13 Things Sam's Club Does Better Than Costco

Rotisserie chicken, hot dog combos, bakery croissants, and gas prices: These items sit at the center of a long-standing rivalry between two of the most prominent players in retail. Costco and Sam's Club, two giants in the warehouse club space, have been locked in competition for decades. Costco first opened in 1976 in San Diego (under Price Club), and Sam's entered the scene seven years later in Oklahoma. Since then, their growth and falters have been intertwined, constantly compared, ranked, and fighting for dominance.

Costco has the edge on many things, from having more locations in the U.S. and a more expansive international presence to selling more organic and gourmet items than Sam's. But Sam's definitely dominates in some areas, and has recently been called out for coming after the top spot in the warehouse wars, so let's explore some of the things that Sam's Club does better than Costco.

The first thing most of us consider when contemplating being a member at Sam's or Costco is the cost to join. There's no denying that Sam's is the clear winner with its lower membership fees. A basic membership is $50 a year at Sam's versus $65 a year at Costco, a 26% difference. Both clubs also offer premium memberships, and Sam's is once again cheaper at $110 annually, compared with Costco's Executive Membership at $130 a year, nearly 17% higher than Sam's. An annual 2% cash-back reward for members is included at this tier for both clubs; however, at Costco you have to use it or lose it before the end of the year, while Sam's cash-back reward never expires and is automatically loaded on the member card. Another benefit of being a Sam's Plus member is having access to earlier shopping hours Monday through Saturday, a perk that Costco took away a few years ago.

Sam's Plus members can enjoy free shipping and delivery on orders over $50, an amount that's easy to reach when buying bulk, or pay $8 an order if the minimum isn't met. Delivery for Costco members is available, but the pricing is not included with either of the memberships. If you need a Costco chicken bake last minute, same-day grocery delivery is only available through Instacart, and you'll have to pay the fees. Two-day delivery is available at no cost as long as you're spending $75.

Lines at Costco checkouts, especially on a weekend or near a holiday, are notoriously as long as the Reddit threads members create to complain about them. Sam's has dodged the long line complaint award with its modern tech solutions that make it easy for members to breeze in and out of the club.

Sam's Scan & Go provides a way for members to scan and pay for products in the club's mobile app as they move through the warehouse, and skipping standing in line altogether, an option that isn't offered to Costco members. Not only can members use Scan & Go in the warehouse, it's also available for fuel and cafe purchases.

Whether you opt for Scan & Go or traditional shopping in the club, you'll still have to have your receipt reviewed before exiting. However, it's likely not a person who will be stopping you on the way out the door to check your receipt, as Sam's recently launched AI technology that takes images of your receipt and cart and verifies that you aren't sneaking out the door with an extra bag of Member's Mark Southern chicken bites you didn't pay for.

This technology not only cuts down on member complaints, it actually propelled Sam's to outrank Costco and claim the highest consumer satisfaction award among warehouse clubs for 2025. Crediting the Scan & Go technology beloved by members helped bring its score up 5% and knock Costco off the top block.

It's no accident that Sam's is winning the tech war over Costco. They actually have two warehouses dedicated to testing technology ahead of launching in the clubs nationwide, and they're both open to members. In 2018, Sam's Club Now opened in Dallas. This location was the birthplace of the highly-rated Scan & Go innovation, offers voice search and an in-app map to help members navigate to what they are shopping for, and is testing augmented reality and digital pricing labels.

Six years later, Sam's opened another testing location in Grapevine, Texas, not too far from Sam's Club Now. This incubator club is set up to make the shopping frictionless without a cash register in sight. When it opened, Sam's reported that 30% of its members regularly use Scan n Go, but because they also tend to spend more and retain better than other members, Sam's is looking for ways to offer more digital-first shopping experiences.

Inside the club, shoppers can preview large items available online — from Christmas trees to cars — and with the scan of a QR code, order, and have the items shipped to their home. Technology testing spills into the cafe where a robot prepares up to 100 pizzas an hour. The club is larger than traditional warehouses, and outside, the parking lot features more spaces dedicated to pick up orders.

While prices drive many consumers' retail shopping choice, convenience isn't too far behind. Sam's Club is the clear winner when it comes to making shopping more convenient for members. Sam's members can shop from the convenience of home, their car, another store, or virtually anywhere, and skip the hassle of finding parking, yanking a cart free from the stack, and navigating the warehouse for what they need.

