified, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t tips with which you’ll want to get accustomed. An employee at a Dallas location had told CBS News that if a “C” appears next to the item number then it is discontinued, a fact that can also be discerned if the price ends in 01. Alternatively, an “A” is used to mark active items and “N” signals something that should always be in stock.

A true apples to apples comparison between the clubs can be found in their membership plans. While both offer more than one tier, the prices vary as does what you get for buying in. Setting aside its business memberships which allow purchase for resale, Costco offers a Gold Star level at $65 per year and an Executive level at $130 per year. Before considering the benefits, those tiers are already pricier than Sam’s Club’s offering of an annual standard membership for $50 and a Plus membership for $110.

On top of those savings, Sam’s Club further entices its customers by offering extended hours to its Plus members. The doors open two hours earlier for those trying to beat the crowds at select locations providing more flexibility in planning the day for those customers. As an added bonus, Plus members receive free shipping on eligible orders over $50 and free curbside pickup no matter the size of the order. Regular members are subject to a $4 charge for orders under the $50 minimum. That said, both retailers offer discounts on services with membership and 2% cash back earned annually. Where that was concerned, Costco does exceed the maximum reward, allowing customers to earn up to $1,250 as opposed to a $500 cap.

Among the things that appeal to warehouse shoppers, the chance at savings by buying in bulk often sits at the top of the list. Whether that means picking up double packs of breakfast cereal, a full case of paper towels, or snagging dozens of eggs bundled together to explore the different ways to cook them, it helps to have a lot of cargo space in the car with which you shop. As great as bulk buying can be, there are some setbacks particular to those who aren’t using their goods to run a business — namely with perishables.

While getting home with nearly 50 rolls of toilet paper only means sacrificing storage space, buying pounds of goods with expiration dates could amount to savings winding up going to waste. In that case, Sam’s Club manages to offer similar deals to Costco without assuming your family could fill a baseball team’s roster. For example, Costco’s Kirkland Signature Mexican Style Four Cheese Blend is sold in two packs of 2½ pounds, whereas Sam’s Club’s Members Mark variety was available in a two-pack of 1 pound bags.

It’s true that Sam’s Club’s portions will prevent you from overstocking your pantry, but muffin management wasn’t the only perk the club had over Costco when specifically comparing bakery departments. On top of championship-winning dessert offerings like Member’s Mark’s Honeycrisp Apple Lattice Pie, Sam’s markets its members a special treat courtesy of Hoboken, New Jersey’s favorite baking personality, Buddy Valastro and Carlo’s Bakery.

Weighing in at 5 pounds, Member’s Mark partners with Valastro’s Carlo’s Bake Shop in selling the Colossal Candy-Filled Vanilla Cupcake. This buttercream icing and sprinkle topped behemoth is loaded with M&M’s candies and is expected to feed anywhere from 16 to 20 people though it advertises 38 servings on the package. The cupcake isn’t the only way that Sam’s Club embraces new opportunities to wow its members as ordering custom cakes is a comparative breeze. Unlike the paper form process at Costco, Sam’s allows customers to use the website or app to hammer out the details of their special confections with the expectation that orders can be filled in 24 hours — sometimes even less, if the order is placed early enough in the day.

In today’s tech-centered society, app enthusiasts are often left unsatisfied if they aren’t experiencing something on the cutting edge of convenience. Be it a digital wallet that allows them to pay from their phone or watch without pulling out a debit card, or an in-store item locator that can guide them to the precise product they’re looking for, customers like to be wowed with innovation. So it is that Sam’s Club’s Scan & Go feature for its mobile app finds many a member stoked to expedite their shopping excursions in ways not available with Costco.

After its initial introduction as a standalone app, the Scan & Go feature was integrated into Sam’s Club’s app allowing customers to do exactly that as they browse the aisles. By simply scanning a barcode with a smartphone open to the app, items are added to a digital cart mirroring the physical one. When a member is ready to checkout, they need only complete the transaction as they would any digital purchase. Other features on the app are similar to Costco’s as both clubs allow members to manage their accounts and see what’s available at their local warehouse before their next visit.

To further innovation, Sam’s Club wasn’t resting on its laurels amid the fanfare of its Scan & Go capabilities. No, as artificial intelligence increasingly permeates the everyday, integrating the technology is a chief objective of many companies. Seen through advanced customized algorithms and rapid responses to questions both complex and mundane, as well as incorporation into appliances like AI ovens, most industries have an eye on the future. In the case of Sam’s Club, the Grapevine, Texas location has already been established as a test site to fine-tune advancements in member experiences.

The Grapevine club reopened in December 2024 after tornado damage had shuttered the store in 2022. Rather than restore it to its original arrangement, Sam’s used the opportunity to test out a new layout that utilizes the app’s potential to the fullest. Instead of checkout counters and receipt checkers at the exit, customers pass through a scanner that uses AI to verify that the contents of a cart match the sale. The extra floor space allows the club to display certain items that are online exclusives that can then be ordered from the app after scanning a nearby QR code. In April 2025, the retailer announced plans to remodel all locations to follow the model that has proven successful in Texas.

