# Costco's vs Sam's club



## jokensmoken

Any of you folks have experience with Sam's club meats? I generally go to Costco's for my meats, due mainly to their prime grade briskets but lately my selection hasn't been great and they havent had bone in butts all season.
I'm headed to Sam's club today to browse but thought I'd throw this out and ask for opinions.
Thanks for any feed back.
Walt


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## baboy

I shop at both as they are equal distance from our house. I love the self checkout at Sams and the lines are much shorter and not as crowded. The Sams club by us sells beef cheeks, tripe, tongue, and some other cuts that are not at Costco.

Beef cheeks in the instant pot are to die for.


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## banderson7474

I'm sick of Sams.  Their chicken tastes like steroid rubber and their pork ribs are more expensive than local grocery store.  To me, the only good thing is if you want to buy a high dollar beef loin like to slice rib eyes.

It sounds like Costco is a lot better but I'd have to drive an 1.5hrs to get to one.


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## chilerelleno

My Costco's meat dept is really pissing me off lately.
No more Bone-in Butts, which also means no more Bone-in CSRs.
Haven't seen any more whole Pork Bellies, just sliced either 1/4" or 1".
And last week they told me no more Packer Briskets for the foreseeable future due to supply problems.

And I used to love their meat dept.
But I think they've someone new managing it, and they are no longer listening to their customers.


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## uncle eddie

We only have Sam's but my experience at our Sam's is the opposite of 

 banderson7474
.  Our meat quality is very good and, if I call ahead, the butchers will do anything - including removing the point from the flat on a brisket and just sell me the point (or just the flat).


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## banderson7474

The one here is so weak, I didn't even see brisket.  Maybe it was just an off weekend but so sick of paying an annual fee for basically only bulk butt paper.


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## Bearcarver

uncle eddie said:


> We only have Sam's but my experience at our Sam's is the opposite of
> 
> banderson7474
> .  Our meat quality is very good and, if I call ahead, the butchers will do anything - including removing the point from the flat on a brisket and just sell me the point (or just the flat).




Wow!!--They'll sell you Just the Point !!
That's Awesome!!

Bear


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## noboundaries

We gave up our Sam's membership years ago. Once we started seeing things that indicated poor cleanliness standards, we were done.

Costco was our go-to meat place for years and years, then their meat changed, getting tougher. I thought it might just be me, but my wife agreed. Their beef had a metallic taste and was hard to chew. I didn't change anything in the way I prepared the meat. I almost gave up our Costco membership I was so unhappy, but my wife said we're keeping it because she has things she always buys there.

About the ONLY meat I buy there any more is boneless pork butt. I find better meat (beef, pork, and chicken) at my local discount grocers than I do at Costco. I can usually beat their price, too.


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## 6GRILLZNTN

I gave up Costco, and Sam's a while back.  Going to either one is a case study of humanity gone awry.  Getting a cart to the where I need to go is like driving in a Nascar race.  For me, it's not worth the effort to save a few bucks.  I also try to support local businesses, or farms whenever I can.  There is nothing like a market where they shake my hand, ask me about my day, and hand me a piece of meat that was chomping grass 24 hours ago!  Support your local Butchers and Farmers Markets!


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## SmokinAl

I gave up my Costco card a year ago, cause the closest one is about 1 1/2 hours each way. Sam's is only an hour away & I just got a flyer in the mail that said they will be carrying several cuts of Prime meats. They said all their stores will be doing the same.
Al


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## hardcookin

My local Sam's has prime brisket and angus brisket.
Agree...not really in love with their chicken.
Ribs is so so. Usually get ribs somewhere else.


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## jokensmoken

Thanks for the feed back...seems no one is really in love with either...
I went to Sam's to browse yesterday as my Costco hasnt had bone in butts this season, their brisket selection has been poor,  I havent seen a pork belly there in quite some time, and and, and and, and....
So Sam's club has good prices on bone in butts ($1.30/lb)...their prime brisket selection was TWO briskets, both kinda sad looking even for prime...they had real nice looking certified Angus flats that were far less than any box store.
My assessment is I'll drop both...my intent was to find someplace I could walk in the door and buy consistantly good meats when needed.  Neither really fits that bill...I have an equally good selection for butts ribs and briskets between my local GFS and Krogers....


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## banderson7474

jokensmoken said:


> Thanks for the feed back...seems no one is really in love with either...
> I went to Sam's to browse yesterday as my Costco hasnt had bone in butts this season, their brisket selection has been poor,  I havent seen a pork belly there in quite some time, and and, and and, and....
> So Sam's club has good prices on bone in butts ($1.30/lb)...their prime brisket selection was TWO briskets, both kinda sad looking even for prime...they had real nice looking certified Angus flats that were far less than any box store.
> My assessment is I'll drop both...my intent was to find someplace I could walk in the door and buy consistantly good meats when needed.  Neither really fits that bill...I have an equally good selection for butts ribs and briskets between my local GFS and Krogers....



How much have you used Krogers?  I was able to get the cell number of the butcher at my krogers and text orders to pick up.


