Introduction
Sam’s Club is a Walmart-owned retail warehouse that was founded in 1983. It is the second biggest retail warehouse in sales revenue in the US. Costco is also a warehouse retailer that was founded in 1983. It was ranked number 10 in the Fortune 500 rankings in the US by revenue.If you are looking for how do Costco and Sams club compare, this article is here to give the comparisons of these clubs.
Costco and Sam’s club
Costco and Sam’s Club are both membership-only warehouse clubs with similar products that are sold at similar prices. They also have a similar number of stores across the country. Below we shall compare the differences between the Costco and Sams club.
Comparisons Between Costco And Sams Club
Membership Fees
Costco has two membership with levels, Gold Star and Gold Star Executive. Gold stock is $60 per year for a membership card and Gold Star executive is $120 a year. they have a cashback reward system of 2% up to $1000 plus discount services and home delivery of the magazine, Costco connection.
Sam’s Club offers also two membership levels. The first one is the club and the other one is plus membership. Club cost $45 a year while class membership costs $100 a year. That 2% cash back reward only goes up to $500 a year but overall it is cheaper than the Costco membership fee.
Financials
Sam’s Club made only a third of what Costco made in the year 2021 in net sales. Sam’s Club however has Walmart as its parent company which made $414 billion, double what Costco made.
Locations
Costco has more stores than Sam’s Club including international. Sam’s Club however has more stores in the US alone. Both of them do not have stores in Rhode Island. Costco has over 570 locations while Sam’s Club has 600 US locations.
Prices
Don’t Costco membership prices are higher than Sam’s Club, they have prices that are a bit more affordable than Sam’s Club. Since Costco focuses move on quality, its store-brand products tend to be more affordable than Sam’s Club which stocks more name brands that are usually. overpriced.
Products
Costco tends to focus more on quality than quantity. This includes healthier products that are organic and less processed. Sam’s club however has more items with brand names which also tend to be cheaper than Costco. The best place to shop depends on what you prefer.
Curbside Pickup
Costco used to have a curbside pickup in 2020 at the cost of running it was too much for them and they stopped the program. Sam store offers curbside pickup for free 2 all its plus membership customers.
Scan And Go Check Out
Sam’s Club has had the scan-and-go technology since 2016. This has made shopping and delivery even easier for them. The app that they have created also makes it easier for customers to shop contact-free, especially in these times of COVID. Costco however does not provide such a service.
Wages And Benefits
Walmart has a long history of treating its employees poorly and offering them low wages especially compared to Costco. Costco has reported promoting a better working environment for its employees while also providing them with better wages and frequent pay increases.
Food Court
Both Sam school and Costco have food courts within the warehouses for customers to take a break during the shopping. They both have similar menus and food items like pizza slices and hot dogs Sam’s Club has them all superior drink rotation. They serve multiple 0 sugar drinks which Costco does not have. However, Costco’s Cafe known as Kirkland Food court does not need one to have a Costco membership to enter.
Return Policies
Both Costco and Sam’s Club have generous return policies. They both offer full refunds on membership if one is unsatisfied with it. They both offer returns on items at any time and of course, they both have a list of things that cannot be returned. Costco however has more things that it permits to be returned within a certain time limit.
Services
Costco and Sam’s Club both provide identical services which include:
1. Pharmacy
2. Business services
3. Gas
4. Travel
5. Insurance
6. Cheap flu shots
7. Optical hearing center
8 Tires and batteries
9 In-store restaurant/food court/cafe
The difference between the two comes down to what one prefers and the quality of the service.The above compare the Costco and Sams club.
Conclusion
Costco and Sam’s Club provide goods and services of a similar level. The price is the same though the products do differ in quality and quantity and the membership prices have a 15 to $20 difference. They do offer the same services and have more or less the same number of stores. In the end, where one chooses to shop depends on their preferences and their proximity to the retail store.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who has more locations between Sam’s Club and Costco?
Costco has over 800 locations worldwide but just over 570 in the US while Sam’s Club has around 600 locations in the US.
- Between Costco and Sam’s Club, who sells healthier food products?
Costco sells more organic products than Sam’s Club.