Costco's Kirkland Brand Vs. Sam's Club Member's Mark: Which Is Better For 12 Popular Foods?

They are two of the largest grocery store brands on the market, thanks to the membership-only retail powerhouses that produce them. Both Kirkland and Member's Mark, the exclusive brands of Costco and Sam's Club respectively, are stamped across millions of food products worldwide, and due to the similar business models of their parent companies, these products can often mirror one another heavily. For every Kirkland muffin found at Costco, there will almost certainly be a Member's Mark muffin of similar size and flavor to match it across the street at the neighboring Sam's Club. This naturally makes for some serious rivalry among consumers as to which is superior.

But whether you're a die-hard Costco super-shopper or a fiercely-loyal Sam's Club frequenter, one thing's for sure: there are a few objective winners among the two brands when it comes to certain products. Whether it be a lower price point, a greater number of flavor choices, or simply an all-around better taste, check out these 12 popular foods which are better from either Kirkland or Member's Mark.

Store-bought rotisserie chicken has become one of the best deals around when it comes to getting your money's worth of poultry — from either Costco or Sam's Club. Both warehouses offer whole, fully-cooked chickens of nearly the same size and price in their meat departments: about 3 pounds for $4.99 at Costco, and $5 at Sam's Club, respectively. This near-identical status has led to a rather fierce rivalry as to which store's birds come in first place for taste. Though the competition is extremely close to call, it appears that Costco's chickens come out just slightly in the lead among customers.

When one assesses the countless reviews, discussions, and head-to-head comparisons online, Costco's Kirkland rotisserie chicken harbors just a hair more positive buzz than its Member's Mark rival. Some of the reasons outlined by shoppers for this alleged superiority include the higher level of moistness and flavor promised by Costco's rotisseries compared with their Sam's Club cousins, as well as a supposed more balanced level of salt. However, coming to this conclusion felt a bit like splitting hairs: if you end up with a Member's Mark chicken from Sam's Club, we're sure you'll be just as satisfied as the plethora of loyal shoppers who love them.

In 2020, Costco suddenly and without warning discontinued one of its food court favorites, the coveted Combo Pizza. Though the reasons for this seemingly-strange menu slice (pun intended) are unknown, it left a hole in the hearts of Costco shoppers craving veggie-loaded pizzas everywhere. 

But yet, a glimmer of hope was to be found across the street at Sam's Club. The competing company has continually offered full-sized vegetable-topped Member's Mark combo pizzas (officially called Deluxe on the Sam's menu) in its cafe, along with cheese, pepperoni, and four meat options — making for a total of four great-tasting flavor options. This is a far cry better than the selection at Costco, which includes only cheese or pepperoni as topping choices for its pizzas. In addition, Sam's pizzas are an entire dollar cheaper than the Costco ones: around $8.88, compared to $9.95. While admittedly the Kirkland pizzas are a tad bigger in diameter (18 inches around, while the Member's Mark ones are 16), we're not sure it's an extreme enough difference to counteract the superior flavor choices in this case. We suppose only you can be the judge of that come your next epic pizza night.

There are few snacks as quick and convenient as the granola bar, so it's no wonder both Kirkland and Member's Mark versions go flying off the store shelves. While Costco produces multiple granola bar variants via its Kirkland brand, Sam's Club produces just one by Member's Mark — making Costco the automatic winner when it comes to sheer number of choices alone. Then, when you consider that the best deal can also be found via one of Kirkland's granola bar products, the title becomes Costco's twice over. 

Member's Mark's Better Nut Bar consists of a 24-count box for $12.96, while one of Kirkland's bar products offers shoppers the opportunity to take home nearly triple the amount for the same price. The Kirkland Signature Soft & Chewy Granola Bars come in a $12.59 box with 64 individually-wrapped treats — a number  which will go a lot farther for lunch packing than the 24 days-worth you'll get out of the Member's Mark box. Admittedly, these two bars have different flavor profiles; so if you have to buy both and taste-test them in advance before making your decision on what you'll purchase going forward, so be it. But when it comes to bang for your buck, Kirkland's got it in the bag, or should we say, the grocery cart, in this case. 

We all know how quickly the price of alcohol can add up, so finding discounts on handles wherever possible is something many shoppers strive for. Cue Costco and Sam's Club — both of which are known for their significant deals on wine, beer, and various spirits and liquors. Though the two stores are generally comparable from a price standpoint when it comes to their bottles of vodka (both of which come in 1.75 milliliter containers), one stands the clear winner in regard to overall consistency and taste.

