What I found at Sam's


 

LMichaels

TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Well just got back from a Sam's Club run. I think the company is getting scared. We are going to have a Costco open here in just a few months and myself like I am sure MANY other's here in the Winnebago/Boone/Stephenson county area of IL are really tired of Sam's and are going to switch. Sam's is not keeping up with the same quality of products and so on as Costco. Well they're tearing the store apart, new displays and products going in and one thing I am ESPECIALLY happy to see.............Ta Da! Prime grade beef! I just bought 2 packages of Prime grade Top Sirloin Steaks. They look OUTSTANDING and will be cooking them up this afternoon. This is the first time I have ever seen anyone sell prime grade beef around here.
Maybe all the critiques are starting to sink in to management.
 
We have been members at Sam's for years as they had a store about 25 miles from us, then opened one up a few
years back that was only 15 miles away. We would go with the in-laws once every year or two to Costco that was
about 60 miles from us and always wanted one closer to home. They finally opened one up about 20 miles from us
2 years ago. I love the better selection of meats, including the all the prime. When you finally get Costco, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you
take a look at the ribeye caps. One of the finest steaks I have ever eaten. Normally $18 to $20 lb, but well worth it.

We originally planned to cxl our Sam's membership when Costco opened, but we kept both. :(
 
Well, I have had Sams club memberships in the past and last year I had a Costco membership. Neither has really ever worked well for me. They were all about an hour away and it just seemed stupid to buy 4 lbs of peanut butter to save a couple bucks. I haven't found their tires and batteries to be all that great a deal and just cannot justify the cost of the membership for what little savings I have gotten. Even if I live a few miles away, I don't think either would be desirable to me. Of course, if I had a family of 5 at home, that could be different, but that isn't my situation.
I don't think I would pay $20 a lb for steaks either, but I would sure like to taste one of yours. :)
 
Costco is generally a a scam. Just think of the basic business model. You pay them either $55 or $110 per year for the "privilege" to buy goods and services from them. For many people, this is quite OK because they feel that access to what they offer is worth that fee.
Sam's Club has never been able to compete with Costco or it's East coast rival, BJs.
This is evidenced by the fact that BJs and Costco are expanding and Sam's Club has closed dozens of units.
Don't be fooled by Costco's alleged satisfaction guarantee. Yes they take almost everything back, but you will wait your turn in a long line to do so and you better have your original receipt despite the fact they have a precise record of everything you ever bought and when. The receipt checking as you leave as though you are a common thief is a classy touch too. Also, the only other place you will witness collective bad behavior and complete disregard for fellow humans is boarding any given commercial flight.

I for one, never understood the cult following and worshipping of Costco as a retailer.
 
I got a basic membership as a gift, I upgraded to the “ better” one. I have been very happy with the Costco here.
Prime brisket for$3.29/lb. is pretty good. I’ve only had one return and it was quick and easy! Staff is much more pleasant than the people at Sam’s but, that may have been a bad day at Sam’s.
I like Costco.
 
We have a Sam's membership. We like shopping there and feel the membership is worth the price. No Costco in our area.

I do feel like the lifetime satisfaction guarantee is kind of a scam though. If you read the terms it clearly states that they will provide a refund if you are not satisfied in "MOST" cases. If they feel you have gotten reasonable use our of a product they can and oftentimes do refuse the refund. It's happened to several people I know even with their receipt. So if you think you can return something like a grill that you have used several years you might or might not get the refund.

I'm not sure if Costco is the same or not?
 
I have never really had use for store like costco. Havent been in a Sams in 20 yrs either.

Store is a haphazard arrangement of stuff.

My local grocery beats their meat prices too.

But costco does have a good meat selection. Their best point. Imo. Good small briskets, most are 17-18 at other stores, you can get 13 lb at costco. And....pork belly...hard to find elsewhere. Decent gas prices, always a line.
 
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We have a Sam's membership. We like shopping there and feel the membership is worth the price. No Costco in our area.

