Warehouse chains are as popular as ever, withCostcoopening dozens of new locations this year as a result.
Similarly,Sam’s ClubandBJ’s Wholesaleare sticking to innovation and customer service to be the premiere warehouse chain.
All three chains offer similar benefits to their members, but there are also some key differences.
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Membership Prices
Costco:America’s leading warehouse club offers two main membership levels for families.
Sam’s Club: Membership to the Walmart-owned club comes in at a slightly lower cost than Costco.
Many of the benefits overlap between each membership level.
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There is no business membership option at Sam’s Club.
BJ’s: This East Coast wholesale chain offers two membership levels: Club and Club+.
BJ’s also offers two business membership levels for $55 and $110 annually.
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Some exceptions include electronics, major appliances, and cell phones, typically with a 90-day return policy.
Other specific items may be a final sale, but those are generally few and far between.
Even grocery items can be returned for a full refund.
Shtterstock/BJ’s/Sam’s Club/ Costco
Sam’s Club:Most items can bereturnedto Sam’s Club at any time, with few exceptions.
Cell phones have one of the smallest return windows at 14 days.
General merchandise must be returned within one year of purchase, except for electronics.
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All three warehouse chains have their own version of a rewards credit card, with some slight variations.
With a paid Costco membership, there is no annual fee on the Costco Anywhere Visa.
Not to be outdone, theBJ’s One MasterCardand One+ MasterCard offer similar benefits to cardholders.
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Sam’s Club is rolling these cart-checking changes out in phases nationwide.
Sam’s Club operates in 44 states.
There are over 200 BJ’s stores across 20 states, all located along the eastern seaboard.
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Otherwise, your main options for a warehouse club membership are between Costco and Sam’s Club.
These findings aligned with the conclusions from an October 2023 study conducted by the AARP.
So, really, the only way to know for sure is to shop around on your own.
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It may be worth signing up for a free trial membership at Sam’s Club to compare with Costco.
Costco doesn’t offer free trials, but it does extend its money-back guarantee to its memberships.
That can add up to even more savings on already-low prices.
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For dessert, members can buy frozen yogurt cups and sundaes.
Though there are slight menu differences, the offerings at Sam’s Club and Costco are largely the same.
BJ’s:BJ’s warehouses used to offer food courts, too, but those have been discontinued.
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Instead, BJ’s locations have featured Dunkin' kiosks since 2016.
All three clubs also carry their own store brands, offering more savings over name-brand goods.
There are some differences between the three chains, however.
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For starters, if you are looking for the widest selection of organic products, stick with Costco.
Meanwhile, BJ’sstatesthat it offers more than 7,000 SKUs.
Online shopping
Costco:Online shopping is available atcostco.com.
In fact, even non-members can purchase items online, including groceries.
Curbside pickup is not available at most warehouse locations.
BJ’s:Online shopping is available for BJ’s members.
The warehouse’s1-day non-member shopping passalso extends online, allowing customers to make purchases on BJs.com without a membership card.
Additionally, the retailer’s health services accept FSA/HSA Visa or MasterCard debit cards.
Customers can also pay via cash, check, and debit card when shopping in-club.