Sam's Member's Mark vodka is praised consistently on online platforms like Reddit and Tastings by consumers that point out an exceptionally smooth taste, zesty aroma, and pleasant warming aspect. Costco's Kirkland version, on the other hand, has found itself under fire on similar websites as of late, inspiring threads such as: "Anyone else think the Kirkland Vodka got ... Much worse?" or "What is going on with the Kirkland brand of Vodka?" While admittedly a few of these posts appear to have stemmed from specific bad batches or recall incidents (such as the time some bottles of Kirkland vodka were found to be mixed with rum), Member's Mark undoubtedly has the better track record.

The right tortilla chip can make or break a chips-and-salsa appetizer, so finding the right one to serve at your fiesta is paramount. Thankfully, you'll be able to find a delicious Kirkland or Member's Mark option during your trip to either Costco or Sam's Club — but if you're trying to decide between the two brands, we'd recommend Kirkland for the chip you'll be dunking into your bowl of spicy dip.

When it comes to both price and taste, the Kirkland Signature Organic Tortilla Chips beats out the comparable Member's Mark Red Quinoa Chia Tortilla Chips in spades. While the Member's Mark bags go for around $4.48 for 16 ounces worth of chips, you get a whopping 40 ounces for just $7.45 with the Kirkland variant — a much more economical purchase. Additionally, while the Member's Mark chips appear to make for an acceptable treat, consumer raving regarding the Kirkland bags litters the internet in droves. "These are honestly the best tortilla chips I've ever had," said one satisfied shopper on Reddit – giving voice to the overall consumer feel surrounding the exceptionally delicious product. Considering both the ample shining reviews and the impressive price-per-ounce, we have a hard time denying Kirkland the title of superior tortilla chip in this case.

When you don't have time to whip up some fresh burgers from scratch, a sleeve of frozen ones from the deep freezer can save the day in a pinch. And according to shoppers, Member's Mark has a particularly delicious frozen burger product waiting in the freezers at your local Sam's Club that is so good, you might even choose to serve it over your homemade burger recipe in the first place.

The Member's Mark 80/20 Ground Angus Beef Patties are a package of 18 frozen burgers that are listed as being occasionally unavailable due to high demand on the Sam's Club website — and according to consumers, it's no wonder. Multiple shoppers on Reddit boldly declare that these tasty Member's Mark burgers blow Kirkland's own sleeves of allegedly bland, sometimes off-putting, beef patties out of the water. "The Kirkland ones have always tasted bad to me," said one user under r/Costco. "[...] The only ones I like now are the Sam's Club Member's Mark Angus burgers. They're the only ones that don't taste like there is some weird unwanted additive these days." Claims of a more wholesome flavor coming from the Sam's Club patties are echoed on other platforms, as well. Given the collection of lukewarm reviews for the Costco sleeves in conjunction with the many shining ones for Sam's, we've got to give this win to Member's Mark.

Both Kirkland and Member's Mark's bakery cookies are praised equally by consumers for their moist, sweet, satisfying taste — so a simple battle of flavor may end only in a disappointing tie when attempting to determine which brand has the objectively better cookie in this case. Therefore, another important element of these delicious morsels must be considered: the price tag.

Kirkland's Chocolate Chip Cookies currently go for around $9.99, and Member's Mark's go for $7.99 — so on dollars alone, Sam's packs are obviously cheaper. However, when you look at how many cookies you get in each pack, Costco actually provides a slightly better deal. Costco's Kirkland cookie packs come with 24 cookies included, making each one approximately 41 cents a piece. With Member's Mark, the shopper gets 18 — putting each cookie at just a slightly-higher 44 cents a piece. As close as this is, some may consider it negligible — so how tight you prefer to be with your savings may determine whether or not you make a special trip to Costco over Sam's Club for this particular treat. Either way, you've got a pretty good chance of enjoying dessert, we'd say.  

Frozen berries are a wonderful and popular addition to smoothies and oatmeal bowls, so not surprisingly, there are options to be found in both Costco and Sam's Club's freezer sections that are produced by their in-house brands. The Signature Three Berry Blend by Kirkland and the Natural Triple Berry Blend by Member's Mark differ only by label — both are 4 pound bags of an equal assortment of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries for just over $13.

So what makes one of these mixes better than the other? Well, that would be the oracle that is the majority consumer reviews. Oddly enough, the bags of Kirkland berries are knocked down consistently in online threads for being overly seedy — so much so, that some shoppers find the product to be intolerable. The Sam's Club version, however, appears to harbor a much larger collection of positive reviews, with the majority of shoppers on the company's website praising the quality and taste of the berries rather than complaining about seeds destroying their breakfast smoothies. If you're looking to avoid having to pack a toothpick alongside your breakfast-on-the-go every morning, you may want to opt for the Member's Mark blend.