While sometimes members flock to the club when free samples are flowing, others prefer the ease of having their paper towels, 6-pound bag of apples, and new set of Member's Mark pajamas without ever stepping foot in the warehouse. Curbside pickup is included with a Plus membership, and those with a basic membership pay $4 for each pickup. Using the Sam's app, members can preview prices and availability and then add everything to their virtual cart plus pay directly within the app, and then simply swing into the pickup spot for their items. Costco members are out of luck though, as curbside pickup is not available.

Whether you're a Mastercard, American Express or other major credit card holder, you'll have no problem shopping at Sam's as all of them are accepted. That's not the case at Costco, which only accepts Visa. The club defends its Visa-only policy by saying the deal they negotiated with Visa keeps transaction fees lower, allowing them to pass the savings onto members. But prices on certain items have consumers questioning this rationale.

Aside from major credit cards, both clubs accept their own credit cards, as well as debit cards, cash, checks and mobile payments such as Google Wallet and Apple Pay. Sam's also accepts gift cards from Walmart, its parent company.

While mega packs of paper towels, vats of mayonnaise, or 5-pound bags of mozzarella are items consumers typically associate with being a better value at a warehouse club, you can also get a deal on gift cards. Both Costco and Sam's discount the cards at various amounts depending on the retailer. Say you need a gift for a new baby; you can score a $50 Carter's gift card at Sam's for just $39.98. Both cards sell a lot of the same gift cards, but Sam's offers more cards from additional retailers, including Old Navy, Ulta, and Disney. Both sell gift cards in the club as well as online, but Sam's offers delivery by email to snail mail to a physical address, an option that Costco doesn't offer.

Next to convenience, price usually dictates where shoppers spend their money, and it's clear that Sam's and Costco keep tabs on each other's pricing to remain competitive. After all, many of the products — from rotisserie chickens to bananas — are priced no more than a few pennies from each other, even if they're losing money on these items. Overall, most comparative studies conclude that Sam's tends to have lower prices than Costco. Being affiliated with Walmart, Sam's carries not only Walmart's buying power, but the parent-brand's commitment to saving shoppers money, estimating that it's 20% to 25% cheaper than most other retailers.

In comparing prices between Costco and Sam's, with BJs as an occasional third contender, Sam's comes out as the clear winner, even if it's by just a few cents. But in the case of many bakery items, from Member's Mark croissants to the baguettes, many reviewers say Costco takes the cake on taste and quality, but Sam's has them whipped on prices with some treats up to $2 cheaper.

Tucked in near the bakery and produce sections of many Sam's Clubs, you'll find a sushi chef preparing a variety of rolls and nigiri to sell on site from its sushi island. Not every Sam's Club has a sushi counter, but those that do are run by a third-party company, FujiSan. Offerings include the popular California rolls, tempura shrimp rolls, and spicy tuna rolls. Tuna nigiri and salmon nigiri are also available. If the 10 to 15 piece rolls aren't enough, sushi platters with up to 44 pieces are also sold in clubs. The Akita Platter features a variety of both rolls and nigiri, and is priced at just under $26. Platters include all the sushi fixings from fresh ginger, wasabi and soy sauce.

While Costco sells sushi, it's not always freshly made in the store, and members have mixed feelings on it. Most Costco sushi is made by a third-party and shipped to the club. Costco opened a fresh sushi counter at its club near its headquarters in Washington in 2023, and last year announced that it's planning to open more Kirkland Signature-branded sushi counters in other clubs soon. Sam's has the lead, though, with members noting signs of freshness across the rolls with sauces appearing freshly drizzled and avocado pieces looking vibrant than the dull-colored and overly saturated appearance days-old sushi can make.

Now, we can't talk about the price comparison between Costco and Sam's without mentioning the famous hot dog combo, AKA war of the wieners. Both clubs have long offered a low-priced hot dog and drink since their cafes opened, hoping to avoid hangry shoppers from bolting through the warehouses instead of slowly meandering the aisles and snatching up a 100-count box of Tootsie pops or the 14-person camping tent that weren't on their list.

Committed to compete with (or beat) Costco's hot dog and soda combo, Sam's version is $1.38 or $0.12 cheaper than Costco's combo, which has been $1.50 since 1985. In 2022, as inflation began to wreak havoc on grocery prices, Costco made a bold and very public statement that its buck-fifty wiener and soda deal would never be more expensive, or the founder might kill someone. Sam's followed with a headline-grabbing move of its own announcing the price drop. In addition to the $0.12 savings, Sam's cups included in the combo hold 10 ounces more soda than Costco's, clearly giving Sam's the lead on combo value. Beyond value, Sam's hot dogs are often regarded as thicker, juicier, more tender, and flavorful than Costco's, crowning it the overall better warehouse club dog for both price and taste.

