costco vs sams club

[McRib]

Im not really much of a bulk shopper cause in the past weve thrown out a lot of food that spoiled. We normally shop at stater bros or ralphs. I usually do the shopping cause im way better at making a dollar out of .15 then my wife is. I can send her to the market with a hundred dollars and she will come back with 5 bags worth of stuff. I can go to the market with the same hundo and come back with 5 carts worth of stuff. Lol. We'd like to try the bulk stores again but are torn between the 2 main stores. Which is best and why?

 

[HavasuHank]

we have both. we have found that Sam's is usually way less crowded than Costco, so therefore, we go to Sam's more. we are going to get rid of the Sams membership only because our membership to Costco is free through Amy's cousin that works for them.

i learned that even if you dont have a membership, you can buy alcohol at either one. just walk in, buy booze, then proceed to drink yourself silly. :cool

 

[rvrmom]

I don't think your going to save a bunch by buying in bulk. IMHO. I used to shop at Costco just for their meats which are excellent. I went to a Sam's club for the helluva once and it looked the same as Costco to me.

Where you going to save money is keeping an eye on the circular's (junk mail) For instance yesterday I went to Albertson's b/c they had drumstick/thighs for .88/lb vs. 1.49. Again I've said it before and I'll say it again I don't give a shit what people say about Walmart. That's the cheapest. We have a brand spankin new Walmart Neighborhood by us it's great. Walmart Neighborhood is just grocery's. For instance when I was at Albertson's I jotted down the price of a couple things to compare. Milk Albertson was 4.09 at Walmart 3.64. Creamer for my coffee Albertson 2.69 vs. 2.49.

They way you save money is comparing prices and going to different stores. Does it take a little bit more time...sure but your going to save some $$$.

Yesterday I went to three stores Trader's for bunch of random stuff... then Albertson's for 3 things that were on sale and Walmart for the rest. I came home... I shit you not probably 12 maybe 15 bags of grocery's... spent 167.00. That will last us 2 weeks. I also plan menu's so that I have everything on hand.

I may add Costco back into the mix but we have been cutting down on eating red meat and I really used to just go there for their rib eye's. I just keep an eye on Stater's sales and hit them up now since it's rare we eat red meat.

 

[Flyinbowtie]

You don't have to buy in bulk at Sams. You can, but you are not stuck buying by the pallet.
We had a Costco membership for awhile and it was good too, but the nearest Costco is too damn far down the hill to make it pay. We can make a round trip to Sams in the time it would take to drive to Costco.
If Sams was closer we'd hit the place regularly, but as it is we go about 5 times a year. We save some serious $ shopping there, but my wife, who is really on top of the prices of stuff, can also find things in town that are cheaper. You just have to pay attention. Do your regular shopping at the normal places, then hit Sams and compare prices.
My wife goes to three different stores in town to do the regular shopping. I called her on it, but she proved with the recpts. that doing so saves us far beyond the gas she burns doing it. Now, "town" for us is 5 minutes either way on a 4 lane highway with a 60 MPH speed limit, and no traffic...

 

[pronstar]

Supermarkets have loss leaders that they advertise in circulars - product sold at a loss to get you in the store. They hope to make up for the loss when you buy other products that have fatter margins. They don't want you walking in, buying a loss leader and nothing else.

Costco margins are very thin, much more thin than grocery stores. Costco won't sell any item at a loss, but you are getting good prices on everything you buy. Their buying power is huge, and they're tough negotiators. They typically demand rockbottom pricing from their vendors, and have been known to drop items if they find their vendors offering better wholesale pricing to competitors. This happened to Coca Cola a while back, Costco stopped carrying Coke for a while for this reason.


2 Tapatalk 1 Cup

 

[TPC]

Smart and Final.

 

[Forensic]

Coupons and Circulars are a great way to save money. We rarely go to Ralphs/Vons but do when we run out of something and need to stop on the way home. I can't stand the big grocery stores anymore.

The important thing about shopping at Costco is not believing that just because its bulk its cheaper. You have to shop no matter where you go. I always compare the price per OZ or LB or whatever is offered. If its cheaper to shop locally then I'll stop on the way home. One thing I found way cheaper is juices. Clamato is about 45% less expensive at Costco. I got 2 64oz bottles for 7 bucks. They are $6 for 1 64oz bottle at the local stores. (I like red beer and bloody mary's)

I've become a fan of the Mexican markets lately. I get chicken quarters (whole thigh and Legs) for 79 cents a pound. I started shopping there for my dogs, the chicken quarters are the cheapest in town. I feed them other stuff but that's a different thread. It quickly became a regular for other items. The vegetables are all cheaper. They may not be as pretty or perfect as the grocery but the look does not affect the taste. Fruit not so much unless its oranges and bananas. I will go to a fruit stand for that stuff anyway.

