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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.