The Rare Meats Shoppers Can Find At Sam's Club But Not Costco

It's not unheard of for shoppers to have memberships to more than one of the three big wholesalers, BJ's Wholesale, Sam's Club, or Costco. Shoppers looking for a bargain will hunt around and know that perhaps you can get higher quality vegetables at one place and pay a bit more, versus veggies that spoil seemingly as soon as you arrive home from a different place. When making pricing comparisons between the two chains, there are a lot of differences, but mostly they're negligible. Insider compared prices at the local Costco and Sam's Club in Western New York and found that while chicken parts were cheaper per pound at Sam's, the ground beef was 19 cents more expensive than Costco. And if you were buying eggs at Sam's Club, you were overspending by nearly a dollar compared to Costco's $1.78 per dozen. Apparently, Costco was cheaper on more of the 25 items compared. And the stores vary not only in price but in quality. One Redditor wrote that "Sam's Club is basically Walmart stuff in bulk at very good prices," while "Costco is high quality stuff at pretty good prices."

But ultimately, where you go for buying in bulk comes down to personal preference. And do you want to spend the extra gas to drive to the other store because they have cheaper cases of Capri-Sun? But if you're looking for hard-to-find cuts of meat, one of those chains may have what you're looking for.

For the shoppers who prefer the rarer cuts of meat but don't have the budget to go to a butcher, Sam's Club might be the place to go, according to some posters in a Costco Facebook group. "Sam's is cheaper for most meat," said one member. "And they carry oxtail, tongue, and other parts that my Costco doesn't." Brisket and T-bone steaks also seem to be readily available, on top of being cheaper — around $10 to $20 cheaper — than Costco (via Kitchn). Some Redditors who smoke meat also depend on Sam's Club for their meat prices and variety but insist that regional variations in price and supply play a role when choosing between the two stores.

The Grocery Store Guy ran a few comparisons between the meat Sam's Club and Costco carry. Both retailers sell USDA Prime and Choice cuts of meat, which are two of the highest-quality steak grades available (via USDA). Sam's Club offers briskets, sirloin, and tenderloin, amongst others. Costco meat, on the other hand, is fresher and wrote that "Costco's brisket is perceived to have slightly better flavor and texture." However, Sam's gives you a better deal with their prices. Sam's Club was about 41% cheaper than Costco at the time of writing. Sam's Club stores are more convenient, though – 600 locations versus Costco's 579 stores.