6 Grocery Staples That Are Cheaper at Sam’s Club than Costco

Costco shoppers are experts at stretching their grocery dollars. They spend months tracking sales to learn the rotations. They find creative ways to stick to their shopping list (a feat, if you ask us!). They’ve even figured out how to essentially get their membership for free. Needless to say, they know a thing or two about getting the best bulk buys for their buck.

And that budget-based wisdom, it turns out, extends beyond the walls of Costco — all the way to another well-known warehouse club: Sam’s Club. A few days ago, a member of this Costco-themed Facebook group posted a question asking which warehouse club is cheaper. Members of the group were quick to respond, leaving 495 comments. Many have memberships at both Costco and Sam’s Club (a few even have a third membership to BJ’s Wholesale Club).

A lot of the comments were firmly in the camp of team Costco, which is to be expected in a FB group filled with dedicated Costco fans. But there were also plenty of people who said Sam’s Club had better prices. And not just that — the groceries, they say, are just as good as (if not better) than what you’ll find on the shelves at Costco. Here are six Sam’s Club items that came up in the comments.

Snacks were one of the most-talked-about categories in the comments, and for good reason. A high-quality, varied selection and cheaper prices (a triple threat!) are why shoppers head to Sam’s Club to stock up on snacks for between-meal bites and to pack in school lunches. One member gets all of the snacks (and drinks) for the school band at Sam’s Club.

A hotly debated topic, commenters praised both stores’ produce departments — although one person mentioned it can depend on the store. Multiple people called out the fruit as both better and less expensive, and one person found the “same exact package of salad greens” to be 50 cents cheaper at Sam’s. 

“Sam’s is cheaper for most meat,” one member posted. “And they carry oxtail, tongue, and other parts that my Costco doesn’t.” Several other members mentioned meat and, more specifically, brisket (not blade tenderized) and an “amazing” T-bone for $20. One even found the meat to be about $10 to $20 cheaper at Sam’s.

Heavy whipping cream, Philadelphia cream cheese, and Daisy sour cream were three of the products that commenters suggested checking out at Sam’s. One shopper noticed the cream cheese and sour cream were cheaper at Sam’s only after buying them at Costco earlier in the weekend. And while it wasn’t clear if milk was necessarily cheaper, people like that you can buy a single gallon at Sam’s (instead of the boxed two gallons at Costco).

Not a lot was said here, likely because there wasn’t a lot to say after one member shared a screenshot with a side-by-side price comparison of each warehouse’s extra-virgin olive oil brand: Kirkland (the Costco store brand) is $8.30 per liter, while Member’s Mark (the Sam’s Club store brand) is $6.66 per liter.

This is the Sam’s Club item that kicked off the debate and, for one shopper, the reason why they keep their membership to the warehouse. Several people confirmed the toilet paper as a must-have item on your Sam’s shopping list. One even branched out and said paper products and cleaning supplies in general are usually a better deal there.

What groceries are you regularly buying at Sam’s Club? Tell us in the comments.