I do feel like the lifetime satisfaction guarantee is kind of a scam though. If you read the terms it clearly states that they will provide a refund if you are not satisfied in "MOST" cases. If they feel you have gotten reasonable use our of a product they can and oftentimes do refuse the refund. It's happened to several people I know even with their receipt. So if you think you can return something like a grill that you have used several years you might or might not get the refund.

I'm not sure if Costco is the same or not?

Actually you can (at least at Sam's) they don't even blink. Both companies will stand behind the stuff. Hell I even did it with a set of tires at Sam's! Not intentionally mind you. I had a set of Michelin tires bought at Sam's and they were dry rotting at a much faster rate than they were wearing out. I stopped to ask if it was normal and before I knew it I had a full NEW set of tires at no cost. I returned a grill after 2 years of use as well. They asked if I wanted my $$$ or a new one. I asked for the $$$ and walked out without the grill and with the $$$
My buddy uses Costco. He bought a Vitamix blender. He's on his 3rd one with no $$$ out of pocket except for the first. With the new shopping apps they now have, paper receipts are no longer needed, and big deal you stand in a line for a few minutes.
Many times when I buy one or 2 larger items say like a TV or such, I save enough to pay for my membership and then some for the next 2 years. While I am not ecstatic with Sam's overall the model works for me quite nicely. I don't feel part of a "Cult" at all.
And BTW the top sirloins were WONDERFUL! I grilled them on my Lodge CI 2 burner griddle/grill pan Great marks BTW and nearly tasted of the outdoors.
 
Costco definitely has its place and we have maintained a membership for as long as I can remember. There are certain items which I will swear by that they sell. Their whole bean Colombian coffee is outstanding. The lounge chairs they sell are commercial grade and the only ones that I use by the pool at our beach house. I also believe it is the go to place for a TV.... for the most part. I'm underwhelmed by the seafood offerings, even when they set up the kiosk on weekends. I find most of their prepared foods just plain lousy for the money. The chicken pot pie is inedible.

They are great for when you're planning a party though.
The Sam's in SE PA have closed but for one or two locations. They cannot compete with Costco or BJs. For those that don't know BJs, they are a wholesale club based out of MA with multiple locations in the Mid-Atlantic and NE. The cost of membership is slightly lower than Costco... in fact, they often run membership specials for $25/year. They accept manufacturers coupons on goods. They have a private label just like Costco. They have self-checkouts in almost all locations and they have a deli department... So they differ in some ways from Costco. Also, not all locations sell tires or have gas stations. They put significantly more warehouses in a given market than Costco and Sam's but I would say their warehouses are a bit smaller.

When it comes to food items and food service items, the best place I've ever been to is Restaurant Depot aka Jetro. You need to produce a business license to get a membership though.
I have a business license so I joined a few years back. The selection of professional grade pots, pans, woks, spatulas, knives, etc... is amazing. Also, the meats and fresh and frozen seafood selection is outstanding.
 
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Actually you can (at least at Sam's) they don't even blink. Both companies will stand behind the stuff. Hell I even did it with a set of tires at Sam's! Not intentionally mind you. I had a set of Michelin tires bought at Sam's and they were dry rotting at a much faster rate than they were wearing out. I stopped to ask if it was normal and before I knew it I had a full NEW set of tires at no cost. I returned a grill after 2 years of use as well. They asked if I wanted my $$$ or a new one. I asked for the $$$ and walked out without the grill and with the $$$
My buddy uses Costco. He bought a Vitamix blender. He's on his 3rd one with no $$$ out of pocket except for the first. With the new shopping apps they now have, paper receipts are no longer needed, and big deal you stand in a line for a few minutes.
Many times when I buy one or 2 larger items say like a TV or such, I save enough to pay for my membership and then some for the next 2 years. While I am not ecstatic with Sam's overall the model works for me quite nicely. I don't feel part of a "Cult" at all.
And BTW the top sirloins were WONDERFUL! I grilled them on my Lodge CI 2 burner griddle/grill pan Great marks BTW and nearly tasted of the outdoors.

