Bj's or Costco????

[amberbamber]

My MIL bought us a membership at Costco...but I went to BJ's today with a friend and the prices seem to be cheaper than Costco, plus you can use coupons at BJ's. Anyone have any insight to this?
Thanks!!!!

[emmiedahl]

Re: Bj's or Costco????

We don't have a BJ's, but I can share what I have observed about Costco.

Costco is cheap as heck on bulk raw ingredients--think flour, brown sugar, yeast, shredded coconut, choco chips, etc. Their processed food is so overpriced it's crazy. Usually cheaper per ounce than the same items at a grocery store, but still way out of my budget. I have 7 children, so one of those huge lasagnas is barely a meal :-) We stick to the flour etc. because I make our food from scratch, so the card is worth it for us.

They have great deals on clothing and toys, too.

[kimiko]

Re: Bj's or Costco????

I'm a member of Costco and I do buy the expensive stuff mostly because of the quality. If you look at the process food, it comes out a bit cheaper, just a tiny bit, than the retail market, but the ingredients are different. It was the first store that sold items without the High Fructose Corn Syrup. So I figure, I pay the same for better quality.

[rduell]

Re: Bj's or Costco????

We are BJ's shoppers. We don't have a Costco around us, so I don't know how they compare. We do use coupons at BJs quite often, and I like the fact that they send us lots of coupons in the mail too.

[kimiko]

Re: Bj's or Costco????

I almost forgot, Costco has coupons too. Every couple of months, they mail their members a coupon book with coupons ranging from $3 to $200 off, depending on the item. My mom used those coupons a lot

They also have a Costco gas station that we use often since it has the lowest price in the area. Just the saving on gas was enough to offset the membership fee.

[debasisg]

Re: Bj's or Costco????

We have all 3 of BJ's, Sams and Costco nearby

So far BJ's is the best deal. Sams is cheapest but lack selection. Costco is not cheap - they are designed for higher income people. BJ's stands in-between but with coupons and other incentives as well as wide selection for the stuff I need, it makes sense.

[emmiedahl]

Re: Bj's or Costco????

We use Costco gas too. It's so cheap it's worth driving across town for it--which is saying a lot. I wish we had a BJ's or a Sam's. I would be willing to check them out. Costco is expensive on some items, but they have the cheapest bulk yeast, flour, etc, in town. Most of their food is too processed for my taste. They claim it's healthier than what you get elsewhere, but the labels suggest otherwise. Their Dino-Buddy chicken nuggets are the same ones you buy (sometimes for half as much per pound) at a grocery store.

[Mamaoftwins]

Re: Bj's or Costco????

Ive only been into a BJ's once with my mom. I didnt noticed the prices being alot cheaper but they had alot of different items than Costco.

I have a Costco membership and I love it! The reason I love them is their return policy. You can take almost anything back. Ive taken 3 playstation units back.(original price $199) All were over a year old and stopped working. And if you have the receipt , you get every penny back. We bought our big screen tv there because of that. I ask the manager if anything went wrong can we bring it back. He said yes, even if its 5 years from now. Only thing , you need to hang on to those receipts. If you take something back without the receipt you get the last sale price of the item. I believe computers are only 6 months guaranteed though. I feel confident buying from them. So that would be my only concern between the two. I would rather have an awesome return policy then save a few bucks.

[fishy40]

Costco all the way baby!

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Costco all the way. Car insurance and home is cheapest I've found. Granted it's hard in the state we live, but my BIL shopped around in SF and found it was the cheapest too! I've saved 3 friends in the area an average of $700 on car insurance by referring them to costco insurance. So $55/year is well worth it. Two of the friends were BJ shoppers who aren't renewing and just renewed but it's not worth it.

[v_keely]

Costco FTW!

[bjl584]

We don't have BJ's in this area. Only Costco and Sam's Club. I'm not a member of either, but my Dad is a member of Costco's. We go there on occassion, and they have some good deals on certain items, but a lot of the stuff that they sell I have no real practical need for. I can't use a 200 ounce ketchup bottle or a 64 pack of toilet paper. If I had a large family or a small business, then I would have more use for the place.

[disneysteve]

Yet another ancient thread dredged up by a new member.

We have Bjs, Costco and Sam's Club all in our area. We belong to none. We have had a BJs card in the remote past and we've done a walk through at Costco within the year to check it out. We were not impressed. We couldn't find enough items or low enough prices to make us want to join or think it would be worthwhile.

Even though all 3 stores are nearby, none are along our usual travel paths so they'd require a special trip. That alone makes it unlikely that we'd make use of them, but if the prices and merchandise warranted it, we'd do it. We just don't see what the big deal is. Store brands at the supermarket are just as cheap as the prices at Costco, or at least close enough to not make paying a fee worthwhile for us.

[Kelli-Saving Money]

Bulk is not better

Completely agree. I have found those big wholesale clubs to not much a savings over our local Kroger or Meijer. Just because you are buying in bulk does not equates to big savings...often quite the opposite.

[Noliah]

I've just made the decision to get a BJ's membership for my daughter and myself at the beginning of next month. I used to be a member of Costco, but it really doesn't suit my needs, as well as being too far away from my home in the new area I moved to. Cost of getting to the clubs should be a major consideration nowadays.

I believe that a shopper needs to know their own household needs as well as the "flexibility" of their household budget before making a choice such as this. It could be that club shopping isn't for them, but for others such as myself, it could be the wise choice to make.

Personally, I chose BJs instead of the local Sam's club because of the fact that they not only accept manufacturer's coupons, but they also accept EBT cards. As a disabled person, being able to use my EBT funds there is a major plus. To top it off, the local BJs is just 1.5 miles from our home. Best gas prices in town, too!

As I said, this is a very personal decision to make. It's not the case of one store being better than the other, it's a matter of how well the club's services and prices suit your own family's needs.