Costco or Sams Club?

[MelissaG]

Went shopping for supplies at Sams Club today. 6 self checkouts and one employee manned checkout. Why am I paying these people a yearly fee when I'm checking myself out?

Anyway, I'm trying to decide if it would be a better idea to go to Costco instead even though Costco is an hour drive away. I feel stupid for not realizing Sams is owned by Walmart. That explains so much.

 

[artemis]

Use the app. Ring up your items as you go through the store and check out on your phone. So much easier.

 

[lsg]

I am not a fan of self-checkout myself. Service is something I am paying for as well as merchandise and food. Have you tried delivery service from Sam's Club?

 

[AliOop]

Use the app. Ring up your items as you go through the store and check out on your phone. So much easier.

I've never lived near a Sam's so I wasn't even aware this was a thing. I don't tend to keep a lot of apps on my phone, either. Do any other stores of which you are aware offer that?

 

[artemis]

I've never lived near a Sam's so I wasn't even aware this was a thing. I don't tend to keep a lot of apps on my phone, either. Do any other stores of which you are aware offer that?

I'm not sure. My ShopRite grocery store has an app for "Scan & Go" shopping, but I haven't used it. I like the cashiers at my ShopRite and the lines are reasonable, so I don't feel like I need it. But, you might check and see if your grocery store has such an app.

ETA: Walmart also.

@lsg when it's busy, Sam's employees will come through the lines and use mobile checkout to move customers faster. If that's how they're going to check me out anyway, I might as well do it myself than wait in the line.

 

[TheGecko]

Went shopping for supplies at Sams Club today. 6 self checkouts and one employee manned checkout. Why am I paying these people a yearly fee when I'm checking myself out?

Anyway, I'm trying to decide if it would be a better idea to go to Costco instead even though Costco is an hour drive away. I feel stupid for not realizing Sams is owned by Walmart. That explains so much.

Costco also have self-checkout. I like self-checkout when I only have a few items and it’s been a long day; I can quickly get in and out instead of waiting behind several someones with full carts.

And those whine about how it takes jobs…that’s a load of horse crap. It takes people to build hem. It takes people to maintain them. It takes people to design and maintain the software. It takes people to supervise them. Those are all jobs!

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Costco also have self-checkout. I like self-checkout when I only have a few items and it’s been a long day; I can quickly get in and out instead of waiting behind several someones with full carts.

Ditto.

 

[glendam]

I personally prefer self checkout, perhaps bc I am an introvert, don’t like long lines and also used to be a cashier. At Sam’s I usually use the Scan and Go app, so I do not get in line, even when the lines are short. I get my olive oil from them.
I do try to forget who owns them, as I personally do not shop at Walmart; my mom likes them though, so I buy the membership for Sam’s for her and since it is in my name I do use it. I did look into Costco, the membership is pricier and I cannot justify it based on what I would buy. I have heard good things about Costco photo printing though. I would suggest do what makes sense to you and your business, and what you feel comfortable with.

 

[paradisi]

I like Costco as they have better employment practices than the walmart family stores. And they ship.

 

[MelissaG]

Costco also have self-checkout. I like self-checkout when I only have a few items and it’s been a long day; I can quickly get in and out instead of waiting behind several someones with full carts.

And those whine about how it takes jobs…that’s a load of horse crap. It takes people to build hem. It takes people to maintain them. It takes people to design and maintain the software. It takes people to supervise them. Those are all jobs!

Except they employ far less people doing that. There's a reason things are being automated. Where they used to have 6 lanes open with 6 employees, they now have one employee manning those. Basically 5 jobs are no longer available. This is NOT why I started this conversation gecko. It was not supposed to devolve into politics. I asked which company people preferred.

 

[TheGecko]

Where they used to have 6 lanes open with 6 employees, they now have one employee manning those. Basically 5 jobs are no longer available. This is NOT why I started this conversation gecko. It was not supposed to devolve into politics. I asked which company people preferred.

As a consumer...I LOVE self-checkout. As I noted above there are times when I only need a few things after work and they allow me to quickly get in and out of the store. Even when there is a line for the self-check, they are still faster than going through the old "10 items or less" check stand because there are four machines and so even if some idiot can't count, there are still three more machines.

As a business owner the investment is worth it because in the retail industry, customer service is king. The more customers you can serve in the least amount of time, the more likely that customer is to come back and shop again. And if you know that you can quickly get in and out, you might be more inclined to pick up a couple of more items...maybe even grab one of those small carts.

.

 

[nadsnads]

I love Costco because it has a good reputation for how it treats its employees. I hope that's true and now just some marketing ploy to build goodwill. Never been to a Sam's club so i can't really compare, but Costco's return policy is solid and more often than not i find that they pick good quality products, so i like not worrying too much about getting a dud when i shop there, and that makes me go back often.

I really hate self checkout because it makes me feel like a retailer is trying to make me work instead of paying cashiers. And yes it's work because scanning stuff and punching codes and waiting for an attendant to ring in alcohol is not what i consider to be service. I wish more people stubbornly boycotted self checkout like i do. Instead everybody's slowly training their cashier skills while companies ring in extra profits for automation and not passing them onto us.

