Sams club or Costco?

[HarrynVegas]

Costco has prime beef which I've never seen ant Sam's. Costco also has the best lamb in the city. Ribs are about the same at either place, but having said that, I usually go to RD since I got my KCBS card.

 

[Untraceable]

Actually, I should point out here that the executive membership at Costco is free. Yes, it costs $100, but you get an additional 2% discount on all your purchases. If at the end of a year, your rebate check doesn't add up to at least $100, they will pay you the difference. This is not advertised, but it is their policy. You can ask for it. At our Costco they will check your rebates and send you to the service desk if you're not getting your full membership back.

Thats not exactly true. They got us on that a couple years back. we did get a check at the end of the year. it didnt cover the membership and they wanted another 100 bucks

 

[DetTigersFan]

as much as I hate to say it probably Sams. I have a Costco but from what I understand Sams is somewhat better for meat.

If you want a RD membership I can get you a card. Save you the membership fee at the other 2 charge.

its a Michigan Custom 'Que benefit!!

What are the prices like at RD?

 

[pitbossJB]

Yeah, it's only free if you buy enough. At least at my Costco.

 

[ButtBurner]

What are the prices like at RD?

well since its a restaurant supply house the prices are about as low as you are going to find on an everyday basis

 

[DetTigersFan]

at the Costcos near us (I am near Ninja) Costco has no bone in pork butts. Only boneless.. No briskets except $$ flats. their other meats are fine but as far as the BBQ meats we are after it pretty much sucks.

Yeah the one in Ann Arbor is like that as well... I like their St Louis cut spares, but the other stuff you mentioned is very true.

 

[2NDXRND]

Costco tends to have significantly better steaks and grilling meats. Sams has better smoking meats. BJs is the other option. I think that 9 out of 10 men prefer BJs, women, not so much.

:clap: This made me blow bourbon out through my nose. Sorry..... miss spent youth and all.......

 

[SmokerKing]

well since its a restaurant supply house the prices are about as low as you are going to find on an everyday basis

and a huge selection

 

[jasonjax]

Beef = Costco
Pork = SAMS

I'm happy with both though.

 

[Demosthenes9]

Actually, I should point out here that the executive membership at Costco is free. Yes, it costs $100, but you get an additional 2% discount on all your purchases. If at the end of a year, your rebate check doesn't add up to at least $100, they will pay you the difference. This is not advertised, but it is their policy. You can ask for it. At our Costco they will check your rebates and send you to the service desk if you're not getting your full membership back.

Thats not exactly true. They got us on that a couple years back. we did get a check at the end of the year. it didnt cover the membership and they wanted another 100 bucks

I just joined Costco last week and got conflicting information Regular membership was $55 and Executive is $110. I was told that the "Executive Member Rebate" minimum was $55, and that if I didn't reach that, they would pay the difference. End result is that the Exec membership would still be $55 for the year if I don't spend enough there.

 

[Luvbbq]

Costco tends to have significantly better steaks and grilling meats. Sams has better smoking meats. BJs is the other option. I think that 9 out of 10 men prefer BJs, women, not so much.

To funny :clap:

 

[IamMadMan]

at the Costcos near us (I am near Ninja) Costco has no bone in pork butts. Only boneless..

I love their boneless pork butts for making Buckboard Bacon, it saves me a lot of time....

 

[ButtBurner]

I love their boneless pork butts for making Buckboard Bacon, it saves me a lot of time....

I use it for sausage

point is all carry it but Costco does not carry bone in

 

[BKish25]

Here in Western PA, Costco. I had formerly belonged to Sam's but liked Costco's meat selection better, plus their frequent "seafood road shows."

 

[Big George's BBQ]

Never Ben to Sams. Costco has pretty good meats.

 

[defence18]

This was an interesting read. Here, the Sams sucks for brisket. The flats are $7.48/lb. And I don't recall ever seeing a whole packer. The Wally World, on the other hand, has full packers for ~$3.50/lb. Go figure. My parents and my in-laws both have Costco memberships. I'll probably go to Costco with one of them to compare them. I also still need to go to RD.

