As a family of five, we go through a lot of food in my house — so much so that I often need to pop over to my local supermarket to replenish multiple times during the week. That’s why a warehouse club membership makes sense for us. The money we save by buying food in bulk more than makes up for the cost of joining a warehouse club.
In my area, I have two options — Costco and Sam’s Club. I’ve been a loyal Costco member for 18 years. But it’s hard to overlook that a Sam’s Club’s membership would cost me $20 less annually.
Costco recently raised the cost of its Executive membership to $130 per year. At Sam’s Club, a Plus membership is $110. Both memberships offer 2% cash back on purchases, which is something I like to take advantage of given my annual spending.
But while the idea of saving $20 a year on a warehouse club membership appeals to me in theory, I’m not looking to make a switch anytime soon. Here’s why.
1. Costco is more convenient
Getting to Costco takes me about 15 minutes on average. To get to Sam’s Club, it’s more like a 25-minute drive.
You might think the extra 10 minutes each way, or 20 minutes round-trip, isn’t a big deal. But I can tell you that it is.
I do a Costco run almost every week. The only exceptions are when we’re away on vacation or something like that. Saving 20 minutes per week is huge because my schedule is jam-packed and I often struggle to find enough hours to work as it is. And since I’m self-employed, getting back time in the form of a shorter trip to Costco has monetary value.
Let’s say I save myself 20 minutes a week over 40 weeks. That’s a little over 13 hours a year. If I spend those 13 hours working, I can earn well more than the $20 extra I’m paying for Costco.
In fact, I’ll be perfectly honest and say that based on my current rates, I can often make back the $20 extra with a single 20-minute session at my desk. So from that perspective, sticking with Costco is an easy decision.
Plus, because Costco is closer, I spend less on gas to get there. I might use an extra half-gallon of gas on a round trip to Sam’s Club because that’s how my gas-guzzling minivan rolls. If we put the cost there at $1.50, and I do 40 round-trips a year, I’m spending $60 extra. Why should I spend $60 more to save $20 on a membership fee?
2. Costco’s products are a sure thing in my household
A big way to waste money at a warehouse club store is to buy products in bulk that your family members don’t end up eating. Because I’ve been shopping at Costco since before my kids were born, they’re familiar with a lot of the store’s products. And they’re fans of many of the things I buy. If I switch to Sam’s Club, I’m taking the risk that my kids won’t enjoy the products I purchase.
Even if there’s nothing wrong with those products, children tend to be picky. Mine have been known to reject boxes of Aldi granola bars on the basis of the packaging alone (so there goes that money-saving tactic). It’s not worth it to me to save $20 a year on a warehouse club membership when I might throw out more than $20 worth of food due to sheer pickiness and waste.
A decision I’m more than comfortable with
I won’t pretend that I’ve never thought about making a switch from Costco to Sam’s Club to save money on the membership fee. But when I crunch the numbers, ditching Costco for Sam’s Club doesn’t make sense.
Also, at this point, I’ve developed my own strategies for shopping at Costco that help me keep my costs down. Those include using the right credit cards for big rewards. Click here for a list of the top credit cards for Costco members.
If you have a Costco and Sam’s Club store within equal driving distance from your home, and you have a household of eaters who are a lot less picky than mine, then you may decide to choose Sam’s Club for the lower-cost membership. But if you’re in a similar boat to me, think about what you may be giving up by making a switch, whether it’s time, money, or your sanity in the form of having to negotiate with your kids to eat items in different packaging. You may find that you’re better off sticking with the warehouse club you already know and love.
