Which is the best and are any worth it?

2/28/2009 1:21:14 PM

generally whichever is closest - my preference is costco though and that's where i have a membership

2/28/2009 1:23:49 PM

costco ftw. if you join and use an existing member as a referral both people get $10 gift cards! i happen to be a member.

[Edited on February 28, 2009 at 1:30 PM. Reason : ]

2/28/2009 1:29:11 PM

my personal feeling is BJ's is best for personal home use. Costco and Sams tend to feel more geared for small business in terms of the items available food wise

2/28/2009 1:43:55 PM

costco is the best, imho, but as OmarBadu said, proximity is the best way to go.

2/28/2009 1:52:34 PM

I prefer Costco

2/28/2009 2:43:35 PM

costco = all the way up in north raleigh
sams = right down harrison, 2 miles away

i like costco better, but sams is soooo much closer...

2/28/2009 2:51:40 PM

the one that is closest to you and convenient enough that you will actively shop at. I shop at BJs and use them a lot for chicken and milk, which makes it worthwhile. If the store wasn't located at crossroads and within 2 miles of my house, I probably wouldn't justify a membership there.

2/28/2009 3:06:01 PM

how many people are you buying for?

me and the lady really have a hard time justifying buying a lot of the bulk stuff cause we know we'll either get sick of it or not eat it all before it goes bad/freezer burns

we do buy all of our kitty litter, vitamins and toilet paper from costco though

2/28/2009 3:15:03 PM

Quote :

"costco is the best, imho, but as OmarBadu said, proximity is the best way to go. "

2/28/2009 3:24:14 PM

BJ's b/c its in Brier Creek by my house


AND they accept manufacturer's coupons which you can use ON TOP of their BJ's issued coupons...if you are buying something in bulk, you can use a coupon for as many UPC codes there are...so 4 boxes of pasta w/ 4 UPC codes they will take 4 manufacturer's coupons plus any BJ's issued coupons

2/28/2009 3:26:04 PM

i just like the free samples

2/28/2009 3:29:49 PM

I have a membership at BJ's so here's my two cents...

Pros:

1) If you're shopping for a bunch of people (e.g. your family, or roommates sharing groceries) then the membership might pay off in the long run. the unit price for many groceries at the wholesale club is usually cheaper than at retail stores like HT or Food Dog, so that's where you save. if you can buy enough stuff there at the cheaper unit price to justify the membership cost, then it's worth it. if not, then you're wasting money.

2) Coupons. They mail out special members-only coupons that you can use towards items in the stores. BJ's also accepts manufacturer coupons but Costco and Sam's don't (correct me if I'm wrong).

3) Free samples galore. Walk through BJ's on a Sunday morning and you can make a meal out of the handouts.


Cons:

1) Impulse buying. If you're the type that walks into harris teeter for a gallon of milk and walks out with $60 worth of groceries...then a wholesale club is not for you. If you're not disciplined at BJ's then you can easily waste a few hundred bucks on purchasing needless shit over the course of a year...e.g. are you really gonna use 20 pounds of potatoes yourself before they go bad?

2) Poor selection. for example if you're used to buying the low sugar or low fat varieties of certain items at regular grocery stores chances are you probably won't find them at the wholesale clubs.

3) If you're smart about it, it's cheaper to shop at harris teeter if you match up the weekly specials with the coupons (they double and triple at HT). if you're not the type to use coupons, then the regular grocery stores will be very expensive for you.


Right now I split the cost of the membership with my roommate and I dont think it's worth it for me. It's cheaper to shop the deals at HT and use coupons there. I'll be cancelling my BJ's membership this summer because it's not worth it for me to shop there...but it depends on a case-by-case basis.

2/28/2009 3:40:57 PM

Quote :

"2) Poor selection. for example if you're used to buying the low sugar or low fat varieties of certain items at regular grocery stores chances are you probably won't find them at the wholesale clubs."

BJ's also has a problem where if something is in stock one week, it may not be in stock ever again

2/28/2009 3:49:44 PM

costco's little restaurant is amazing. 1/4 pound hot dog and drink for $1.50, ridiculously good frozen yogurt for $1.50, great pizza slices for $2.00, churro's for $1.00!

2/28/2009 4:52:26 PM

I would say costco is the best if you live nearby. After I moved from N. Raleigh to Apex, Costco was no longer worth it.

After I moved, I had a 3 month membership at BJ's, but for the things I buy, I thought the prices were too high there.

Haven't been to SAM's in a while but I think I have a free pass I'm going to use soon, but I doubt it will be good enough to justify.