In exchange for the annual membership fee, warehouse shoppers at both Costco and Sam’s Club are afforded access to exclusive brands — like Kirkland Signature and Member’s Mark —as well as great deals. But the clubs aren’t stingy when it comes to offering some of their other services to the general public. That said, Sam’s is known for being a touch more welcoming than Costco for those who have yet to buy into the club.

Costco has rolled out check-in scanners at entrances across the country, further monitoring the traffic in its warehouses while also making membership a necessity when scoring the $1.50 hot dog combo deal or any of the other food court offerings. Meanwhile, the cafe, optical center, and website of Sam’s remain open to all. That said, scoring deals like 50% off of tire installation or 40% off additional pairs of prescription eyeglasses when purchasing an initial pair still require signing up as an annual member.

Among the differences in selections available at the competing retailers, customers seeking to stock up on baby supplies may find themselves with greater variety in breadth and depth at the nearest Sam’s Club. Comparing the inventory of its website with Costco’s, Sam’s produces well over 300 results in the baby category, whereas Costco offers up less than 50. What’s more, of the latter’s diaper selection, customers are limited to either Huggies or Kirkland Signature. By contrast, Sam’s also offers Pampers, the Member’s Mark label, and more varieties of each of the three brands.

Consumer analyst Julie Ramhold with DealNews.com had told GoBankingRates that her own review of available baby goods had returned nine different baby wipes options compared to only three at Costco. She also remarked on the “bigger selection” of products like food, formula (one of many goods worth purchasing ahead of skyrocketing prices), and snacks for babies. Compared to the one stroller found on Costco’s website, customers have 14 options of different brands and styles to choose from on Sam’s Club’s site.

Those familiar with shopping at warehouse clubs are also familiar with the need to present your membership card before a transaction can be completed at checkout. What may not be so well-known is the fact that there is another barrier for purchase at Costco for those hoping to use a credit card. Any customer hoping to take advantage of earning points or cash back using their American Express, Capital One, Discover, MasterCard, or other charge card services will find themselves out of luck at the warehouse that only accepts Visa.

Costco’s exclusive agreement with Visa is said to be a means to keep prices low at its warehouses by avoiding higher merchant fees with some of the other credit card providers. The club also offers its own version of a Visa card in partnership with Citibank to provide other cash back opportunities. Meanwhile, Sam’s Club accepts all major credit cards and each warehouse allows for debit cards, checks, EBT, mobile payment systems, and other widely-accepted forms of payment.

The idea that modern problems require modern solutions was widely experienced in response to the spread of COVID-19. While many had been eager to see the end of policies like social distancing, some infrastructure ingenuities had become popular enough to keep around. This includes the convenience of curbside pickup that makes it possible to place an order online and come collect at a time most suited for the individual customer.

While Costco offers some in-store pickup options for select merchandise, Sam’s Club makes it possible to shop remotely for electronics, groceries, household essentials, and more without having to enter the store or wait for someone else to drop them on your doorstep. Dry goods and freezer wares alike can be brought out to a curbside pickup parking spot where an employee will load up your vehicle for you. So long as the order is over $50 for Club members than there is no $4 fee applied. Plus members can take advantage of the service for free no matter the total of the order. Instead of curbside pickup, Costco partners with Instacart to provide members with same-day delivery options.

More so than ever before, Americans are likely keenly aware of how much bath tissue they currently have on hand after living through supply chain shortages exacerbated by panic-driven stockpiling. Though beggars couldn’t be choosers when it came to acquiring a roll or not then, there are certainly differences in the current offerings from fully stocked warehouses. Setting aside the matters of ply preferences individual to each consumer, objective comparisons gave a quantifiable edge to the toilet paper sold at Sam’s Club compared to Costco.

A look at the bundle of Kirkland Signature Ultra Soft Premium Bath Tissue available at Costco shows 231 sheets per each of the 36 rolls in the pack. By comparison, the Member’s Mark Ultra Premium bundles at Sam’s Club have 235 sheets per each of the 45 rolls in the pack. Those measurable differences weren’t all that distinguish between the rolls as a stark contrast was present in the number of reviews that have been submitted on each club’s website. Sam’s has earned over 163,000 reviews with an average rating of 4.9, compared to the less than 2,000 reviews on Costco’s website that have an average rating of 4.7.

For decades, Costco has maintained a loss-accruing price point on its hot dog combo, refusing to budge a cent off of the $1.50 offering. Unfortunately for Costco, Sam’s Club counter with a bigger deal — a 30 ounce fountain drink instead of a 20 ounce — at $1.38 was only one of the ways that the warehouse rivalry includes cafe selections. Though it wasn’t always the case, Sam’s Club made the move to keep its food courts open as long as the store was open just like Costco.

The menus at each warehouse are where they truly vary. While both include pizzas, frozen treats, and fountain drinks, Costco’s sandwich, salad offerings, and Strawberry Banana Smoothie — that some food court fans aren’t rushing after — were countered by Sam’s Club’s soft pretzels. Sold with salt or cinnamon sugar, the Walmart-owned warehouse also has a pizza variety coated in cheese and pepperoni accompanied by a dipping cup filled with marinara sauce. In addition to a Grab & Go section that delivers some popular warehouse items in ready-to-eat portions, Sam’s Club also allows members to take advantage of curbside pickup to get pizza brought out to their car.