 

[ebijack]

I used to have both Sam's & Costco. Costco is much closer, but I really prefer Sams for the products/meats I use and dropped the Costco years ago. I am not going to pay for both. Thanks to Buttburner I also have a RD card. I typically don't need the quantity that RD sells and their single piece price is very close if not better at Sams at the location I go to. Every Sams location is different and stock different items. The one closest to you Smokeninja is a larger store than the one I shop at. I have made friends at the one I shop at, like the bread guy. As soon as he see's me he asks what I need and brings it to me while I shop. ( the fresh stuff he is bringing in) I used to know all the meat cutters, but that has changed. For the cryopaks, just ask any of the folks prepping the meats in the cold room what size and how many you want. They do not always put the paks out, but they are there. I have never had a problem getting bone in butts etc. Just ask. The thing I do not like is when they decide to make stuff inactive and stop carrying it. Even though the label on the shelf shows an "A" for active doesn't mean it will be there next week. A friend still picks up some items for me from his Sams club due to mine stopped stocking a few items his carries and I do the same for him. I have the Business card, only reason I shop at Sams. I get there at 7am on sat, get in and out quick and don't have to deal with any crowds. Usually only 10 vehicles in the parking lot shopping when I do. If I could not do that, I would not have a Sams club card. That place is NUTS during regular hours.

 

[smoke ninja]

Can you go to various locations with the Sams club card or are you limited to your "home" location.

 

[IamMadMan]

Can you go to various locations with the Sams club card or are you limited to your "home" location.

You can go to any Sam's with a Sam's Club card. The same holds true for BJ's, Costco, and Restaurant Depot. No matter where you are in the country, if you have a card you can shop at any store you desire to visit.

Out of the three Wholesale clubs (BJ's, Coscto, and Sam's) you have to shop as you would at any store. Some things are a great deal, some are the same as you would pay at any other store. The key is convenience of getting everything at one stop and not having to visit multiple stores.

The meats are higher in price at the Costco stores I go to, but in the same manner the quality and marbling of the beef is well above the other two. Things may be different in other areas. However I also find Costco to be the least consistent in product lines; Example.... This spring they started carrying large bottles of Stubb's BBQ sauce, the stuff was flying off the shelf so most times I had to buy 20 bottles at a time just to maintain consistency on my end. Then is August they pulled the Stubb's product and now carry Sweet Baby Ray's.

With BJ's you will find variances from store to store; Example... At or closest store Bush's baked beans are only sold in small can in a six pack carton, however 50 miles away near the shore they have the #10 cans of the same product. The good thing about BJ's is that you can go to customer service and you can have them bring the product in to your local store and will call you when it arrives. As long as it is in their system you can get it.

Sam's has the most consistent product line from store to store, so basically if one has it, they all have it. The one thing I found not be so is the Head Country BBQ sauce. It is in southern stores, but not available in the northern states, and they won't bring a few cases in for you even if you wish to buy all the full cases.

Choose according to your needs.... If you travel a membership to all three can be a life saver at times. To get a membership at Restaurant Depot, simply take your State resale certificate to open an account. I have also heard you can get day passes if you are a KCBS member, but I cannot verify that.


.

I love their boneless pork butts for making Buckboard Bacon, it saves me a lot of time....

I use it for sausage
point is all carry it but Costco does not carry bone in

The BJ's here do not carry boneless pork butts....

 

[SmokerKing]

Went to US Foods Chef's Store in Tempe, AZ. Place is super lean, spacious, but was dead. Seems to be a scaled down version of Restaurant Depot except for hardware. Nice ovens, fridges, etc. for sale and on display.

Beef selection was excellent, featuring local fresh City Meats beef. Pork selection was zero. I'll be going their for my brisket and filet.