Costco and Sam's Club memberships are available online. 

As a household of one (plus a dog), I’ve never had much use for big-box grocery stores like Costco and Sam’s Club. In fact, I’ve always gravitated toward the little-box stores like Trader Joe’s or completely out-of-the-box farmer's markets for my grocery hauls. 

But over the past year or so, my interest in members-only grocery store warehouses started to pique. To be completely honest, it’s largely because I’m a sucker for brand-exclusive snacks, many of which had started to fill my TikTok feed. 

For instance, you can get mini creme brulee pots at Costco that can be popped into the oven and broiled if you don’t have a torch! And, did you know that you can ask the Costco bakery for a ginormous box of cookie dough that equals out to 19 cents a cookie? Then there’s Sam’s Club, whose signature brand, Member’s Mark, sells chicken sandwiches and nuggets that are rumored to taste just like Chick-fil-A, as well as "everything seasoned" cashews, and pickle and ranch potato chips. 

Still, I couldn’t justify a full-on membership to a warehouse store just to satiate the snack attack fueled by my social media feed. But after the grocery store that was within walking distance of my house shut down and was converted to what’s now my gym (I shoot hoops where the deli counter used to be), the idea of big-box shopping became more appealing. Plus, with no nearby grocery store, I had developed an expensive habit of buying four-packs of overpriced, too-thin toilet paper and individual granola bars with high mark-ups at the 7-Eleven by my house. 

With the holiday season approaching, I convinced myself that it was time to make a commitment to a members-only grocery store. But which one? In the name of excess (and, um, investigative journalism — which store has the best hot dog?), I signed up for memberships at both Costco and Sam’s Club —  unfortunately, it seems, too late to catch the era of grazing on samples while I shop (fingers crossed this returns post-pandemic).

Now seemed like a good time because, while I’ll never need 128 ounces of mayonnaise or a 72-pound wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano, I do have family coming into town for the holidays. And, as the self-appointed snack captain of my friend group, I need to stock a cabin full of goodies for a mountain getaway with girlfriends.

A lot of mayo at Costco. 

The closest Costco and Sam’s Club stores to me happen to be across a major intersection from one another. Over the past few weeks, I’ve wandered around these vast food wonderlands on a mission to discover which one offers the best shopping experience. Here’s how the two stacked up, according to a first-time warehouse club shopper. 

Both Costco and Sam’s Club have membership tiers, with Costco’s being slightly more expensive and both stores offering a refund on your membership if you’re not satisfied with it. You can also get extra benefits t with each membership, like discounts on gas. 

Know this: The sign-up process can take a solid 20 minutes — and you should be prepared for some high-pressure pitches to sign up for a store credit card. I recommend doing some research before going into the store so you know which membership level is the best fit for you. But the main perk of both warehouses’ higher-tier membership is cash-back incentives that payout annually. You can crunch your own numbers on how much you expect to spend on groceries each year to determine whether the upgrade will make sense. The stores should also be able to tell you the average cashback that members in your area receive.

Costco Gold Star: The $60 annual plan comes with two memberships and access to Costco warehouses, gas stations, and online shopping at Costco.com with no added fees. 

Costco Executive: The $120 annual plan comes with two memberships and a 2% cash-back reward (up to $1,000) on Costco and Costco Travel purchases. It also comes with discounts and perks on a slew of services, like travel packages and insurance plans, plus home delivery of the Costco Connection magazine. (If you’re not an Executive-tier member, you can still find the mag, which has food and travel stories, available free in stores). 

Pro tip: You’d have to spend at least $3,000 a year (or $250 a month) to make up the $60 difference between the two memberships in cash-back incentives. To get the maximum $1,000 rebate, you’d need to spend $50,000 a year. However, you can downgrade your membership and Costco will refund you the difference in your cashback. 

Costco also has business memberships for people with a business license or resale certificate. 

Club membership: The $45-per-year basic membership comes with access to stores, gas stations, and two household membership cards. You will have access to the store’s automotive center but not the pharmacy or optical center at this tier. 

Plus membership: The $100 membership comes with access to stores and gas stations, and two household membership cards, plus 2% cash-back rewards (up to $500 per year). It also comes with other perks, like early access so you can shop before the crowds hit on weekends. Some other perks include free repair of flat tires and free prescriptions for some generic drugs and steep discounts on others, as well as discounts on eyeglasses.

Pro tip: You’d have to spend at least $2,750 a year (or about $230 a month) to make up the $55 difference between these two memberships. To get the maximum $500 rebate, you’d need to spend about $25,000 a year. Also, Sam’s Club often runs promotions, like a $45 store gift card for joining, which basically cancels out the membership fee at the Club tier. 

While you need a membership card to get in the warehouse doors to do your in-person shopping, non-members can shop online at both Costco and Sam’s Club. However, this comes with an upcharge (and sometimes a steep one). 

At Costco, non-members shopping online pay a 5% surcharge. Those markups can be even higher if they use Instacart because the prices you see on the app are higher than in-store prices. 

Sam’s Club says this: “You can also shop online without a membership card, but you may miss out on members-only pricing and pay a 10% service fee on some items.” Also worth noting, Sam’s Club has a free 90-day membership trial. 

It can be a little tricky to make apples-to-apples price comparisons at wholesale club stores, as I quickly discovered.

