Not necessarily cheaper but produce at Sam’s is much better quality than the garbage produce Costco has. Answer from Deleted User on reddit.com
🌐
Eat This!
eatthis.com › home › groceries › costco vs. sam's club: which has the freshest produce?
Costco vs. Sam’s Club: Which Has the Freshest Produce?
October 4, 2023 - Although Costco’s produce section is bigger and more bountiful looking, Sam’s Club came out on top in five of eight categories in this head-to-head comparison.
🌐
Cheapism
cheapism.com › home › shopping › 10 things i always buy at sam’s club — and not at costco
Sam's Club vs. Costco: Groceries That Are Better to Buy at Sam's Club
October 29, 2025 - The selection of snack foods at Sam’s Club is far greater than at Costco. There’s three types of giant boxes of Pop-Tarts alone, and way more granola bar flavors to choose from as well. Costco tends to carry one variety of a product and that’s it. The difference is especially noticeable when it comes to bags of chips.
🌐
Mashed
mashed.com › 1570703 › costco-produce-vs-sams-club-produce-better
Costco Produce Vs Sam's Club Produce - Mashed
May 3, 2024 - Costco and Sam's Club both offer excellent savings for bulk shoppers, but one of them comes out on top when it comes to shopping for fresh produce.
🌐
Reddit
reddit.com › r/samsclub › what things sold at sam's club are a better deal than at costco?
r/samsclub on Reddit: What things sold at Sam's Club are a better deal than at Costco?
September 4, 2023 -

Thinking of picking up a membership, I've been going to Costco for years but there is a Sam's club real close to my house and I've been curious

Top answer
1 of 22
41
Not necessarily cheaper but produce at Sam’s is much better quality than the garbage produce Costco has.
2 of 22
21
As a former decade+ Sams Club employee, I can tell you that Sams club monitors Costco’s prices very closely and ensures that Sams prices are always a better deal. Even if just by a penny, they WILL beat Costco’s price. Items are scrutinized by weight or quantity for the money to make sure it’s better. This is true for most of the house branded items: paper goods like paper towels, toilet paper, paper plates, napkins. “Basic essentials” throughout the club are also monitored for the most competitive pricing: copy paper, detergents, dog food, trash bags, bottled water, dry pastas, canned fruits and vegetables, sugar, flour, cooking oils, frozen chicken, frozen vegetables, candy bars, Frito-Lay, snack cakes, milk, butter, cream, eggs, shredded cheeses, ground beef, fresh chicken, and the basic Health and Beauty items. With the exception of the name brand chips and snack cakes, the price monitoring is mostly done for the house brands, ie. Kirkland and Members mark. Sams club revamped their produce vendors a few years back and it’s been top notch ever since, prices may fluctuate to the point that Costco has a better price per pound but you can make the judgement on whether the quality is reflected in the price. Meat is fine at both places, Costco likes to package at a higher weight per package, and I believe they do have a slightly higher quality overall for fish, pork, beef, and chicken products. That being said, you do pay extra for that quality, but I don’t believe the additional cost is balanced with the increased quality. I go Sams for meat products. Bakery has the same vendors as every other grocery store in the country, so the products come from the same manufacturing facilities that use identical recipes. The name brand sliced breads, bagels, and tortillas etc, are hit or miss, these prices tend to fluctuate based on the local vendor prices. Snacks and candy, clothing, tech, housewares, and seasonal products vary quite a bit between the two. There are different brands a wide variance of product types, it helps to have both memberships because it basically doubles your choices.
🌐
20somethingfinance
20somethingfinance.com › home › sam’s club vs. costco comparison review (2026 update)
Sam's Club Vs. Costco Comparison Review (2026 Update)
3 weeks ago - Winner: Sam’s Club. Costco item quality: Costco’s choice to limit (and even cut back) their SKUs has allowed them to focus more on quality of item. Costco’s food and alcohol selection (if that’s your thing) includes a strong lineup of generic “Kirkland Signature” branded products, which are typically very high quality.
🌐
Eat This!
eatthis.com › home › groceries › 7 sam's club finds "better than costco," say shoppers
7 Sam’s Club Finds “Better Than Costco," Say Shoppers
March 12, 2025 - Both in price and quality. I refuse to buy either at Costco. Sam’s packaged croutons are delish as are all their fresh bakery items,” one shopper shared. “They have pretty good fruits and vegetables and I feel like Sam’s Club produce last longer than Costco’s.
🌐
The Kitchn
thekitchn.com › costco-vs-sams-club-23581642
Costco vs. Sam’s Club: Which Is Better (and Cheaper)? | The Kitchn
March 28, 2025 - The same goes for my go-to brand of preserves (another winner of this year’s The Kitchn Grocery Essentials) — Bonne Maman is at Costco, but not Sam’s Club. Specialty brands: If you follow a specific diet, like Keto or gluten-free; are interested in trying newer, emerging brands; or want to pick up specialty ingredients, like sprouted organic pumpkin seeds, Costco should be your warehouse of choice. Organic items: Costco comes out on top for greater visibility of organic items, especially in its Kirkland Signature branded products.
Find elsewhere
🌐
Bogleheads.org
bogleheads.org › board index › community › personal consumer issues
Sams Club vs Costco - Bogleheads.org
Aside from taking well over 2 hours each time, on both occasions the produce she got spoiled dramatically faster than what we typically got at Sam's, and was more expensive to boot. So while we still go to (a different) Costco once a month or so, now we make the 20-minute drive to the next closest Sam's club to get our produce.
🌐
Food Republic
foodrepublic.com › 1939265 › cheapest-wholesale-grocery-chain
Sam's Club Vs BJ's Vs Costco: Which Wholesale Grocery Chain Is Cheapest? - Food Republic
August 18, 2025 - Convenience is another strong suit for Sam's Club. Compared to Costco's more hectic atmosphere, its Scan & Go feature and free curbside pickup for orders over $50 make saving time and money a breeze.
🌐
Business Insider
businessinsider.com › business insider › retail › costco has lower prices, but sam's club has a cheaper membership fee — here's how the two warehouse clubs stack up
Costco Vs Sam's Club Review: Prices for Meat, Produce, and Pantry - Business Insider
May 28, 2022 - I compared prices of 25 items at Costco and Sam's Club. Costco has lower prices for produce and dairy, but Sam's Club comes out ahead with some pantry and plant-based items.
🌐
Reddit
reddit.com › r/frugal › sam’s club, costco, or other non-member grocery stores? how do you choose?
r/Frugal on Reddit: Sam’s Club, Costco, or other non-member grocery stores? How do you choose?
July 22, 2024 -

