BJ's Wholesale Club Vs Sam's Club: Which Membership Is The Better Value?

Whether you have a big family, throw a lot of parties, or just like to buy your essentials in bulk, joining a wholesale club is a great way to cut your costs and stock up on the stuff you use on a daily basis. From toilet paper to produce, these membership clubs will have you covered, often saving you a considerable amount of money in the process. But if you're really focused on getting the best value for your money, you may be wondering: Does BJ's Wholesale Club or Sam's Club offer a better value?

Ultimately, there's not one easy answer; which warehouse club is best for you really just depends on how often you shop, what extra services you want to use, and what you tend to buy from these clubs. But by taking a closer look at the specifics, you might get a better sense of which membership will get you more of what you're looking for. And at the end, we'll give you our assessment about which membership really does offer a better value for the average shopper.

Before you compare any other factor between these two membership clubs, you have to look at the most basic cost of all: the membership fee. Unlike other grocery stores, where anyone can shop, wholesale clubs generally require you to buy a membership to gain entry into the store before you can even buy anything at all. If you shop at these clubs a lot, that membership fee usually ends up being worth it in savings, but that doesn't mean you want to pay more than you have to just to gain access to the store.

Most of the time, Sam's Club memberships are going to be cheaper than BJ's. The standard price for Sam's Club is $50 for the basic tier and $110 for a Plus membership. BJ's, on the other hand, is $60 for the basic membership and $120 for the Plus membership. That being said, you also have to take limited-time deals into account. Sometimes, you can get a basic Sam's Club membership for as little as $25 and a Plus membership for $50. BJ's offers similar deals, with basic memberships going for $20 and Plus cards selling for $70 a year, which some think offers an excellent value. Ultimately, you should take advantage of these deals whenever possible, but all things being equal, Sam's Club is generally going to be more affordable for a membership card.

Shopping at stores that offer competitive pricing may be the best way to save money on your grocery bill, but there are other ways to cut costs in the checkout line. Couponing is one of them, and people who are serious about cutting coupons can often drastically reduce their totals. If you're someone who uses a lot of coupons, though, BJ's may be a better place to shop. This is because BJ's accepts manufacturer coupons, and Sam's doesn't.

Whether Sam's Club's refusal to accept these coupons affects your bottom line with grocery shopping really just depends on how often you use coupons. If you're someone who's always finding great deals with coupons, then there's a good chance that BJ's will offer more bang for your buck. But if you're only an occasional coupon clipper, you may not save that much money by skipping Sam's Club and opting to shop at BJ's instead.

Yes, wholesale clubs are great for grocery shopping, but did you know that they can get you a ton of other perks, too? You can book travel plans through your warehouse club, and you'll often find much better deals than if you were to purchase from rental car, flight, and hotel websites directly. But which membership should you get if you're focused on travel packages?

Well, it depends on what exactly you're looking for from your travel purchases. If you want to be able to plan your whole trip with the store, then BJ's is the way to go. It often offers the best deals, and the website is generally pretty easy to use. Sam's Club does not offer flights, so it's not the best option for those who are looking for a way to book their vacation all in one go.

If you're mostly concerned about booking hotels, though (especially those with great buffets), Sam's Club can get you some serious savings. You'll have to buy your flights separately, but that may not be an issue for those who subscribe to an airline loyalty program.

Some shoppers want to go into the grocery store to pick out exactly what they want, and others are looking for a bit more convenience. If you're super busy or simply don't want to leave the house, then grocery delivery may be a good option. So, which membership club should you join if delivery is a priority? It really depends on how much you're spending and how often you want to take advantage of this service.

At BJ's, delivery is $9.99 with the standard membership, but if you choose the Plus membership, you'll get two free deliveries. Basic Sam's Club members have to pay $12 for grocery delivery, which is more expensive than BJ's delivery and can be a drawback if you don't want to go with the Plus membership. Those who do go that route will get to take advantage of free delivery — the only catch is that you have to spend at least $50. That's not difficult at a warehouse store, but it may not be ideal if you're just trying to grab something specific. Although Sam's Club's delivery options can be attractive to Plus membership members who order delivery frequently on a regular basis, we think that BJ's offers better delivery options for most customers.