Well our local Sam's has definitely "blinked". Meaning not honoring the lifetime satisfaction guarantee. And really it's their right to do so. They put the term "most" in there for a reason.
 
We have Costco and definitely like it. Yah, there are some people out there that abuse the warranty but they still stand behind most of their products that they sell. For example, we bought a bunk bed for our kids about 5 years ago and last fall one of the support rods broke. We called the mfr. and they said that the warranty was up (which we knew already) and that they couldn't do anything about it. We told Costco CS about the situation and they told us to bring the bunk bed back for a full refund and we did with no questions asked. We ended up purchasing another bunk bed from them again but that goes to show you that they stand behind most of their products. I also like that they have USDA prime beef and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. E.g., a whole new york roast costs about $6.99/lb. in my area.
 
Yes even at Sam's I was amazed at how inexpensive their Prime graded beef was
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I don't know if this was some kind of introductory special or what, but, I typically pay at least $3.00 MORE for Choice of the same cut
 
Home Depot used to have that crazy return policy. Not sure if still do. I had a friend that worked there,
and he told countless stories of people using tools to build or remodel homes then returning them, snow
blowers in the spring, and mowers in the fall.
 
Yah, it is people that abuse those kinds of return policies that turn into the return policies that we now typically have to deal with where they try to not take anything back. I would not be able to get past my concience if I tried to return a snow blower after using it for a winter or a mower after using it all year unless it just legitimately broke.
 
I don't think I would pay $20 a lb for steaks either, but I would sure like to taste one of yours. :)

Holler the next time you roll this way.

I fought the urge to spend a little more than typical grocery prices for the longest time.
But a choice grade ribeye runs north of $10 most of the time. I splurge a few times a year
and buy a couple primes for my wife and I. We eat dinner out every Saturday night typically,
but we stopped going out for steak years back, when we learned what to buy, and how to cook it.
We grew tired of leaving a decent steak house with a bill in excess of $100 and telling each other
we could have made much better at home for less than half the price.
 
I like costco but it's a PITA going to most of them near me - the checkout lines are always long, and then they just put stuff back in my cart like I drive into my living room!

Years ago I walked right past the receipt checker, I heard people behind me saying "Sir, Sir" I just kept walking :) (only once, it irritates me too though)

Things I like at costco:

Packing tape, office chair floor mats, AA/AAA/C/D batteries, pens

Beans, olives, coffee, peanut butter (I make better but), Coffee. Canned tomatoes, cheese (tilamook etc), bars of soap, dog food/beds/toys/pig ears/rawhides, honey. Zip-lock bags, aluminum foil................. raw almonds, walnuts, canned tuna, MUSTARD!

Pool toys & chlorine..... white T shirts.

those are my most common non-meat dept purchases. I know people who think their gas is a great deal, and people here say it's a cheap place (cheaper than the shop I go to if correct) to fill propane tanks.

I haven't gone to costco for a while but I'm planning to stop in. I paid extra for their executive membership one time but it wasn't worth it for me.

There's one place Sams used to beat Costco (in my very limited experience): They had #10 cans of mixed planters nuts - not a good thing for me to have around, I could put an entire can down in just a few days.

I just checked - there's 5 within 10 miles of me. I've been to a couple that have self checkout (not busy) lines, if that's how the closest ones were to me were, I'd go there more often.
 
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Dave, I hear you on the cost to get a decent steak at a restaurant. Ironically, we had two ribeyes tonight. Total 1.88 lbs and the price was about $16. You can't even get a single six ounce ribeye dinner for double that price in a restaurant any more. And, I have to say that I don't know of a restaurant that would make them taste any better than mine. That being said, I typically buy Sirloins simply due to the fact that they are cheaper and less fatty while still being a pretty good cut of meat for a steak. It is just nice to treat myself to a Ribeye or NY Strip every so often.
 

 

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