2/28/2009 6:23:00 PM

We have Sam's and Costco memberships. We end up going to Costco every week, Sam's once in a blue moon.

Costco has better samples, food, clothes, home goods, electronics, photo development, eye center, and food court.

Sam's has better office goods, books, movies, tire service, and all the Mexicans you can eat.

2/28/2009 6:40:02 PM

Quote :

"Which is the best and are any worth it?"

Best? Whichever is closest. Also, give each a walkthrough and check out the produce sections or other sections you're interested in.
Worth it? I've certainly found it to be. ~$50 per year. My gf and I made that up in a couple of months of fruit purchases. Lot of toilet paper, lot of paper towels, lot of razors, shaving cream, deodorant, toothpaste, cereal, strawberries... It paid for itself vs Harris Teeter within a couple of months. Of course, we're just halfway though the paper towels and toilet paper six months into it...

2/28/2009 8:00:56 PM

Quote :

"sams = right down harrison, 2 miles away "

Just a little FYI, that Sam's is going to close by May when they open and new one at 540 & Chapel Hill Rd. in Morrisville.

2/28/2009 8:21:38 PM

bj's prices are ridiculous. haven't found any deals there other than milk that would justify the membership.

2/28/2009 8:47:39 PM

Actually Costco isn't all the way up in N. Raleigh. Its inside the beltline.

I like Costco though. I got their Amex card...and I get cash back yearly depending on what I purchase. I just got my first rebate in February.

Plus their gas is easily the cheapest in Raleigh.

3/1/2009 12:34:39 AM

gosh knows...none of the above...

3/1/2009 12:51:09 AM

Quote :

"the one that is closest to you and convenient enough that you will actively shop at. I shop at BJs and use them a lot for chicken and milk, which makes it worthwhile. If the store wasn't located at crossroads and within 2 miles of my house, I probably wouldn't justify a membership there."

whoa, there's a BJs at crossroads? i did not know this...

Quote :

"Just a little FYI, that Sam's is going to close by May when they open and new one at 540 & Chapel Hill Rd. in Morrisville."

well that's pretty gay.

Quote :

"Actually Costco isn't all the way up in N. Raleigh. Its inside the beltline."

it's literally RIGHT NEXT to the beltline
i consider that to still be north raleigh.

3/1/2009 9:25:48 AM

the BJ's is behind the Cary Ale House and in the same parking lot as Petsmart and Red Robin.

3/1/2009 10:40:24 AM

^that's where i currently have a trial membership and haven't really found anything there to make it worth it

3/1/2009 11:11:52 AM

Costco ftw... i've made back my $50 on gas there alone (10-20 cents cheaper a gallon than anyone else). Of course it helps that I live close by and only buy gas there. Milk is almost a dollar cheaper than regular grocery stores. Fruit is insanely cheap, as are paper products and a few other things like gum, flowers.

Its definitely easy to get carried away in there. I usually try to avoid getting a cart and just pick up the few items i went in for.

3/1/2009 12:27:27 PM

1. Costco
2. BJ's
3. Sams


Costco is the best, by far. They gas service is cheap as well. The only drawback is that they don't accept credit cards, just debit cards or their credit card.
BJ's gas is cheap, good selection and you can usually get in and out quickly.
Sam's isn't even a wholesale retailer. They were stripped of that title a couple of years ago. They are just a big walmart.

3/1/2009 12:51:20 PM

they're all relatively equal in my book. i personally pay to belong to Sam's and BJ's and have a card for Costco through the parentals.

go with proximity

3/1/2009 11:53:15 PM

^^ costco accepts AMEX and their website takes visa and mastercard as well

3/1/2009 11:59:00 PM

Quote :

"1) Impulse buying. If you're the type that walks into harris teeter for a gallon of milk and walks out with $60 worth of groceries"

Rules me out


I like HT simply b.c i know where everything is plus its quick and fast to check out than leave.

Nothing burns me up than going to walmart/Sams and the lines are 10 deep with Sally Sue, the Obese couple in their rolly carts, G-unit with his 7 kids from 3 mama's, and than i get up to the check out to realize Walmart has hired the slowest most incompetent person they could fine to ring up my stuff.

I'll pay the "premium" price for a normal store.

3/1/2009 11:59:48 PM

Quote :

"Just a little FYI, that Sam's is going to close by May when they open and new one at 540 & Chapel Hill Rd. in Morrisville."

Is that official news or just speculation? That would be my luck considering I live right near there and just renewed my membership primarily because of the location.