One thing that Sam's offers in its cafes that Costco hasn't caught up on yet is seasonal and limited time items. These specialty items not only market different food products available in the club, but it gets its social media fans buzzing, sparking curiosity and potentially driving more foot traffic to the warehouses.

Over the holidays, it launched a poll on its social media channels, asking fans to pick between two decadent sundae flavors so tempting Santa might swapped his cookies for a spoon. The winner was the Member's Mark Santa's Milk and Cookie Sundae, loaded with Member's Mark Chocolate Chip Cookie Thins and drizzled with chocolate syrup. To honor Valentine's Day, the February food court special was the Member's Mark Be Mine Choco-Strawberry Sundae, for just $1.58. As part of the club's 40th birthday celebration, they sold birthday cake sundaes starring their vanilla frozen yogurt topped with chunks of cake and colorful sprinkles.

But fro-yo isn't the only famous Sam's food item that gets a seasonal twist. Mashing up Thanksgiving and Christmas meals and layering leftovers on top of weenies, three versions of the "Holidog" were given away for free at Sam's popups in select cities. "Frankly Both" layered pumpkin pie and candy canes between the two buns atop the hot dog, while "The Club Mash Up" mixed mashed potatoes and Christmas cookies.

If the low-priced hot dog combo and sweet sundae treats have you dreaming of your next meal, but you aren't a Sam's Club card carrying member, you're in luck. Sam's Club cafes are open to non-members. Not only can anyone browse the goods, but they can purchase and pay for any cafe items, and either dine in or take the food to go without a member card.

How many other places can you get a full meal, including dessert, for under $5? It won't be a Costco food court unless you're a member or have a friend who is as only Costco members can purchase chicken bakes, a hot dog combo or other offerings from their food courts. Not only can anyone grab a snack at Sam's, they can also get their vision and hearing checked and fill prescriptions as optical, hearing and pharmacy services are all available with or without a Sam's Club membership.

Grab-and-go food grew in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Sam's was definitely paying attention. It recently launched a Grab & Go section where members can get single servings of some of the popular items sold in bulk in the bakery and deli. Menu items include sandwiches, the beloved Mediterranean pasta salad, and others like single-serve Cobb and Caesar salads, sushi, plus cake, sundaes, and beverages. Prices remain low with a slice of Sam's revered tuxedo bar cake for $3.17, or a buttery croissant stuffed with chicken salad for $2.74.

Lauded as one of the cheapest on-the-run meals you can buy, some have even suggested Walmart take a lesson from Sam's and step up its own grab-and-go offers. As an added bonus — or knock against Costco — Sam's is marketing this new convenience offering as available through both Scan & Go and the app where you can order, pay and pick up without having to wait in the dreaded checkout line.

Those who like to compare toilet paper brands, put Sam's Member's Mark Ultra Premium Toilet Paper ahead of Costco's Kirkland Signature Ultra Soft Bath Tissue when it comes to quality. Considered stronger, softer and less linty, the Member's Brand toilet paper has a 4.9-star rating and more than 150,000 reviews on Sam's site with users equating it to more premium brands like Charmin and Quilted Northern.

Price on Sam's potty paper also beats its competitor at Costco. A Sam's pack includes 45 rolls with 235 sheets each or 1,245 square feet of TP for $22.98, while Costco sells 36 rolls with 231 sheets each, totaling 1,039 square feet for $24.99. Despite the bath tissue battle, both brands share this in common: They are both hoarding-worthy. During the COVID-19 pandemic and the potential dock worker shortage in 2024 when consumers started panic buying supplies, both clubs had to limit purchases to one or two packs per visit, and warehouse shelves were often empty for days at a time.

Costco's private-label brand, Kirkland Signature, is behind some of the club's most beloved products, from olive oil, canned tuna, and even premium spirits. Envious of this private-label love, Sam's is on a quest to put its own brand, Member's Mark, on the map, and now proudly boasts its exclusive Member's Mark community. The idea is part of a larger Member's Mark brand growth strategy, designed to give Costco's private brand label more competition and develop stronger brand loyalists by engaging customers in the product development process.

Stepping beyond traditional surveys and focus groups, this community is a group of brand fans invited to share product ideas and test new products before taking them to market. Better quality, lower-priced toys, and hot chocolate-flavored treats were on the community's wish list last holiday season, and Sam's offered a wide assortment of both to club shoppers.

One of the earliest feedback collections in the community was when the prototype of a new Member's Mark grill was given away to 20 grilling enthusiasts across the Dallas area. Using videos and reviews submitted by these beta testers the product team was able to modify the new grill before putting them on sale. The opt-in community has about 50,000 members but Sam's plans to invite club members to join and help it grow.