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Is Sam’S Cheaper Than Costco?

Sam’s Club membership is $15 to $20 cheaper than Costco with similar benefits. So if price is your number one factor, then Sam’s Club may be best for you. However, there are other reasons why Costco may be worth the extra cost. Who has more locations?

To shop at both stores you need to pay an annual fee. The Gold Star membership at Costco (the cheapest option) will cost $60. That includes one free household card and your membership is valid at all Costco locations. The basic membership at Sam’s Club costs $45. Right off the bat, Sam’s Club takes the lead as the cheaper option.

As a shopper, you’ll likely find more brand-name items in Sam’s Club. However, Costco offers its popular private brand Kirkland in its stores. Kirkland items are often cheaper than most other products, but they’re still made by big-name companies, such as Starbucks, Duracell, and Kimberly-Clark.

These two retailers generate revenue from merchandise and product sales and membership fees. These memberships get you into the store and allow you to shop at the discounted prices online. More importantly for Costco and Sam’s Club, these memberships help create store loyalty.

Who owns Sam’s Club?

Sam’s Club, named after Sam Walton and owned and operated by Walmart and the Walton family, opened their first warehouse in 1983, in Oklahoma. From there, the membership warehouse chain began to purchase other wholesale warehouse clubs and quickly expanded its territory.

However, after seeing the potential profitability of targeting regular consumers, Sam’s Club changed its business practices to provide bulk items to individual customers in 2006.

Today, Costco operates 785 warehouses in the following countries: The United States / Puerto Rico. Canada. Mexico.

Costco, a separate bulk sales company, opened its first warehouse in Seattle, Washington in 1983. In less than 6 years, the company recorded $3 billion dollars in sales. With the success of both Price Club and Costco, they merged in 1993 to form the name PriceCostco. (Thank goodness that name didn’t stick)

The following are the more restrictive return items: Electronics – 90 day return policy, unlike the more generous general return policy. Diamonds – 1 carat or larger must present all original paperwork.

Sam’s Club offers a store-branded Mastercard. These are some of the benefits: $0 Annual fee. 5% cashback on gash when you fill up at Sam’s Club stations (up to $6,00 a year, then 1% after) 3% cashback on restaurants and travel. 1% cashback on other purchases.

Sam’s Club offers a 30 day no question return policy on all unopened items. Items returned after this window may be eligible for in-store credit or cash back depending on the item and reason for the return.

What is the difference between Costco and Sam’s Club?

To start, Costco is a publicly-traded company that trades on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol COST. Sam’s Club is a subsidiary of Walmart, which trades under the ticker WMT on the New York Stock Exchange.

Costco has a greater international presence, while Sam’s Club stores are limited to the U.S. and Puerto Rico. California has the most Costco stores, while Texas has the most Sam’s Club stores. Rhode Island is the only state with neither a Costco nor Sam’s Club.

Costco had 795 stores as of the end of the fiscal year 2020 (ended Aug. 31, 2020), with 552 of those in the U.S. The company has been aggressively opening new warehouse stores over the years. In the fiscal year 2020, Costco opened 16 stores, while it opened 25 in both 2019 and 2018. 2.

One of the key benefits and perks of Costco’s memberships is access to its fueling stations (which often offer lower prices than other fuel stations), pharmacy, photo center, and rental car options. For business customers, Costco offers partnerships with payment processing, health insurance, bottled water delivery, and check printing services. 4

In terms of states where Costco is concentrated, it has 131 stores in California, almost four times its number two state—Texas with 33. Meanwhile, the state of Washington has 32 Costco stores. Five states have no Costco stores—Arkansas, Maine, Rhode Island, West Virginia, and Wyoming. 3.

Costco is considered the original bulk retailer, opening its first location in San Diego in 1976. Since then it’s been selling bulk goods through its warehouse-style stores, cornering the market in many states. 1

Meanwhile, the higher tier membership offers specific discounts for certain services, such as 20% off eyeglasses at its optical centers and up to 30% off branded drugs at its pharmacies. 8

How much does a Gold Star membership cost at Costco?

To shop at both stores you need to pay an annual fee. The Gold Star membership at Costco (the cheapest option) will cost $60. That includes one free household card and your membership is valid at all Costco locations. The basic membership at Sam’s Club costs $45. Right off the bat, Sam’s Club takes the lead as the cheaper option.

Costco operates 762 warehouses worldwide, and there are only about 600 Sam’s Club locations. So, before you settle on Sam’s Club being the cheaper option, make sure you factor in the price of gas to drive to the store and back home. At the end of the day, the main difference between the two warehouse stores is the price of their membership.

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