Costco vs. BJ’s

retroDan — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:51:05 +0000

so, I’ve ended up with a membership to both CostCo AND BJ’s wholesale club. I initially signed up for a CostCo membership a few months ago since I’ve been finding that my growing boys are becoming *eating machines*. my kids have pushed us over the threshold where buying in bulk becomes cost-effective. anyway, after coming and going to CostCo a good number of times we noticed a few negatives, at least from our point of view.
- CostCo isn’t located conveniently for us. It takes approximately 20 minutes for us to get there and it’s always through heavy traffic.
- No matter what time of day or whatever day of the week, the place is ALWAYS crowded. I’m amazed there are so many people out and about purchasing large ticket items there at the store. aren’t we in a recession, people?
- CostCo doesn’t take Visa or Mastercard. only american express or a debit card. definitely a negative in my book. but I guess you can take it as a good thing where it sort of limits your spending.

And that’s when BJ’s came into the picture. Before the holiday season began, we received a two-month free membership coupon for BJ’s so we went ahead and gave them a try. BJ’s overall isn’t as impressive as CostCo in terms of the scope and variety of items offered but we DID encounter some advantages over CostCo.
- BJ’s takes visa/mastercard.
- the BJ’s in our area is closer to us than CostCo which definitely makes things more convenient.
- I’m not sure if it’s the location or what but the BJ’s near us is rarely crowded. and I’m the type of person that HATES crowds so this is definitely a plus in my book.
- Over the holidays, I noticed that BJ’s had a better variety of gift basket items. you know those gift packs of chocolates or perfumes that you purchase when you have absolutely no idea what to get your co-worker or distant relative.
- they also offer self-checkout lanes which helps when the regular checkout lanes are full. CostCo (at least the one in our area) doesn’t have self-checkout lanes which sucks b/c there are always long lines when checking out at CostCo.
- membership is cheaper at BJ’s. With the free trial coupon, we were offered a full year membership for only $35 which is more enticing than Costco’s $50 a year fee.

anyway, it’s a tough call either way especially when you factor in those unique “warehouse only” items CostCo has that are pretty good bargains. But the crowd situation is the kicker for me as well as the long drive to and from CostCo. So, BJ’s Wholesale Club wins in my opinion. But I have the rest of the year before I have to decide on renewals so I’ve got time for CostCo to change my mind.

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Costco vs. BJ’s