I used to use it. If they had something big we wanted, I joined. (Bunk beds and a portable carport for my husband comes to mind.) I wouldn't renew until we needed something else. I only bought the lower price membership. I did buy a lot of food there when the boys were teens, the "boys" are in their 40's. but it is only two of us now, and I don't use that much frozen food.

We did not have a Costco at that time, we do now. I may try it for a year, it is $60 for the basic membership. My oldest son loves their meat and everything else, but he has two teens and a almost teen.

They closed all their stores in my area.....too much competition from Costco. Was a member years back before Costco took over but I don't recall them having any wider selection of products or better prices than what one can obtain from Costco. If given the choice, I'd stick with Costco and skip Sam's. Hard to beat Costco's return policy!

We're members of Sam's . We tend to buy alot of paper products ,dog food and meat. We have a freezer and we buy alot of marked down meat, divide it up and freeze it. I think we get just enough use out of it to justify the $50 fee.

Way Back When, when Sam's first came to this area, we had a small business, so we joined with a business membership. I would go about once a month (it was a 100 mile round trip) for supplies for our business, and would also stock up on canned goods, paper goods, whatever non-perishables we needed at home, etc. Their meat, at that time, was very good, much better than what was available in our grocery stores, so I bought quite a lot of that, too. I let our membership go when we closed our business in 2010, so I have no idea how much it might have changed since then. Nor can I compare it to Costco, as I have never been in one, there is none around here. So all I can say is, that we did not feel like it was worth it for the two of us back in 2010. But different people have different needs and wants. I don't know what a Plus membership is, what advantages it may have, but perhaps you could try a regular membership for a year to see if it is worth it for you.

Rusty

There are no Sam's Clubs near me.

We have the kind of Costco membership that offers a 2% reward for purchases. And if I'm not mistaken, if the reward by year-end is less than the membership charge, they refund the difference. I'm not completely certain of this but I think it's as I described. So, the membership is no cost without considering the savings on purchases. There's a growing list of Costco stuff we dislike (most "prepared food" and produce is on that list) and we don't buy anything sold in a quantity too large to use (we don't freeze meat), but between wine and booze, gas (I won't wait if there's a line), tires, and other stuff, we seem to have no problem getting over the line each year.

I think their tire store is underappreciated. Good prices on top brands (always buy Michelin), lifetime guaranty to repair punctures (nails and other punctures) and free lifetime rotating.

For bulk paper and household cleaning items, coffee, and some meats for freezing it's worth it if you live close by. I wouldn't bother if I lived 80 minutes away.

Yeah, 80 minutes is a long way, and I wouldn't be inclined to order online. Our Sam's Club closed a few years ago, but we belong to Costco. It's about 3 miles away. You have to be careful that what you're buying in bulk is really a savings per unit compared with buying individual from other stores. But there are some good deals, and I do have certain items I always buy from there. I'd recommend visiting and really taking a look at what you'd buy that you couldn't get elsewhere for the same cost without having to buy in bulk.

We use Costco. You have to have certain items that you buy that you on a regular basis. For me it's my Glucosamine, my Caltrate Calcium tablets, various dog products etc.

So these type of ticket items should cover your membership.

People who are really good shoppers might think these warehouses are not worth the trouble.

I am not one to run around for the best price. I know at Costco it will be cost effective.

We also get a check back too at the end of the year.

I live near a SAMS. I gassed up at SAMS all the time. My car no longer tolerates SAMS gas, thus, I will most likely let my membership go.

You are supposed to only be able to shop there, if you have a membership (but one can bring a friend in, and let them use your card at checkout). I don't buy much there anymore... as my nearby Sprouts is in walking distance... and I don't need to buy huge quantities.

I would never drive those miles for a SAMS or Costco. We are now getting a Costco. Won't make a difference to me.

Moni

PS, I forgot... I buy my supplements there... so, now I have to do some price comparison.

Thanks for the good discussion. I hadn't considered Costco - I don't know anybody who is a Costco member nor anything about that business. I googled it and saw there are several located in the Kansas City area, but again, that's more than an hour away for me.

Can a non-member go into a Sam's Club or Costco and just look around? I'd sure like to do that before committing to a membership.

It's interesting to read all the comments - but we don't use glucosamine or any other dietary supplements, don't have pets, and our son keeps us supplied with hand-fed beef. Maybe warehouse shopping isn't for me.

Sams member, 2 hours from a Sams. We go downstate enough times a year, that I can pick up what we need, plus I have 2 doctors in that area. I have a list of things that I buy from Sams that I carry with me. I pay $45 for my membership, not the Plus one that has free shipping, that costs $100. The return policy is quite good.

