A Complete Overview of Sam’s Club

Sam’s Club is an affordable warehouse club where members can save on groceries, household necessities and electronics. Membership costs may vary; however, you might even find offers which make your membership fee worth your while!

Costco and Sam’s Club are two of the world’s largest membership clubs, but which one is best for you? NerdWallet analyzes prices, rewards and perks of each to help make an informed decision.

A Complete Overview of Sam’s Club Membership Options

Sam’s Club offers discounted prices and other member perks that can save money when purchasing household products in bulk, but the company also has numerous practical member benefits that can save money both everyday items and big ticket items.

People looking to join can either visit the membership desk in-person or create an online account to quickly sign up. Available membership options include Club and Plus memberships; with Plus members receiving more exclusive benefits like the Scan & Go shopping app for checkout line skipping and pay by phone; in addition, Plus members get 2% Sam’s Cash back on qualifying purchases, plus discounted additional cards of $45 annually.

Sam’s Club membership also attracts people seeking travel perks. Their travel portal helps travelers hunt down deals on vacation essentials such as hotels, airfare, rental cars and cruise packages – with one booking site for everything including price comparison between agencies and destinations.

Sam’s Club recognizes that pet ownership is an integral part of their demographic, which is why they’ve teamed up with Spot Pet Insurance to offer discounts on medical, dental and behavioral coverage for furry family members. While not widely known, this perk can help people save on costs such as veterinarian bills, medication or any other related to owning dogs, cats or other household pets.

Sam’s Club membership also brings with it many attractive benefits, including access to its food court. These eateries serve a range of dishes and snacks like pizza, Nathan’s Famous hot dogs and brownie sundaes – among many others!

Online Shopping

Costco currently boasts around 800 locations while Sam’s Club runs approximately 600, but you don’t need to be near one in order to take advantage of their deals. You can shop online using Sam’s Club guest membership without incurring an annual membership fee upfront.

The Sam’s Club app makes your membership work for you wherever you are, whenever it suits you best. Use it to scan items in store to skip checkout lines, find savings, schedule Curbside Pickup (with minimum purchase requirement), check gas prices, shop groceries, home goods, tech, and more at members-only prices and discover Member’s Mark products especially designed for you!

Sam Walton began his entrepreneurial life as an owner of his own five-and-dime in Midwest City, Oklahoma. Knowing first-hand the struggles associated with running small businesses himself, he sought to provide them with products they could rely on at competitive prices – so he founded Sam’s Club in 1983 with no-frills shopping experience and great values on products they use every day. Even today this business continues to operate under these same principles!

Pickup

Sam’s Club curbside pickup provides you with an efficient way to purchase bulk quantities without ever entering its warehouses. Simply order through either their app or website and then schedule your pickup time when it comes time to checkout – there will be available slots based on location, time of day and membership status – plus earlier pickup windows may even be made available!

As soon as your pickup window opens, head directly to the store and look for “Curbside Pickup” parking spots. A team member will load your order directly into your car; simply check in via your app when you arrive and they’ll verify your ID and order number before loading your order into it.

Traditional Sam’s Club coupons don’t work with pickup, but all same-day Instant Savings offers from the monthly ad will automatically apply at checkout. Plus, you can mix Shipping and Pickup orders in one transaction; just be sure that only items eligible for pickup are added to your cart; otherwise a warning will appear and only one person is able to pick up. You also cannot list someone else to pick up your order; they must go inside store.

Delivery

Sam’s Club outshines Costco and BJ’s in terms of grocery prices, membership fee, in-store tech with Scan & Go capabilities and ancillary services like pharmacy, optical and hearing centers. Furthermore, it boasts an improved rewards plan with higher earn rates, extended shopping hours and free curbside pickup service.

Warehouse clubs are no-frills stores that specialize in selling bulk items at discounted rates. Their expansive stores feature towering shelves filled with goods stacked straight off pallets; Sam’s Club stocks similar selections of TVs, cleaning supplies and headache remedies as any grocery store. However, its selection is significantly smaller (4,000 stock keeping units (SKUs), while your typical supermarket typically carries around 30,000.

Sam’s Club outpriced all other warehouse clubs we analyzed in six of eight categories we measured, with Costco and BJ’s tied for two others. Their Kirkland Signature private label consistently outperforms name brands in blind taste tests at competitive prices while digital Instant Savings are automatically applied at checkout via their app.

Return policies vary among major clubs, with Costco offering the most generous return policies while Sam’s doesn’t match them; its satisfaction guarantee doesn’t provide as many electronics returns, while Sam’s accepts most items back within 90 days for return. All three clubs offer complimentary guest membership and members may add one household card; membership fees differ between clubs with Sam’s Club offering one for $50 annually while BJ’s can offer its services through Groupon offers for only $15 annually.