I’ve been a member at Sam’s club for the last 7 years or so, and have never really questioned it much until recently. I convince myself that buying in bulk is always the way to go, but I’ve never done a deep dive comparison of the cost at each store for each particular item. I just try to hit the food budget we have for each month (household of 2). I would love to hear people’s thoughts on how they go about picking where they get their food and what factors go into deciding whether to join wholesale clubs. Thanks!

🌐
Costco97
costco97.com › home › costco vs. sam’s club: which wholesaler is best in 2025?
Costco vs. Sam's Club: Which Wholesaler Is Best in 2025?
April 7, 2025 - Sam’s Club. This is especially true because the two wholesalers sell many products made by different companies, making most of their inventory unique. Either way, you will be saving money by shopping at a wholesaler since they prize bargain prices and bulk items. If we had to give one wholesaler the edge, based on our unscientific observations, we’d say that Costco beats out Sam’s Club on price more often than the other way around – but, again, the price difference is often less than 25 cents for the exact same product in the exact same size/quantity.
🌐
The Daily Meal
thedailymeal.com › 1902252 › ways-costco-beats-sams-club-every-time
8 Ways Costco Beats Sam's Club Every Time - Daily Meal
July 7, 2025 - While both Costco and Sam's Club offer plenty of variety in their grocery department, customers tend to agree that Costco provides a much wider selection of organic and natural items.
🌐
Mashed
mashed.com › 2022112 › products-better-sams-club-vs-costco
Products Worth Buying At Sam's Club Over Costco - Mashed
November 11, 2025 - But while Costco's Kirkland Signature brand steals a lot of headlines, Sam's Club has quietly stepped up its game for its members with better pricing, improving quality, and some outright superior products that could beat Costco any day of the week.
🌐
Quora
quora.com › Which-store-Costco-or-Sams-Club-has-better-prices-on-food
Which store, Costco or Sam's Club, has better prices on food? - Quora
Answer: I don’t go to Sam’s Club nor would I go even if they were next to each other. The products and quality are not equal. You can’t really compare prices without knowing if the quality is the same.
🌐
Reddit
reddit.com › r/samsclub › i compared both costco and sams club and i prefer sams club heres why
r/samsclub on Reddit: I compared both Costco and Sams Club and i prefer Sams Club heres why
November 27, 2023 -