Many have tortilliras (sp) in them. A stop by the meat case is good for some chopped and marinated carne asada. Continue down the same row and its all fresh salsa and guacamole. Dinner for 4 with all the extras for less than 10 bucks.

lol, I got side tracked. I'm hungry, can ya tell?

Anyway, shop around and use different stores. They all have their niche and all make money on different items. The trick is finding where the items you use are cheaper. I've got a pretty good handle on it but know I can do better.

 

[Warlock1]

Now that I think about it, we mainly go to Costco for the meat and Sams for the other things.

 

[HOOTER SLED-]

Supermarkets have loss leaders that they advertise in circulars - product sold at a loss to get you in the store. They hope to make up for the loss when you buy other products that have fatter margins. They don't want you walking in, buying a loss leader and nothing else.

Costco margins are very thin, much more thin than grocery stores. Costco won't sell any item at a loss, but you are getting good prices on everything you buy. Their buying power is huge, and they're tough negotiators. They typically demand rockbottom pricing from their vendors, and have been known to drop items if they find their vendors offering better wholesale pricing to competitors. This happened to Coca Cola a while back, Costco stopped carrying Coke for a while for this reason.


2 Tapatalk 1 Cup

Spot on................ But I'd bet that Costco has some items that they lose money on. They just make up for it at times on the billing side for their suppliers..... via rebates, etc. I know Sam's is the same way. I worked there for like 7 years. there were a bunch of items that they took the hit on. But they were everyday items that they sold a lot of to get the customers in and to be competitive with their prices.

 

[BUDMAN]

Same Club all the way. Less crowded. :thumbsup

 

[HOOTER SLED-]

Having worked at Sam's..... IMO, I actually always liked Costco better. They are West coast based and always seemed to have "cooler" products. I used to always laugh at some of the shit that Sam's had and thought the redneck buyers in Arkansas was evident through their products. Being from Cali, the brand selection fit more to my liking.

 

[lakemadness]

You guys think the meat at costco is good? LoL pass what your smoking on to me. That meat is crap, seriously

We shop costco for everything but food. Items like paper towels, toilet paper, soap, kitchen stuff, typical medicine like advil, alergy pills etc... You can often get great prices on clothes. Oh and booze, they flat out have the best pricing on booz and carry good wine.

 

[djunkie]

I do Costco like once a month. Bottled water, toilet paper, paper towels, coffee, etc. those are the types of things I stock up on there. Most of our regular daily food stuff comes from the grocery store. We are coupon cutting mo fo's here and wait for the deals on stuff like meat and other things we can freeze.

Side note. Costco toilet paper is the best.

 

[HOOTER SLED-]

Same Club all the way. Less crowded. :thumbsup

Less crowded for a reason. Costco dominates on the West Coast. Sam's is beast in the East.

 

[HOOTER SLED-]

You guys think the meat at costco is good? LoL pass what your smoking on to me. That meat is crap, seriously

We shop costco for everything but food. Items like paper towel, toilet paper, soap typical medicine like advil, alergy pills etc... You can often get great prices on clothes. Oh and booze, they flat out have the best pricing on booz and carry good wine.

It's all about the meat QUALITY at these places. I agree, you can beat the prices, especially on certain ads at a local grocery store. The meat at Costco/Sam's is restaurant quality "select" cuts.

 

[lakemadness]

Less crowded for a reason. Costco dominates on the West Coast. Sam's is beast in the East.

Pretty sure costco is beating them all accross the country.

 

[pronstar]

You guys think the meat at costco is good? LoL pass what your smoking on to me. That meat is crap, seriously

Costco meats are better than what local grocery stores offer in my area (typically USDA choice)...not as good as USDA select from Whole Foods, but I'm not going to pay $20/lb for ribeye.

 

[HavasuHank]

It's all about the meat QUALITY at these places. I agree, you can beat the prices, especially on certain ads at a local grocery store. The meat at Costco/Sam's is restaurant quality "select" cuts.

i have had some badass porterhouse steaks from Costco. :thumbup:

 

[HavasuHank]

Less crowded for a reason. Costco dominates on the West Coast. Sam's is beast in the East.

i could care less ... as long as i am in and out of there fast. thats what matters to me. :thumbup:

 

[HOOTER SLED-]

Pretty sure costco is beating them all accross the country.

