Sam's Club vs. Costco vs. BJ's: Warehouse Stores Price Comparison (2024)

What a stupid thing to say, Olin. If you don’t like what’s on the comparison list, move on to do your own comparison shopping.
Thank you for taking the time to present something to people who are curious and don’t have a lot of experience at multiple warehouse stores, Ms. Greutman.

I was strictly BJs for years. I lived right near the Stoughton, MA location and it was a life saver. I moved and joined Costco but rarely go. I prefer BJs 100%.

[…] Bj’s vs. Sams vs. Costco: Price Comparison […]

[…] eggs and cereal are pricier, it’s important to shop wisely for meals and ingredients. Head to warehouse stores to get the best price per unit when buying food in bulk and grab bagged produce for big […]

We joined BJ’s after being asked to join that, and Costco of course. I agree BJ’s is much cheaper and worth it. Especially since BJ’s doesn’t pay international retail fees, so they can have more locations here in the U.S. As for the amount of food, often times Costco and Sam’s Club appear to have more because there’s fewer locations, therefore all the products are being shipped to one store in an area, rather than 5 in a 100 mile radius. Each BJ’s is not 100% the same and they send coupons for products that are on sale to let…Read more »

I was member of BJs for couple years and recently I took the membership of Sams The big major difference I noticed is you find more USDA certified organic products in Sams, in bjs we rarely find them I used to go to BJS once in a month or sometimes even longer gap between my visits, it is not because of distance it is because of things I buy there and they usually sell bulk like two three items together. But after I moved sams I started going to sams almost every weekend or the other, the reasons are I…Read more »

I like the comparison list. I used to shop at BJ’s but now that a Costco has opened up in our area we went to look around to do a comparison of our own I myself like the item selection at Costco and non food items are cheaper at Costco than BJ’s but Costco is further from my home than BJ’s I think what it will come down to is that Costco offers a cash back program on their membership card without having to open up a line of credit and if your cash back at the end of the…Read more »

The lunch meats that you compared at Sam’s were their premium lunch meats in the deli section. If you go to the cold foods section (next to the frozen foods) you will find ham and turkey sliced meats that are much closer in quality and price.

I would love to know how they compare for organic foods. BJ’s has a very good selection of well-priced organic foods, but I’m considering switching to Costco because it is closer to my home and Groupon is currently offering a good deal on membership.

just want to say, thanks for the information. It’s very helpful.

Great comparisons, and great comments from all. We buy mostly all of our staples from BJ’s and some food items. You can’t beat the selection of organic, fresh fruits and veggies, and fantastic and friendly customer service at our local Wegmans in Downingtown PA.

The products are not the same brand so there is no COMPARISON.
As for the Ground Beef… Fat content has a direct relation to price per pound.
This article is not helpful. You need to price the SAME EXACT item brand weight, count, etc.

This was a very good comparison for people to have a general idea, thank you.
However in quality, costco has more products of good quality items I will rather buy than trying to save some pennies to get less quality. I also get most of my healthy foods in costco, each time i have visited sam’s club or bj’s, i have so many items left on my list because they do not carry them

I would like to have seen more comparisons of long term shelf stable items: canned goods, oatmeal, nuts, dried fruit, spices, baking needs, etc. Problem with many of the items seen here is that you can’t store them for more than a week or two anyway, so you can’t stock up for the long term, which is why I would go to a warehouse store. I was pleased to see the paper products, trash bags, detergent, etc. here.

Costco quality of goods and services trumps anything at Sams or BJ Costco membership and Citi co branded VISA offers: 4% back on Gasoline worldwide, including Costco gasoline on the first $7000.00 in gasoline purchases annually, then 1% after. That gives you the freedom to purchase gas anywhere unlike BJ and Sams Also Costco gasoline is Top Tier, unlike BJ and Sams. And read the fine print on BJ and Sams credit cards, they are not true cash back cards… its only offered as a credit. Costco Citi VISA is a check mailed to your house every November that can…Read more »

It would be interesting to see how boxed compares with these. There is no membership fee, they give cash back rewards and they deliver straight to your door. (Very high on my list as I live in NY and don’t have a car)

Sams is $45 for two persons, Bj’s is 45-55 for same

I shop at all three stores. Customer must be aware that BJS packages are smaller. count.
Costco package items are larger count.
Sam clubs packages are a large count
All three carry different name brands in products, BJs sometime you can get better buy if you use the store coupon and your coupon from the newspaper.
I compare prices with coupon and with newspaper coupon to see , if the product is a better deal at BJs, sometime it is not when item comes in smaller package

Never heard of BJ’s other than the restaurant. Must be an east coast thing.