When I did price-by-price comparisons of things that I was most interested in buying in bulk (pantry staples, fruits and veggies, paper towels, for example), I found Costco and Sam’s Club prices to be mostly comparable, if not within a difference of a few pennies. The biggest difference I spotted during my shopping excursions was in 24-packs of LaCroix, which were $8.49 at Costco and $8.98 at Sam’s Club. However, I’m looking to replace the tires on my Jeep and, by my early price comparisons, it looks like I’ll be able to save a little bit more at Sam’s Club. 

LaCroix sparkling water at Sam's Club. 

To me, there’s no clear winner on who has the best overall prices. However, it’s worth noting that upfront membership costs are more expensive at Costco but not much ($15 to $20, depending on the tier).

Both warehouses have their own private labels, like Kirkland Signature at Costco and Member’s Mark at Sam’s Club. Those private labels are cheaper than name brands, and I’ve found Costco to have a much greater selection of those more affordable private label items. When you factor that in, I think it’s safe to say that while Costco membership fees are higher, there’s a greater selection of low-cost food items in the store. 

Note: Both Sam's Club and Costco feature their current deals and promotions on their websites, so you can get a sense of the additional savings offered each week.

Costco has 828 total stores, with 572 of those being in the United States. Sam’s Club, a division of Walmart, has 600 clubs in the United States. In general, expect a slightly larger warehouse when you’re shopping at Costco. The average square footage of its stores is 146,000, compared to 134,000 square feet at the average Sam’s Club.

Both stores offer a similar, no-frills shopping experience in brightly lit warehouses, with electronics, appliances, clothes (I was surprised by the number of name brands at each, like Adidas sweatshirts and Puma sports bras), sporting goods, and more. 

However, I think they both have some unique perks that set them apart from one another. To me, Sam’s Club felt like a really big Walmart. One major advantage I found at Sam’s Club was the option to skip the checkout line by downloading the store app and scanning your items as you shop. You pay in the app and show your digital receipt as you exit the store. This is a major timesaver on those busy Saturday mornings during the shopping rush. I also found a lot of known brands with creative offerings at Sam’s Club (like Nilla banana pudding with Nutter Butter pieces, Southern Comfort eggnog, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch popcorn).

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Popcorn at Sam's Club. 

Overall, though, I liked the selection much better at Costco and have become a fast fan of the Kirkland private label, stocking up on things like the movie theater-style buttered popcorn, big bags of frozen fruit for smoothies, and smoked salmon to add to bagels and salads. I also appreciated the easy-to-prep meals, like 12 street tacos with salsa and cilantro lime cream for $13.50. While Sam’s Club has a lot of popular brands, Costco seems to have more organic selections.

As a seafood lover (but landlocked in Colorado), I had heard that Costco had darn good crab. So, on my first foray into the store, I darted straight to the seafood aisle and scooped some Dungeness crab. My boyfriend steamed it with Old Bay and we dunked it in butter, and we now have a Sunday night seafood tradition forming. 

Something I learned during my warehouse excursions is that you need a membership to get into Costco’s food court. (However, I’ve read on the web that some warehouses in warmer-weather destinations have outdoor food courts, which are easier for non-members to access.) By comparison, the food court at Sam’s Club is open to all. 

Both warehouses have the famed $1.50 hot dog meal deal that comes with a free soda. I’ve tried both and like Costco’s slightly more thanks to a bigger frank and fluffier bun. But, overall, the food court at Sam’s Club, in my opinion, is better because they have more creative dishes. We’re talking about a pizza pretzel that you can dunk in marinara and a brownie sundae with caramel sauce. 

Saving money is the name of the game at members-only stores. Here are a few tips I’ve picked up during my shopping expeditions. 

Shop the gift cards. One of the biggest surprises to me was that both Costco and Sam’s Club offer discounts on gift cards. Sure, this is great for gifting, but if there’s a place that you love to eat at or you expect to be planning a vacation, you could get 25% off on gift cards for select restaurants and airlines. 

Buy the famous chicken. Both stores have rotisserie chickens for just under $5. In the industry, these are known as “loss leaders” because customers are paying less for the chicken than the store is, but it makes sense because they get you into the door. (And once you’re in the door, you’ll probably buy more than a single chicken). I tried both Sam’s Club and Costco rotisserie chickens, and while they were both great, I found Costco’s to be a little juicier and less salty. I’ve been using the chicken on salads, in wraps, and in burrito bowls and love having one on hand to curb those “I’ll-just-Doordash” nights when I’m working late.

Sign up for the emails. Admittedly, warehouse shopping can be intimidating. There’s a lot of square footage to cover in those buildings. When you sign up for a membership at either store, you’ll give your email address and start getting deal emails. I like that this helps you zero in on the best deals. For instance, Costco is doing special sales leading up to the holidays and I’ve been able to easily suss out if there’s anything on my shopping list that’s also on the deals list.

Both Costco and Sam’s Club offer very similar experiences. In my case, the stores were within equal proximity to my house. But if one were a mile or two closer, that would likely be the deciding factor for me. That’s how close the race is in my book.

However, after shopping at both stores for the past month, Costco has a slight advantage in my book. I found the food selection to be better and more exclusive. Many of the big brands that are at Sam’s are ones I could find at a normal grocery store. 

Brittany Anas is a freelance travel and lifestyle writer. A former daily newspaper writer, her work has been published in Men's Journal, Forbes, Marie Claire, Apartment Therapy, House Beautiful, Livability, Simplemost, Thrillist and more. Follow her adventures on Instagram at @Brittanyanas33.