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## Cabo

Our Costco only has boneless butts also.  The briskets are flats only and do not look too good.  Anyone go to BJs?  We have a new one in our area


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## noboundaries

I can't let a discussion like this go without sharing a brisket story about my closest Costco. For quite a while their briskets were cut in half...LENGTHWISE! I remember standing at the meat counter dumbfounded.  Who cuts a brisket like that?! WHY? It went on for quite a while, a year or two, before I started seeing full packers again. I thought it might be a foreign culture thing for specific dishes, but never did find anything to support that cut. Didn't matter though, because I buy my packers elsewhere.


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## banderson7474

that's weird.  I have never even seen that before


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## sandyut

I have two costcos close by.  the closer of the two has ok meat selection, but often run out of briskets.  I have had to ask if they have any in back the last two times i went.  But then I found the oasis - the one a few miles further away is the largest costco in the USA and the beef cooler is mind blowing!!  shelves of every roast there is, dozens of briskets to choose from (all prime on my last few visits).  seriously off the hook - I only go there now.  I feel lucky.


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## tallbm

Before I got my Costco membership I toured both stores in the North Dallas area.  I am fairly adamant about not giving anything Walton family related my business.  

I worked for Walmart while in college and I'm grateful I had a job that paid me  and all BUT the way that business and other Walmart affiliated business are intentionally run (on both sides employee and consumer) drives me to avoid giving them my business as much as possible.  They should be ashamed.

Anyhow, Costco beat the crap out of the Sams I visited in my area, which I had imagined would happened, so I got a Costco membership!  I have no complaints about the meat in the West Plano Costco other than sometimes the prices are not better then local grocery store weekly deals so there is some give and take there but totally worth the membership in my area.

FYI, just last year that Sams in my area closed the doors overnight and put all of their employees out of jobs without them knowing.  The employees came to work the next day with a sign on the door letting them know the store closed down and the doors chained up.  They didn't know what was going on and now had to find jobs.
Just another example of how Walmart and their other businesses run.

So in all I try hard to avoid Walmart, Sams, and Lowes.  I can't always do so when I'm traveling around the country or living everyday life but I sure as hell make those stores my lowest options.


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## texomakid

I've never been in a Costco but I do like some of the meat we get from Sam's. For us, Sam's is a good place to shop "for certain things" and meat is one of them but it's not our only source for meat. The quality has always been good and prices seem fair for the area. I've seen select, choice, & prime briskets available at our local Sam's.


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## HalfSmoked

We only have a Sam's in our area. We buy from a local butcher shop mostly may be a little more in cost but that is off set by quality.

Warren


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## sysiphus

Wanted to drop one or the other, but Costco has our favorite paper goods and coffee pods, and Sam's has the double pack of bone-in butts.  I have never had any luck with boneless butts.


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## kelbro

No brisket at our Costco.


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## chilerelleno

sysiphus said:


> Wanted to drop one or the other, but Costco has our favorite paper goods and coffee pods, and Sam's has the double pack of bone-in butts.  I have never had any luck with boneless butts.


The secret to boneless Butts is to truss them up tightly.


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## S-met

baboy said:


> I shop at both as they are equal distance from our house. I love the self checkout at Sams and the lines are much shorter and not as crowded. The Sams club by us sells beef cheeks, tripe, tongue, and some other cuts that are not at Costco.
> 
> Beef cheeks in the instant pot are to die for.


The Sam'sclub app lets you scan and pay from your phone. No lines!

In regards to the 2 companies, its varies depending on region and needs. I have 3 Sam's and 4 costco surrounding me in about a 60 mile radius. 3 in affluent area's and the rest in a mix of lower income area's.
According to a regional produce distributor for both stores, demands drive some of content and volumes. The affluent and lower incom ag community's have less processed/frozen food and larger produce sections than does the ones located in the lower income city.

I also heard some of their products are regionally sourced for cost savings and supply availability. Its plausible that one area gets better meat than others.


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## sysiphus

I always think of tying it up as I'm trying to "pull" it (desperately trying to tear pork that should be sliced...)


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## chilerelleno

sysiphus said:


> I always think of tying it up as I'm trying to "pull" it (desperately trying to tear pork that should be sliced...)


Trussed boneless can be Sliced just as well as being Pulled.
Just a matter of IT.
Sliced 165°-185°
Pulled 195°+. Probe Tender


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## chopsaw

chilerelleno said:


> Trussed boneless can be Sliced just as well as being Pulled.
> Just a matter of IT.
> Sliced 165°-185°


Yup , comes out good .


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## Jonok

For butts go to your local independent grocery store and talk to the butcher.  Everybody buys butts as cases and it’s usually not hard to talk the butcher into letting you have something close to his case price (usually much closer to $1/# than $2/#) if you’ll take the whole case. You also aren’t stuck with the cookie-cutter 7# Smithfield stuff that Sams sells. 9-11# make much better pulled pork and are very forgiving.
When I buy a case locally, it almost always comes in under $100, and it’s not too hard to rathole whatever I don’t cook in a freezer someplace.


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## texomakid

S-met said:


> The Sam'sclub app lets you scan and pay from your phone. No lines!



Yes! The Sam's club app is all we use. shop/scan/leave .......... easy peasy.


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