I went to Costco to check prices because I am already a Sam’s Member. They wouldn’t even allow me through the door unless I had a membership card despite only doing a recon mission on prices. So I was forced to go through their sales pitch before I could just take a look. After I walked around for a bit I left and told the manager just how I felt about her wasting my time and have never stepped foot in the place again. Attitude is everything and if you are going to bother me then I will take my…Read more »

I go to the BJs in Flemington, NJ because they carry all I need and they treat me like family! I say that because I am disabled in that I cannot walk at this time and they help me do the things I need to do in order to have a successful shopping trip. They get me a scooter (brought to the car) and they help me check out!!! Oh yeah, most importantly, they help me stuff the trunk with the food!!! Sure other stores may have more (like the costco next door) but I do not need to shop…Read more »

I have been a member of Costco and Sam’s for a long time. I DO take advantage of the 5% cash rewards on gas and groceries and Christmas at Sam’s (have two gas guzzlers). Sooo, I do the shopping, I pay the bills, I decide which store to shop. Sam’s is closer, so over time we have earned quite a tidy sum of cash rewards! HERE’S THE CATCH: I’m the wife. Sam’s DOES NOT recognize me when it’s time to cash in the rewards check. They refuse to even let me put it towards the groceries purchased. They explain that…Read more »

I am moving to a new city that only has BJ’s and I was scared to make the switch. Thank you so much for this thorough comparison – it was very informative. I am super high right now.

I am moving to a new city that only has BJ’s and I was scared to make the switch. Thank you so much for this thorough comparison – it was very informative. I am super high right now.

BJ’s Can be consistently cheaper because of the acceptance of coupons. They often have decent coupons on large $ common groceries like bulk paper products, detergents, diapers(not to mention PAMPERS!), etc. You’d be crazy not to use at least the ever-available $4 off coupon on diapers or a bottle of Gain, and you can nearly always score a coupon book at the desk to double down on more then one or if you used your mailer one earlier that month. They also often have more then 5 options to one vs Costco for any common grocery item like cheese, milk,…Read more »

BJ’s Can be consistently cheaper because of the acceptance of coupons. They often have decent coupons on large $ common groceries like bulk paper products, detergents, diapers(not to mention PAMPERS!), etc. You’d be crazy not to use at least the ever-available $4 off coupon on diapers or a bottle of Gain, and you can nearly always score a coupon book at the desk to double down on more then one or if you used your mailer one earlier that month. They also often have more then 5 options to one vs Costco for any common grocery item like cheese, milk,…Read more »

For what it’s worth, if you take Sam’s club out of the mix, it’s a tie. For the 11 products where Sam’s was the winner, BJ’s had the 2nd best price on 3, Costco had 2nd best on 4, and there was no comparison on the remaining 4 (e.g. Green Bell Peppers). The counts would then have been BJs 18, Costco 18, no comparison, 4. In the end, it will come down to the products that your family needs. You do need to pay attention to product and package size though. For example, the sheets of Charmin toilet paper at…Read more »

I was very hapoy and greatful to see a comparrison done. I always wonder if it’s a deal or not. I cant afford Publix meat orchicken but sm veey happy getting it at BJ’s. I struggle to get fifty dollars each year bit i manage. Thank you.

They do the same thing – price comparisons and shift their prices around to counter people such as ourselves who want to save the most money from being able to do so productively since who want’s to comparison shop prior to each visit, which is almost what you would have to do to get a good overview of the reality of a price/cost comparison over a protracted period of time. This blogs comparison simply shows the price situation to be real. So for Lauren it works but for someone else who purchases other stuff it may not work so ya…Read more »

I had a similar experience at Costco recently. I just went in on a recon. mission. I spoke to a manager and the first thing he asked was how I even got in the store without membership. That was an immediate turn-off. I couldn’t even buy anything at the take-out counter without membership. Also their membership is more than BJs. Like another writer stated, “I would be hard pressed set foot in another Costco”. I’m a BJs member of long standing and can even remember when you didn’t even need membership to make purchases, just pay a slightly higher price.…Read more »

There is a BJ’s opening soon near me. I am already a Costco member. BJ’s will be closer so I wanted to check them out. This is great information! I will have to check them out when they open. One thing I did want to point out is that there is a mistake in the white bread comparison. The information states; “BJ’s – $2.49 (2 pack of 20 ounce loaves) = $0.06 per ounce (WINNER!) Costco – $3.99 (2 pack of 24 ounce loaves – on sale in pic) = $0.08 per ounce Sam’s Club – $3.58 ( 2 pack…Read more »

When comparing the prices you have to consider that BJ’s have a coupon booklet by mail and one in store, and also they accept the manufacturer’s coupons, I believe the other clubs don’t…Now, the gasoline is more expensive in BJ’s than Sams, and Costco if you don’t have their credit card…