Costco has been widely regarded as a supersaver haven, but one former member has revealed why rival Sam’s Club is a cost-effective hidden gem.
Kimberly Gladden-Eversley, from Winchester, California, claims in an essay for Insider that she jumped memberships once she learned of the Walmart spinoff’s lower joining fees, its easy-to-use app, better prices on the bulk items she buys and the thoroughly impressive selection of snacks.
Better still, it’s easy to snag a discount on your Sam’s Club annual dues, she said, claiming that discounted pricing is offered throughout the year, unlike its competitor.
And the membership also comes with affordable gas prices — more affordable more than Costco, in the town where Gladden-Eversley lives. Her family’s eight-seater mini van needs quite a bit of fuel due to its size, but the money-minding mom attested to experiencing less pain at Sam’s pumps.
Another thing the busy bulk-buyer prizes — the ease of the Scan and Go option found within the Sam’s Club smartphone app, allowing you to check out as you go.
“The first time I used the feature, I scanned and kept track of each item I put into my cart. This way, I could see how much I was spending in real time,” she explained.
“I still get excited about the opportunity to make final adjustments to what’s in my cart if I’m over budget.”
And, with adulthood comes excitement over things like toilet paper — the allegiance-switching shopper said that Sam’s Member’s Mark store brand offers a better bang for the buck than the Kirkland Signature brand at Costco.
Gladden-Eversley, who is part of a “large” family, purchases 45 rolls of “thicker and softer” bath tissue for just $23.
The competitive pricing also goes for household staples such as garbage bags, baby wipes, disinfectant and cereal, she said.
The Gladden-Eversley family is a clan of snackers — and for them, Sam’s Club had a better variety of affordable options, some of which she could never find at her local Costco.
“For days that we like to have sweets, we grab the Oreo ice-cream bars, Hostess Donettes, Reynaldo’s rice pudding, Chobani Flip yogurt, and some classic Dunkaroos to ignite our childhood memories,” she wrote.
The California mom isn’t the only one to part ways with Costco recently, either.
Writer Sarra Sedghi also recently ranted about the cult-favorite wholesale warehouse, claiming she wasted money bulk-buying goods that would go stale on her shelves, and that the large portions gave way to mindless munching.
“I’ve since let my Costco membership lapse and found that my pantry and kitchen have become better organized and less overrun with stuff,” she wrote at the time. “I still find bulk buys I’ve never opened.”