Dunno... Haven't really followed the stats lately. That's what it was like when I was working there. But that was over 12 years ago. Costco did not have alot of clubs in the East back then.

 

[HOOTER SLED-]

i could care less ... as long as i am in and out of there fast. thats what matters to me. :thumbup:

Is that what you tell the wife too?

 

[HavasuHank]

Is that what you tell the wife too?

i knew once i pressed submit, it wouldnt be long until i got a response like the one from you

 

[HOOTER SLED-]

i knew once i pressed submit, it wouldnt be long until i got a response like the one from you

2 pump chump

 

[McRib]

2 pump chump

I just tell my wife its a race! Not a marathon!

 

[lakemadness]

Maybe its the Costco we go to, I wouldn't spend a dime on meat there. I find myself going to a local butcher meat market for the best stuff.

 

[Warlock1]

I just tell my wife its a race! Not a marathon!

I believe I heard that spoken last weekend and i have already used it myself. :thumbsup

 

[oldschool]

The Costco model is pretty simple: low margin, high volume. Their margins are about 1/4 of a typical chain store. Some examples are produce at about 8%, grocery at about 10-12%, hardgoods about the same, electronics are about 1%. Costco never sells at a loss, on purpose. Typically, Costco expects top quality product from their vendors, I've been one for the last 15 or so years.
We do alot of our shopping at Costco, but have been shopping at Smart and Final more lately. Their new model is very nice, IMO.

 

[squirtnmyload]

[video=youtube;Z8zNsUTWsOc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8zNsUTWsOc&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/video]



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[pronstar]

The Costco model is pretty simple: low margin, high volume. Their margins are about 1/4 of a typical chain store. Some examples are produce at about 8%, grocery at about 10-12%, hardgoods about the same, electronics are about 1%. Costco never sells at a loss, on purpose. Typically, Costco expects top quality product from their vendors, I've been one for the last 15 or so years.
We do alot of our shopping at Costco, but have been shopping at Smart and Final more lately. Their new model is very nice, IMO.

Costco has one huge advantage over traditional retailers: membership revenue :thumbup:
This allows for thinner margins, since their profits aren't totally generated by sales.

While membership income accounts for around 2% to Costco?s revenues, it accounts for 20% of its gross profits.
So just how much money is this?

For the 4th Quarter of this year, $694 million.
That's one quarter.

 

[oldschool]

Costco has one huge advantage over traditional retailers: membership revenue :thumbup:
This allows for thinner margins, since their profits aren't totally generated by sales.

While membership income accounts for around 2% to Costco?s revenues, it accounts for 20% of its gross profits.
So just how much money is this?

For the 4th Quarter of this year, $694 million.
That's one quarter.

Exactly. Plus they have the $1.50 hot dog/polish and soda that will NEVER be more than $1.50. Atleast, while Jim Sinegal is alive.
ALSO, I haven't forgot about the tv setup disk you sent me, I'll give it a shot this weekend and get it back to you. Thanks again.

 

[soupersonic]

Our local pork shop has half hogs for $229 ,you get a total of 75 lbs.Then the midwestern meats store has 200 lb sides of beef for $878.
This saves us about $1200 for the year on meat vs what we were spending at the regular stores

 

[pronstar]

ALSO, I haven't forgot about the tv setup disk you sent me, I'll give it a shot this weekend and get it back to you. Thanks again.

No worries, I forgot about it also

 

[RyanPartridge]

We shop at Costco around 2 times a month. Mostly for the regular stuff, we cook at home 7 days a week rotating between our dozen or so favorite meals.

Bourbon and vodka...
Steaks, ground beef, Salmon, Scallops, Langestinos.
Maple syrup, coffee, rice, water bottles, cat litter, paper towels, TP,...

Some produce I get at Costco, but most I get at this market in Anaheim called Super King. They have unreal prices on tomatoes on the vine, blueberries, basically all fruits and veggies. Their prices are so good it's worth it for me to hop on the 22 East and drive there from Long Beach.

 

[pronstar]

My 20-year-old ProScan 27-in TV ($800 TV back in the day) in our bedroom finally died, got a 32-inch LED TV from Costco for $199.
It's made by Westinghouse - there' a name you can trust - but with a 2-year warranty, it's perfect for the bedroom...and at that price, how could you go wrong? :thumbsup