Spending

Costco vs Sam’s Club – Why Not Both?

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I renewed my executive Costco membership in April. We buy as many food and household products as we can there to make the most of the 2% cash back rewards program.   I also have the Costco Anywhere Visa by Citibank which earns me additional cash back rewards.

Since I’m invested heavily in maximizing my Costco membership, one would think that I would have no use for a Sam’s Club membership.   One could think that, but that would be an incorrect assumption because over the weekend I dropped the $45 needed to renew my Sam’s Club membership.

I had been thinking about the decision for a couple of weeks, and there are a couple of reasons why I wanted to keep my Sam’s Club membership:

• Meat Department : Sam’s Club has some cuts of meat that Costco doesn’t commonly have in their meat case. For example, the Costco near me does not carry full beef brisket. The only other convenient business that has full briskets is Walmart, but they are usually pretty small, and don’t look very good.
• Snacks: There are some snacks that I really like at Sam’s that Costco does not carry. One such example is frozen pizza. Costco’s selection of frozen pizza is horrid.
• Produce Selection :   Both Sam’s and Costco’s fresh fruit and vegetables are head and shoulders above anything else in my local area. Sometimes Costco gets a bad batch, as does Sam’s. Having both memberships gives me constant access to fantastic produce.

If I had to pick just one, I would pick Costco. But the membership to Sam’s is $45 annually which to me is worth it for just the reasons above.   Having both memberships isn’t about saving money, I do all my money saving at Costco. Having a Sam’s membership gives me access to the very best products available in my area.

What do you think, Clever Friends? Do any of you have both a Costco and a Sam’s Club membership? Why do you have both memberships?

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Brought to you courtesy of Brock

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Brock Kernin

Brock is a software engineer by day and personal finance blogger at night. He is a fitness junkie and enjoys grilling and smoking meat. Married with two children,  Brock strives to improve his skills as a husband and father, and is always on the lookout to stretch his family’s budget as far as he can.