 

[MelissaG]

I love Costco because it has a good reputation for how it treats its employees. I hope that's true and now just some marketing ploy to build goodwill. Never been to a Sam's club so i can't really compare, but Costco's return policy is solid and more often than not i find that they pick good quality products, so i like not worrying too much about getting a dud when i shop there, and that makes me go back often.

I really hate self checkout because it makes me feel like a retailer is trying to make me work instead of paying cashiers. And yes it's work because scanning stuff and punching codes and waiting for an attendant to ring in alcohol is not what i consider to be service. I wish more people stubbornly boycotted self checkout like i do. Instead everybody's slowly training their cashier skills while companies ring in extra profits for automation and not passing them onto us.

Yes exactly. Me too. Thank you very much.

 

[lucycat]

I use Sam's because it is close. The closest Costco is 2 hours away. Unless you live in a large city, I suspect most people don't have both close by to compare. I used to order from Costco for a specific cardstock I used in printing. Great service but they no longer carry the item I want.

Both stores are known for their specialty purchases. I love the fruit in my local Sam's because they are always purchasing something great. Last week it was the sapphire grapes, long finger like grapes that are delicious. I also really like their Member's Mark sauvignon blanc wine for my inexpensive house wine. On the downside, Sam's olive oil went up in price in the last month. I had to pay 19.99 last week for their 3-liter bottle.

If you need hearing aids Costco has a super reputation because they don't price with commission, and they are known for having quality audiologists and aids. I think they sell more than 25% of hearing aids in the US. I wish I lived closer to one because their impact is so great it lowers hearing aid prices in the general area.

I like self-check too. It is just quicker. I can easily check out twice with my olive oil using my tax-exempt number and the rest as taxable. At the register it is always slower explaining to the employee that only the olive oil is tax-exempt.

 

[jcandleattic]

And those whine about how it takes jobs…that’s a load of horse crap. It takes people to build hem. It takes people to maintain them. It takes people to design and maintain the software. It takes people to supervise them. Those are all jobs!

you need all those jobs whether it's self check or a manned check-out. It does take jobs away - from teenagers, or single mothers that just need something to get by, or any number of reasons a person may need a job, but don't necessarily have a degree. Those jobs you listed all usually require a degree, or at the very least specialized skills that someone just out of highschool trying to pay for classes, or someone else mentioned above, just may not have, but are trying to get experience in "the real world" so they have the skills to move forward in life.

 

[dibbles]

Having shopped at both, I very much prefer Costco. I have actually known both teenagers and adults who have worked there, and they do treat employees well. That said, Sam's Club was in our area before Costco and it was 25-30 minutes drive for me to get there. I went every 1-2 months. When the Costco opened closer (10 minute drive) we joined. It is in an area where we frequently have other errands to do, so it's no big deal to go in for a couple of items. It helps that hubby likes shopping there and never minds stopping to pick up what we need. So location can play a role in making your decision. Only you know if driving for an hour is something you would be willing to do or not.

The gas prices are the best in our area at Costco.

 

[TheGecko]

I really hate self checkout because it makes me feel like a retailer is trying to make me work instead of paying cashiers.

I don't understand why so many people are having kittens over this issue. First of all, you aren't paying for cashiers, you're paying for groceries or whatever other product the retailer is selling. Second, I remember a time when there used to be folks that were specifically hired to bag your groceries and carry then to your car and load them. Where was the outcry when that went away? In fact, where is the outcry over all the stores that make you bag your own groceries, restaurants that haven't reopened their dining rooms...why aren't people screaming about that? Even more so since none of these are options really.

Self-Check out is an option...you don't have to self-check out, nobody is being forced to as there are regular check stands available.

It does take jobs away - from teenagers, or single mothers that just need something to get by, or any number of reasons a person may need a job, but don't necessarily have a degree. Those jobs you listed all usually require a degree, or at the very least specialized skills that someone just out of highschool trying to pay for classes, or someone else mentioned above, just may not have, but are trying to get experience in "the real world" so they have the skills to move forward in life.

You don't NEED a degree to build machines...last I checked, you can build cars without a degree. You don't NEED a degree to work on them...I checked both our local Community College and regular College and didn't see a degree program for copy repairman and they are just as computerized. And the majority of folks who supervise our self-check outs...were former cashiers so no degree there either. Now you might need a degree to design the software and hardware for self-check out stands, but it would be the same requirement for the regular check stands since it's pretty much the same software and hardware.

So pretty much the whole argument about 'teenagers and single-mothers' is just a bunch of horse feathers.

 

[jcandleattic]

You don't NEED a degree to build machines...last I checked, you can build cars without a degree. You don't NEED a degree to work on them

Like I said, SPECIALIZED SKILLS -

So pretty much the whole argument about 'teenagers and single-mothers' is just a bunch of horse feathers.

That is your opinion and you are entitled to it. I just happen to disagree.