It's been a while since I updated. Every time I renew my basic membership at Sam's ( $45 for 2022), I have to ask is it paying for itself? I also belong to BJs and Costco for specific reasons so price comparison is a bit of an interest to me in the spirit of economy and the sport of saving, particularly on high purchase items in my household.
There are 2 items we buy regularly enough that it pays for the Sam's membership in savings and then some. I'm always interested in hearing and seeing current price differences between the 3 warehouse competitors so I thought I'd go ahead and post an update for anyone else with the same interest. These items may or may not interest everyone.
This update is written March 1 2022 for point of reference. First item:
Olive oil! BJs olive oil 3L even with a coupon is still almost $15, the typical price ranges from $18-$21. Sam's Club Member's Mark is $11.96 for 3 L. Yes, less than $12 clears the competition. That's a $7-$10 markup at BJs for another brand name in the 3L size. For full disclosure, I didn't see BJs brand Wellsley Farms olive oil and not sure they have it. Costco has a 3L Kirkland brand original olive oil 2 pack for $37 which is in-line with BJs prices. Bottom line, Sam's Kirkland brand is the Best Buy at this time, by a large margin. For any household using regular olive oil for cooking and extra Virgin for dressings and low heat sauces or marinades, you pay for your member ship with just this savings if you're restocking 5-6 times a year, which my family easily does as we avoid all other oils except avocado oil! Don't even look at grocery store prices on small bottles of olive oil, it would take just 2-3 buys at a warehouse vs grocery to pay for your membership. Rather sobering.
Another regular staple and frequent buy for us is pistachios with shell. BJs is 48oz house brand Wellsley for $18-$20. Costco Kirkland in house brand also 48 Oz/3lb is $20. Sam's Club Member's Mark 48 Oz with shell $14.98. Even with BJs occasional coupon, Sam's price is still lower by a few dollars. We eat pistachios as one of our main snacks so 1 bag a month at a $4-5 dollar saving vs warehouse stores and like $15 saving for much less quantity at a regular grocery x12 months, well it more than pays for the membership at Sam's on its own as well. Sam's pistachios are also delicious unlike Wonderful where you find a number of rotten nuts for $9 more a bag.
Sam's also has the best quantity and price on red onions at this time. 6 pounds of red onion for $5.47! BJs is 3 lb for $3.49 Wellsley brand and we find they go bad unusually quickly considering they are quite small onions and used readily. Costco carries a larger 8lb bag with a comparable price to BJs which is a great buy but too many onions at one time for us as they don't last long enough for us to use them all before spoiling.
A few other items to watch are cherub tomatoes, Campari vine tomatoes, sweet baby peppers, and assorted bell peppers. Typically Sams wins on pricing of all of these by approximately $.50-$1.25 an item unless BJs has a coupon which happens relatively often.
Eggs? I'm not even touching eggs between the three. There is NO competition. LIDL has the best prices on eggs period. I actually don't know why anyone buys eggs or heavy cream anywhere but Lidl.
Sam's is a great deal all the way around however Sam's is the ultimate score for fresh wild caught salmon at a decent price!!! I renew my membership every time for this reason alone. Read the labels carefully. They're transparent. Where it's sourced and processed. Wild caught salmon and usually yellow tail flounder is also wild caught. There are many farm raised varieties so look carefully, especially if you're like me and won't touch farm raised. read more