Instant Alert: We shopped at Costco and Sam's Club to see which is better — and there's a clear reason why you should join one over the other

MANAGE SUBSCRIPTIONS   |   UNSUBSCRIBE   |   VIEW ONLINE   We shopped at Costco and Sam's Club to see which is better — and there's a clear reason why you should join one over the other by Jessica Tyler on Mar 6, 2018, 2:20 PM Advertisement Costco and Sam's Club are very similar membership-based warehouse stores that offer a huge variety of products and services from eye exams to photo printing. The only significant difference between the stores is the cost of membership, with Sam's Club costing $15 less annually than Costco. I went to a Costco and Sam's Club in Westchester County, New York, and found that the cost and quality were comparable enough that the deciding factor between the two stores might just be how close you live to each one.  Costco and Sam's Club are membership-based warehouse stores selling groceries, clothing, furniture, and everything in between. Both stores offer eye and ear exams, a pharmacy, one-hour photo services, and a food court at affordable prices. Even the return policies are similar, with both stores accepting most items with or without a receipt.  After visiting both stores in succession, I found there was only one major difference between them: the cost of membership. Costco charges $60 annually for a basic membership and $120 for an executive membership, while Sam's Club charges only $45 annually for a basic membership and $100 for a premium membership.  According to a grocery-store ranking from Consumer Reports, the higher membership costs at Costco might be worth it — it ranked higher than Sam's Club in cleanliness, meat and produce quality, customer service, store-brand quality, and prices of organic items.  To see for myself which store offers a better deal, I went to Costco and Sam's Club stores in Westchester County, New York. This is what I found: SEE ALSO: How to shop at Costco without a membership First, I went to Costco. I got there about five minutes after it opened, and I was surprised by how many people were there so early. Even though it's a members-only store, no one was at the door checking for memberships. At the front of the store was a one-hour photo station. There were rows of TVs ranging in price from $500 to $2,000. See the rest of the story at Business Insider   Share the latest business news with your network:    Email sent to: nguyenvu1187.love5@blogger.com   |   Manage your email preferences   |   Unsubscribe Terms of Service   |   Privacy Policy Business Insider. 150 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011