3/2/2009 11:03:13 AM

^it's official

Sam's Club off Harrison will close in May and relocate to Shiloh Crossing in Morrisville.

3/2/2009 11:13:43 AM

Damn!

3/2/2009 11:17:10 AM

Quote :

"i like costco better, but sams is soooo much closer"

Agreed, that's why I have a Sam's card. I just hate that they don't take Visa.

Quote :

"costco's little restaurant is amazing. 1/4 pound hot dog and drink for $1.50"

Sam's has the same thing.

3/2/2009 12:12:09 PM

I've had memberships at all 3 and would rank them:
1) Costco... not even close.
2) BJ's... too much variance in the products they carry and poorly organized
3) Sam's... these vary tremendously, but the closest to me on Capital is ghetto as hell

I just got my Costco Amex rebate check last week, about $380. I got around $200 for the Executive membership 2% cashback too (so the $100 price is justified).

[Edited on March 3, 2009 at 1:16 AM. Reason : .]

3/3/2009 1:15:47 AM

Costco, but it's too far. Wait till the new one opens in Apex.
Sam's for right now. Go there every weekend almost.
Bj's sucks

6/8/2014 5:30:03 PM

BJs, nothing compares to a BJ

6/8/2014 7:13:50 PM

I shopped at BJ using their free pass mailed to me once upon a time. Then I got charged by 20% extra. After that, I never went there again.

6/8/2014 7:20:40 PM

Hur's mastery of then/than is astonishing

6/8/2014 7:25:00 PM

Costco. poor people shop at the other ones.

6/8/2014 7:50:55 PM

i like costco, but the one here in wilmington is always fucking crowded. always. and it's mostly slow old farts (like the rest of wilmington). combine that with the fact that costco is always moving shit around in an attempt to get everyone lost and wandering and the fact that old people are easily distracted, and it creates a big clusterfuck on every aisle.

anytime after 5 pm on weekdays and all weekend long they are fucking packed.

[Edited on June 8, 2014 at 8:40 PM. Reason : old people with nothing to do but kill time in costco til they croak ]

6/8/2014 8:39:13 PM

I will not go in Costco on weekends. It reminds me of what I always imagined Times Square would be like on New Years Eve.

Also, I never go to the Sams Club on Harrison anymore because it is a Bass Pro Shop now.

6/8/2014 8:50:04 PM

Wow, Wilmington costco is the only one in east NC.
A new one is coming soon in Apex.

[Edited on June 8, 2014 at 8:52 PM. Reason : ^ It was a sam's b4?]

[Edited on June 8, 2014 at 8:55 PM. Reason : Only 5 Sam's in NC?]

6/8/2014 8:52:14 PM

I pay for Costco executive and it pays for itself and then some

6/8/2014 8:56:43 PM

i try to just let me wife go without me, but she will impulse buy a bunch of crap we don't need. kinda hard not to end up going on the weekend when you work mon-fri.

this weekend i went up there for a battery for my truck and some salt for my water treatment system. i got to the register and the fucks wanted me to upgrade my membership or something. i was covered in grease and sweat from pulling the battery out in the parking lot and wanted to gtfo, but i was nice and listened to their spill before i politely declined. then the lady kept on at me while i was trying to pay for my shit. i flipped and said "lady, look at me! i don't have time for this and neither do all the people waiting behind me in line. i really don't want that crap!"

6/8/2014 8:57:39 PM

Well, I wouldn't hear of it. I said 'Nice try, Granny,' and I sent her to the back of the line!

6/8/2014 8:59:41 PM

Costco! They carry items I like. Oh, and the jeans are great!

6/8/2014 10:29:27 PM

Costco, because it actually treats its workers with dignity (idk about BJ's tho)

k but seriously, whatever's closest, if one is much closer than the others

6/9/2014 6:42:05 AM

Im a fan of Sam's club pizza, pretzels and hotdogs (ima fatty) and their open box items.got a returned unopened 46" LCD for $300 a few months back. I still prefer Costco overall.

6/9/2014 7:34:03 AM

I feel like these stores used to be better & cheaper. In sam's case, it was pretty much just walmart's warehouse where you bought in bulk; but now it just seems like supersized walmart - products/packaging specifically for bulk clubs. I thought the savings used to be the fact that you bought a shipping box of 16 boxes of crackers; or a product that wasn't in final typical retail packaging. Now it's like you buy a 3 pack of extra large cracker boxes made just for sam's club; still some bulk savings, but not nearly as much.

6/9/2014 8:46:32 AM