Not everyone who's looking for convenience necessarily needs grocery delivery. Some customers would rather just order online and then go pick up their order themselves. If you fall into this camp, then you probably care about how these competitors stack up against one another on the curbside pickup front. Although both Sam's Club and BJ's offer curbside pickup, Sam's Club is the way to go if this is how you like to grab your groceries.

At BJ's, basic members have to pay a $3.99 fee for orders of $50 or less, while Plus members get free curbside delivery. At Sam's Club, on the other hand, all members get totally free delivery, regardless of their membership level or how much they spend. Although BJ's isn't exactly offering a bad deal here, Sam's Club's curbside pickup program is clearly the better perk. It may not be enough to sway you toward Sam's Club definitively, but it's definitely something that you should consider if you plan to place an order online and pick it up at the store.

The prices at different Sam's Clubs and BJ's are going to vary depending on the region and store you're visiting, but it's possible to track prices between these different brands to get a sense of which has the best prices for its products. And this is important, as it should probably be one of your main focuses in determining which store offers a better value. After all, a slightly lower membership fee is never going to make up for significantly higher pricing at a different store, since that'll add up way faster than a once-a-year fee.

According to several different sources, Sam's Club offers lower prices on its products than BJ's. In fact, BJ's is generally considered more expensive than even Costco, making it clear that Sam's Club is way ahead of its competitor on this front. Of course, that's not to say that the products you'll find at Sam's Club are always comparable to those sold at BJ's, but if you're looking at prices alone, Sam's Club is the way to go.

Maybe you're reading through all of these different factors, and considering which each warehouse club offers, you're thinking that BJ's might be the better choice for you. But you go to look up where the nearest BJ's is, and you realize it's way farther than you actually want to drive on a regular basis. Or perhaps you're on the road a lot, and you want to be able to shop for groceries and other necessities at various locations in the country. In these cases, even if BJ's seems appealing, Sam's Club is probably the better option. That's because Sam's Club has a lot more locations in the country than does BJ's Wholesale Club.

In the U.S., there are over 600 Sam's Club locations, particularly in the South and Midwest. BJ's, on the other hand, has just over a third of those locations, mostly scattered along the East Coast. If you don't live on the East Coast (and maybe even if you do), Sam's Club is likely to offer more convenience.

If you like to pick up your medications at the same place you do your grocery shopping, then it only makes sense to join a warehouse club that has a pharmacy. In the case of these stores, Sam's Club is the clear winner, since it has a pharmacy, and BJ's doesn't. Once upon a time, you could grab your prescriptions at BJ's, but the company shut that service down all the way back in 2007.

Not only can you pick up your prescriptions at Sam's Club, but you can also get good deals on them if you choose to join a Plus membership. There are over 600 different medications these members can get for just $10 or less for a monthly supply. Plus, there are 10 different common prescriptions that you can get completely for free when taking advantage of this service. Sam's Club's pharmacy is worth taking advantage of even if you only need prescription medication from time to time, but it's an especially good value for those who take one or more daily medications.

Yes, there are some perks to opting for a BJ's membership over one from Sam's Club. BJ's inches out the competition when it comes to accepting manufacturer coupons and offering grocery delivery, and it can be a solid option for those who like booking their travel by utilizing warehouse club deals. However, Sam's Club still comes out on top in most of these categories. Generally speaking, membership fees are cheaper at Sam's Club, and the products you'll find in-store are more affordable as well. Plus, Sam's Club has a pharmacy, offers better deals on curbside pickup, and even has more locations than the competition.

Deciding which warehouse club is right for you depends on tons of different factors, and only you can decide which one provides you with what you're looking for. But for most shoppers, Sam's Club promises to deliver more value, making it the go-to choice for many budget-minded shoppers.