Though popular with customers for their free samples of food to munch on while shopping, wholesale grocery stores are best known for their cheap prices to buy items in bulk. However, the two most popular wholesale grocery stores, Costco and Sam’s Club, require their buyers to purchase a membership with them to even step foot into their stores. To figure out where the best place to buy groceries is, I have decided to see if purchasing a membership is worth it and which chain would be the best to purchase one from.
Wholesale grocery stores sell almost every item needed for every type of buyer, from produce to tires, in quantities meant to last the buyer for a long time. I went to both Costco and Sam’s Club on the same day, both stores being in giant warehouses, each equally enormous and overwhelming. One of the first differences I noticed was that Costco had a very professional environment, with employees helping around and a very quiet atmosphere that made it seem like I had to keep my voice down.
On the other hand, Sam’s Club felt a lot more laid back. I did not observe as many employees at Sam’s Club as I did at Costco, which could have been inconvenient for any shoppers that needed help.
Upon first glance, it seems like the two stores are virtually the same. And in a way, they are, with very similar items at similar prices. However, they do have pretty big differences. Sam’s Club sells novels in their stores year-round, while starting in 2025, Costco only sells their novels from September to December, which is really disappointing as someone who enjoys books.
Costco caters their food items more to buyers that are trying to eat a certain diet, with a larger selection of non-GMO and organic foods, which I really appreciate. They are also known for their high quality and private “Kirkland Signature” brand, a brand that never fails to satisfy my snack cravings. Some of my favorite products from the brand include their peanut butter filled pretzel nuggets and cashew clusters. Both of the stores offer samples to customers, but Costco has gained more traction from it for having their high quality snacks ready to sample.
“For a major amount of time, I’ve been shopping at Costco,” junior Mathew Rocha said. “I just feel like Costco is a little bit more convenient, especially with free samples. I feel that definitely motivates a lot of people to go and try and [get] new things. Costco just has more of my preferences. It fits more of my daily nutritional needs compared [to Sam’s Club].”
I found that Sam’s Club’s biggest strengths and Costco’s biggest weakness is its checkout efficiency. Costco utilizes a typical grocery store checkout where a cashier will scan the items for customers, which takes a lot of time. Though Costco offers a self-checkout option, there are a limited number of scanners available and getting stuck waiting in a Costco line is almost a guarantee. Sam’s Club has the same checkout process as Costco, but offers “Scan & Go,” which allows members to pay through their phone and avoid the lines. When I used the app to pay for our cart, the virtual checkout was flawless and took less than a minute to complete.
In my opinion, location can be the strongest quality a store can have. If the prices of a grocery store item are similar enough, then the best store to go is the most convenient one. Costco has locations in City of Industry, Chino Hills and San Dimas which are 4.5, 6.2 and 6.4 miles from campus, respectively. Sam’s Club’s closest locations are in Glendora and Fullerton, 6.5 and 7.8 miles away, respectively.
“Sam’s Club’s is close to my house and my brother loves the samples there. At Sam’s Club, the environment is nice. People greet you at the door and say ‘Have a great day!’ I really like how they always have a guy there,” sophomore Kyli Eggleston said.
Costco is very popular for their food court items, selling a hot dog with a drink ($1.50) that I have always enjoyed as an after-shopping snack. However, Sam’s Club offers that exact same deal in their food court, along with food items that rival Costco’s new caramel churro sundaes ($2.99) and strawberry banana smoothies ($2.99) with pretzels ($1) and vanilla frozen yogurt ($1).
The truth is, Costco and Sam’s Club are so similar but so different that it is almost impossible for me to choose one over the other. I believe buying both memberships can be worth the cost, but the matter of choosing which store depends on personal preference.