DS and DDIL have a Costco membership, but when I’m in town they like to go to Sams for some items Costco doesn’t carry.

We belonged to Sam's when that's all there was in town. Would not have driven 80 miles to shop there.

We're Costco members now. Like you semi-retired. Dh buys gas there. Have also bought tires for my vehicle. Probably shop there a couple times a month. But like Sam's I wouldn't drive 80 miles. The cash back deal is great. More than pays for our membership.

We have both a Costco and Sam’s card. Both stores are only a couple of miles from us and near to each other as well. We utilize both stores regularly. If one doesn’t have the item we want, the other store usually does. I have compared prices for what we buy and there is a savings with things like paper products, bird seed, coffee, organic milk (for DH) and produce. Gas prices are always the lowest around and they’re competitve with each other (same price or within a couple cents always). If Costco is experiencing lines, we just go a block down the street to Sams.

I just got tires from Sam’s, I did a ton of research and found the tire I wanted at 3 different stores, Sam’s installed price was the best and we saved over 100.00. (Honestly, that one surprised me).

The main difference I see between Costco and Sam’s is Sam’s focuses more on popular brands that appeal to families where as Costco has a lot more of the hard to find or higher end kind of stuff.

IMO, the 100.00 membership is a waste...but for us, the 45.00 membership is worth it. I would say, it’s only 45.00 why not try it for a year and see what you think?

ETA: One big plus about Sam’s is you can see if they have what you want online, order it and pick up it up for free. I place orders all the time so I can just run in, grab the stuff and go.

I don't know about Costco (should be the same), but Sam's you can cancel anytime in your year and get all the fee back. So, you could join, and if it is not worth it, just cancel and get a refund. I would not pay for the upcharge memberships at either one.

Littlebug, yes, a non-member can go through and look around at Sam's (and Costco). You just will not be able to purchase anything without a membership card. There's probably a greeter who checks cards at the door--just tell him/her you're not a member but would like to look through the store before purchasing a membership. I'm sure they will let you.

Sam's used to have a 'guest' policy where one could go in and shop one time for free. You might check to see if you could do that.

I also used to shop for one of my very elderly friends, which helped her quite a bit. Especially some things where their bulk amount would be an awful lot for one or two people. We'd split a case of canned peas, for example. She'd reimburse me when we divied up our 'loot'.

And way back then, Sam's always had a LOT of really neat things for Christmas! Both seasonal and gift items. Often things no one else carried. I've no idea if they still do or not. . . . . .

Rusty

I share a family membership with my son and although I live 65 miles from Sam’s, I use it quite a bit. My DD lives in that same town, so there seems to alwaya be a reason to go there so I save my list for those times. I use almonds and blueberries daily and I can really save on them so I pick up bags when I go. I also love their frozen breaded shrimp, so pick up a box of that. When I had surgery and was put on Premeier Protein and it was so much cheaper than anywhere else. I do not have storage for big quantities of paper goods etc and not necessary for just me.

Yes. Go to Sams "and" Costco and just look around, we did. Didn't join either. Every now and then we buy a muffin...we don't want a dozen to freeze...so buying in quantity is a big NO. I'd just purchased a refurbished Dyson DC65, 2 Samsung Smart 55" TV's, 2 Bluray DVD players....so I compared....and did BETTER on my own....by a LOT.

It wouldn't be worth it to drive 80 miles for Sam's Club for me unless there wasn't anything else any closer. We do keep a membership but sometimes I wonder if it's really worth it. There are a hand full of things that we always buy there and it is super close to us so we do continue to shop there. We usually get a $10 coupon off membership from Discover each year for the last couple of years now...so that helps.

Years ago we received a free Sam's membership as WMT shareholders. We let it lapse when we discovered we were buying things we didn't really need, in quantities we didn't need, or that we could buy the same item cheaper elsewhere.

We've had a couple of annual memberships since then but never renewed. I wouldn't drive 80 miles to shop at a Sam's.

We joined Costco when we bought on Maui. In 2001 the chain groceries there didn't sell 'select' grade meat, but Costco did -- can you believe it? We bought many household items for the condo at Costco, but shopped there less at home because the nearest store was 40 minutes from us then.

Now Costco is 15 minutes away, door to door. We go about every six weeks. We do freeze meat and we like two of the prepared foods, which I divide in halves for the two of us. We've bought tires and had wonderful service for them. This minute I'm wearing slippers and eyeglasses from Costco. DH is wearing a pair of Puma sweats, and one of his Kirkland undershirts. We're having ravioli lasagna tonight and parmesan-garlic bread -- both from Costco.