Costco was very crowded it took me 20 minutes to find a parking space while sams club i can always find one quikly. The inside of costco also had a long line while sams club had no line.

Sams club accepts my discover and Master card credit cards while Costco will only take my Visa debit card (I have no visa credit cards)

Sams club has bigger fountain drinks compared to Costco (both have free refills through).

My nearest sams club is 30 minutes away while Costco is 45 minutes away.

Costco gas has long lines and was 5 cents more expensive then Sams Club (Costco is top tier throguh but i dont care about that)

Scan and go (sams club only as there is none for Costco)

Sams club wifi was faster then Costcos

Sams club has a better selection of clothes and books

Sams club pharmacy was open (Costco was closed when i was there)

At least Costco seems to have happier employees and has air for tires.

🌐
Reddit
reddit.com › r/samsclub › sam’s club vs costco
r/samsclub on Reddit: Sam’s Club Vs Costco
May 10, 2024 -

I have a Costco membership and wondering if I’m missing out. Should I get a Sam’s Club membership too or are they basically the same? Or who’s better ?

Top answer
1 of 5
77
I have both. I far and away prefer Sam’s. I like the Scan and Go, the online shopping ability, the product line (although Costco also has the Kirkland line which has some good products), and Sam’s seems to be generally less busy which as a guy who’s dripping with social anxiety, I appreciate. I’m letting go of my Costco membership at the end of the month because I hardly use it. It is worth noting that Sam’s is changing their plus membership benefits are changing in August which is frustrating some folks, but I’ll still be sticking to my plus membership for sure.
2 of 5
19
We have both and typically go shopping at both on the same day. We like them for different things, so it just depends what you're buying. If we had to choose one, probably Sam's but honestly we like both. Sam's has a better website/app and has scan & go. Costco: Bully Sticks for our dog, kitty litter, lemon juice in glass bottles, chicken breast, best chocolate milk I've ever had, avocado oil (spray usually?), milk when we need it (don't like the Sam's club jug shape), egg whites (we like them from Sam's too but price was slightly better from Costco), crumbled bacon and other salad toppers, spaghetti sauce, coconut water, and generally just more fun and unique snacks or other foods. Those dark chocolate sea salt caramels are amazing. Hand soaps and supplements and things in the pharmacy area. We've made bigger purchases at Costco like my laptop and my uncle's washer and dryer and gotten good deals. Sam's: produce especially flavor bomb cherry tomatoes and honey crisp apples and mini peppers (don't like potatoes or onions from here), Bush's baked beans, Rotel tomatoes, avocado oil (bottle usually?), 10 lb tube of ground beef, applewood bacon, French's fried onions and other salad toppers, shredded Parmesan cheese, babybel cheese, often baby back ribs since we make ribs for Christmas every year, mini croissants, giant muffins (these are so delicious we've had to avoid having them in the house, hopefully they still make them, the chocolate ones and blueberry ones are killer), fresh squeezed orange juice is amazing, big bag of baking soda, vinegar, toilet paper and paper towels and "flushable" wipes (these are all great quality from Sam's!).
🌐
Southern Living
southernliving.com › sams-club-vs-costco-8702265
Sam’s Club Vs. Costco: What's The Difference?
October 31, 2025 - When it comes to prices, money talks–especially when you’re trying to save it by shopping at a discount warehouse. The most basic membership tier is $10 cheaper at Sam’s Club for $50 per 12-month period, compared to Costco’s $60 per year fee. As far as products in the warehouse, most consumers agree that it depends on the product you need and the area where you live.