Who hasn't used Costco's bakery for their wedding, graduation party, promotion ceremony, or birthday celebration cake? The Kirkland bakery cakes are so widely celebrated, they are often considered one of the best products put out by the wholesaler, and they come out on top nearly every time when compared to Sam's Club's Member's Mark cake creations.

"I prefer Costco sheet cake and it's pretty well known that Costco's cake is delicious," said a user on Reddit under r/Weddingsunder10k. "I don't hear much about Sam's club cake and when I tried it, it was more similar to a regular grocery store cake – not as moist and rich." Another commenter piggybacked off of this comment, supporting the claim that the Member's Mark cakes are similar to what you'd find in the aisles of its parent company, Walmart. "Go straight to Costco. Do not pass go, do not collect $200," joked another on the thread, going on to suggest that the entire reason for their Costco membership had been on account of its superior bakery. With reviews this grand, Kirkland certainly takes the cake.

An indulgent weekend breakfast just isn't complete without a pan of sizzling bacon, so as you're walking through the aisles of either Costco or Sam's Club picking out your eggs and pancake mix, stop by the refrigerated section and grab a pack of pork strips to add to the cart. While the stores both offer either Kirkland or Member's Mark branded bacon strips, as it turns out, the Sam's Club ones may just make the better accompaniment to your platter of syrupy waffles.

Costco's Kirkland bacon is sometimes referred to by samplers as being overly salty, greasy, or fatty, and thus many consider Member's Mark the better strips on account of their balanced fat-to-meat ratio and overall manageable level of salt. One of our very own taste-testers evidenced this with a review featuring photographs of the two products in question, displaying the greater ratio of pink meat vs. white fat on the Member's Mark product next to its Kirkland counterpart. If super-salty, fatty bacon is your jam, then you may not have any issue with Kirkland's take on a pork strip, but if these aspects stand to ruin your palate at the table, you may want to pick up a pack of Member's Mark instead.

The bakery croissant battle between Costco and Sam's Club is well-established, with a plethora of opinions on both sides as to which wholesaler has the better product. Given that the price difference between the Member's Mark and Kirkland-branded 12-packs of croissants is only a penny (around $5.99 at Costco and $5.98 at Sam's Club), the overall tastiness of the product must be assessed to determine a winner. Drum roll, please: although it's an extremely close call, Kirkland's croissants appear to come out just slightly ahead by the way of positive shopper reviews.

Kirkland's straight croissants are highlighted for having what many eaters feel is both a higher quality and superior level of freshness over the Member's Mark's round ones. One Reddit user in particular pointed this out using a rather interesting observation: the Costco croissants, they claimed, begin to deteriorate on the kitchen counter in around 3 days. Sam's Club's, however, can sit upwards of two weeks, and still be just as moist as they were on day one. This suggests that more preservatives may be included in the Member's Mark's bakery product as compared with its Kirkland counterpart, potentially giving credence to the fresher taste many shoppers claim to experience while eating a Costco croissant.

Due to its perishable nature, produce is what the majority of shoppers hit the store most often to replenish. And when it comes to the bulk wholesaler you should be stopping at to pick up your next round of apples, oranges, bananas, broccoli, or salad greens? Well, the answer might surprise you.

Costco may have Sam's Club slightly beat when it comes to worldwide presence, but it does not have it beat in terms of fresh fruits and vegetables, according to consumers. Official online comparisons and Reddit users alike have given the title of first place in produce to Member's Mark on many occasions, hailing it for maintaining its freshness longer and being an overall better deal from a financial standpoint. Really, it's a win-win for fruit lovers everywhere — all you've got to do is get yourself a Sam's Club card and check it out for yourself. But if a Costco membership is all you've got for now, never fear — we're sure you'll find some great veggies for the week at your local Kirkland-selling warehouse, too. After all, these two don't place among the world's leading bulk retailers for nothing.

To determine whether or not Costco's Kirkland or Sam's Club's Member's Mark produces better versions of 12 popular foods, customer reviews on blogs, websites and publications — as well as both companies' official websites — were scrupulously assessed. Official price comparisons were made using information made public by the retailers, as well as shopper videos and photographs snapped from within the warehouses themselves. The writer's own experiences were also taken into account as applicable. However, it's important to note that taste is highly subjective, and both prices and deals can be regional in nature.