I don't like anything I've ever heard about the Walton family. I do like what I've heard about how Costco treats their employees, borne out by two whom I know personally.

We have the ordinary $60 membership. It pays for itself annually, plus about another $100 in 'free' goods. I do comparison shop and know how much I save on groceries.

I had a Sam's membership for over 20 years at no cost to me. I was on a business membership that a friend of my son had and he paid all the fees. He is very ill and did not renew last year. I live about 8 miles from Sam's club. I wasn't going to pay to go now but my daughter gave me a coupon to join for $45 and receive a $20 gift card. So I did. I actually needed something from there for a party I was hosting. I did give the gift card to my daughter to use for baby diapers and I'll see how I feel next year. No Costco near me and I wouldn't join any place if it was 80 minutes away.

We are Sams members. We more than make up for the $45 yearly fee just in gasoline and cat litter. We both fill our tanks once per week, at an average savings of $4/fill up compared to the cost of gasoline at regular gas stations. That's $8 per week times 50 weeks - I'm fudging numbers for vacation weeks. $400. Well worth it.

Plus, we do get good deals on paper products, dishwasher tablets, produce, and meat. We don't buy tires there because one of our kids works for a car dealer and we get a better deal from there than Sams offers.

Since you will mostly use online orders, go with the $100– annual Plus program. You will receive free shipping on all online orders; that is a big benefit, You will also receive a nice bonus at yearend based on how much you purchased. We get a bonus each year several times in size of the annual fee (but note we are closer to the store so visit frequently). Enjoy the frequent special pricing on many, many items.

I never pay full price for a membership. I wait for Groupon or other deals. I just got a Sams membership a month ago. I didn’t really pay anything at all. I think the offer is still ongoing. I’ll look around. It was buy a membership for $45 and get a $45 Sams scan & go credit. I also got a $20 credit on an app called Dosh for buying a membership. Also an extra $5 for using a referral code for the app. Now I get 2-3% back immediately while walking out the door each time I shop there. At the time I got a $25 Sams GC but that offer is expired now, plus 2 free rotisserie chickens, free bananas, and something else free. I think it was cookies.

Anyway, you can go in either and look around. Just tell them you are using the pharmacy I have memberships to all 3 because I can get them cheap ( my personal limit is $25 or less, BJs was $15 with Groupon) all are close by, but I don’t buy much at them, although I did get tires at Sams -odd thing-I was looking for them in stock and they were cheaper at a different Sams

I just looked and I have the $45 off $45 in my email and it’s good till March 7th. I’ll forward it to you ( or anyone else) if you pm me your email.

We are of the lower priced membership. For a while, we were able to share it with my father, we each got a card and split the cost. Then he decided he didn’t need it and so we pay it all ourselves. It’s just the 2 of us. I think it’s worth it. We get great deals on meat and dairy and cheese, produce, soap, snacks, etc. I know we save a bunch. We got a Sam’s MasterCard and charge everything everywhere on it and just got $300 back for using the card all year. So find someone to share the membership with, if they still allow it.

Costco is the very best. Their gas is known to be the highest quality gasoline in our area. They have the same employees consistently, pay them a very good wage plus all benefits so no wonder they act happy and pleased to see you! I love shopping there for almost everything except TP and paper towels. Read about their sustainable fish life research and program, about their partnering with small countries to enable them to have health care, while following their planting through plant/seed selection, growing, harvesting, packaging and shipping. Oh, yes we have Sam's nearby but I would not care to shop there. Oh, and Costco sells the most automobiles!

Littlebug, I just gave a few examples of how the membership is worth it for me. We have also gotten good deals on TVs and other large household items.

Not everything is in huge quantities. Sometimes you do have to buy 2 of something, but the size isn't large on each. LIke bottled sauces.

They also have merchandise that isn't always available. I bought hiking shoes once. After things are sold out then that is usually it for that particular item. But... you get to try different brands. I have a good friend who shops regularly and gets nice coats, handbags, boots etc. I always joke with her and say, "Hey, how come that wasn't there when I was there!"

I would look around and if there are certain items that you always buy on a regular basis, most likely it is discounted there. Our niece was visiting and I asked what her favorite beverage was. Pellegrino water! Good discount on a case there.

And, maybe this type of shopping isn't for you. I use Stop and Shop and other groceries for weekly shopping as well.

I use it for supplements, paper products, and some food and frozen items, plus other things i.e. we bought a desk chair there this past fall. Much better than available from Staples, etc. and cost was very reasonable. I would prefer Costco but we didn't have one close to our old house and need to check it out before I renew Sam's membership again. I think it's more expensive but am not sure and I did like it better than Sams when we had one close but that was more than 20 yrs. ago.

I have memberships at both Sams and Costco. Sams carries some items that Costco does not that we like. I also like their ready-made chicken better (not as salty as Costco). Also, Sams will reduce the price of meats about 2 days before the sell-by date, which Costco does not due. I have also heard that late in the day they reduce the price on the birds too. Costco does not.

Costco only accepts their charge card while Sams will take any card you have. Costco membership cost is also higher. And Costco marks up the price on their monthly specials then offers a discount of a few bucks only. You often pay more than the non-special price.

Costco does carry more "high-end" items than Sams. But best of all, the Sams aisle are labelled with the contents, like a grocery store. They rarely move items around the store.

I hope this helps.

Pkramer60, my Costco accepts my regular Visa card, both in store and for gas. I do not have a Costco charge card.

The only non-Costco credit card acceptable at Costco is Visa.....but any Visa, not just a Costco Visa. They also accept cash, checks, debit cards and mobile payment apps.

We are members, the $45 level. We live a longs ways away, but we get there sometimes. We order our Kcups through them. We also have the Sams Club Mastercard. We get 5% back on gas purchased anywhere (except Costco and I think BJ’s), 3% back on restaurants and travel. We get the money back annually. This year they are loading it on the credit card, no need to even visit a store, I think. We think it is worth the membership.

I took advantage of an offer of the $45 membership, with a free rotisserie chicken every month. I was curious if it would be to any advantage -- I had been in a couple of times for specific bulk items on a day pass.

Now that I have been in at least monthly and taken the time to look at prices, I would say it is not worth it. Keep in mind that I have Kroger, Meijer, Giant Eagle (which I don't ever go to), Aldi, Trader Joe's, Marc's. Fresh Thyme, and Lucky all within a few miles to shop at, nearly all of which regularly offer sales on most of the same items.

The produce at Sam's Club has never been a bargain -- I can get the same or likely, better prices at several stores, especially with sales. Same for meats, dairy and seafood. Most staple grocery items that I would buy I feel are also no bargain. Tea, for example, is more expensive there than at Marc's, and about the same as Kroger. Canned soup and peanut butter also. Likewise some cereals, if I compare sale prices at other stores. The very large quantity items such as rice, sugar, flour etc are not useful to me so I haven't really compared pricing on them.

Now, the store stocks LOTS of what I consider junky food -- snacks and highly processed stuff, packaged in large quantities, at attractive prices. Things like granola bars, candy, cookies and so forth.

I haven't shopped the goods section all that much. Found better prices on the TVs I was interested in at several other stores, which surprised me. I did buy some towels at a good price and nice quality. I bought a special package of LED bulbs which are all failing after a year of use. I just picked up a little lightweight hoodie, time will tell if it falls apart. I also got a down jacket last fall, but again, once I looked around, the price wasn't any better - the advantage was I didn't have to wait for a sale, the disadvantage was that if waited to price compare, the jacket would be sold out.

Good prices I think on underclothes and sock, especially when they are offering "special savings". Some prices/packages of things like shampoo, body wash, detergent, supplements are at least competitive if not cheaper.

Pharmacy and optometrist might make it worthwhile if you have the need.

Oh, and I was VERY disappointed in the toilet tissue (Scott 1000 brand) that I bought there - much worse quality than the supposedly same item from the grocery, and no cheaper than that either.

So, it all depends on whether the bulk packaging meets a need; and whether you have done your homework and know what comparable prices are for the items you are interested in.

We have nearby Costco and Sam's Club. Both had advantages. We had both card for a while. Costco won out because the local Sam's Club is the skimpiest I've seen. I started buying more at Costco. I could probably price shop more, but I don't have the patience for it. I'm ok with a decent deal versus the cheapest. The shoppers and customer service are pretty good. For me, Costco's biggest fault is they keep upscaling themselves. If I buy canned black beans, I don't need organic. That may eventually become a problem as they cater more to a certain crowd.

"Costco's biggest fault is they keep upscaling themselves"

For some, this is a plus. For me, I wish they would do it much more with some of their stuff. I think they sometimes over-do their efforts to keep prices low and get inferior, less desirable products as a result. Especially with produce but not exclusively so. I think Trader Joe's is often guilty of this too.