Sam’s Club -VS- Costco

[PhantomEB]

It's also worth noting that the occasional Costco provides propane refilling - obviously subject to the zoning and other regulations of the area.

Thank god my Costco Still fills propane tanks. 3 on the property here and 4th goes for new valve soon. My brother asks me to swap out tanks with him when he empties them out camping If I got full ones And e-transfers me 17$ a tank. His are labelled so we knows who’s is who.

 

[413dan]

I've got Costco and Bj's memberships. No Sam's Clubs near me. Bj's seems to provide bulk, but a little smaller than Costco. This is helpful on some things as I just dont have the space in/at my current living conditions for super bulk packs of some things. Once I have more fridge and freezer space that may change. I second Costco meats are fantastic. I like the meat selection at BJS quite a bit as well. Bjs produce is awesome too.

Either way whichever you go with, you end up saving on things like toilet paper, paper towels, laundry stuff etc. Other things are different between the two and I get a little of each at both. I love the roasted salted peanuts at Costco. Bjs doesn't sell an alternative in my area, only a honey roasted variant. It's little things. Costco uses real diamonds in jewelry, bjs jewelry has lab grown. Sorry to go off topic with another comparison that wasn't named. YMMV, good luck.

 

[minke]

It would be nice if Costco gas included mid-grade. My truck's owners manual says not to use
less than 87 octane even at high altitude. Mid-grade here at >6,000 feet above sea level is 87.

 

[MOS3522]

It would be nice if Costco gas included mid-grade. My truck's owners manual says not to use
less than 87 octane even at high altitude. Mid-grade here at >6,000 feet above sea level is 87.

That's an odd instruction unless your engine is turbocharged or supercharged. What altitude do you operate at?

 

[minke]

That's an odd instruction unless your engine is turbocharged or supercharged. What altitude do you operate at?

I'm puzzled since you are from CO too. For the lowlanders out there, our gas pumps usually provide 85, 87,
and 91 octane. I have the belief that low altitude 87 is the same as our 85 but it measures differently at 6,000
feet.

To answer your question, the engine is a 6.2 liter V8 in a '17 F-350. Cutting and pasting from the owners manual
(I feel compelled to check due to my geriatric memory)

"Some fuel stations, particularly those in​

high altitude areas, offer fuels posted as​

regular unleaded gasoline with an octane​

rating below 87. We do not recommend​

these fuels. ".​

​

I live at ~6.250 feet. To answer an unasked question I have tried 85 and could not detect a difference.

 

[MOS3522]

I’m at 7200. Lower atmospheric pressure means less air on intake and lower octane gas is fine for most cars. But if you have a turbo the pressure of the turbo will prevent that.

 

[minke]

I’m at 7200. Lower atmospheric pressure means less air on intake and lower octane gas is fine for most cars. But if you have a turbo the pressure of the turbo will prevent that.

No,,, no turbo. Just the vanilla 6.2L V8 that came with the F-350. Perhaps there is no good reason
for me to use 87 mid-grade but the owners manual was unambiguous.

 

[N_Jay]

If it is direct injection, it can run lean, and need higher octane fuel.

 

[rsparks64]

We belong to both. We also have belonged to both when living in another state. They are similar, but we have always preferred Costco. Both have good gasoline prices when they have pumps, regardless of whether you use their card or not. We have and Executive Costco membership with Costco (it only costs a bit more and the bonuses are tad better). They track your spending and at the end of the year you get a rebate based on how much you have spent.

 

[gahrajmahal]

Re. The gasoline octane ratings. This would be another reason for us to switch to Costco (closer distance). My Avitar 1968 Chrysler 300 with 440 v8 engine and 1970 MGB both prefer premium gas. The Sam’s Club gas has ethanol, so I typically avoid that unless driving the cars a lot. What usually happens is I refuel the classic cars and immediately add Store-and-start. Get done with my drive and the car is back in the garage. That tank of fuel might take a month to get used up. Does Costco gas have ethanol added? Savings on a tank of premium fuel would be beneficial.

 

[dscheidt]

It would be nice if Costco gas included mid-grade. My truck's owners manual says not to use
less than 87 octane even at high altitude. Mid-grade here at >6,000 feet above sea level is 87.

Mid grade gas is made by mixing regular and premium in the dispenser, it’s not a standard refinery product. No reason you can’t mix it in the tank.

 

[minke]

Mid grade gas is made by mixing regular and premium in the dispenser, it’s not a standard refinery product. No reason you can’t mix it in the tank.

That sounds sensible. ⅓ 91 octane and ⅔ 85 octane. Everyday brand gas limits
credit card sales to $75 so I’m already used to pumping in two transactions.

 

[Pinne]

I hear almost universal praise for Costco, so I signed up for a membership and tried it out. I didn't renew the membership - maybe I'll try it again in the future and see if it's a different story in a different market.

The only thing I purchased that I thought was a standout was a bag of frozen wild argentine shrimp - we bought them a few times and both ourselves and guests thought they were excellent.

The meat (organic chicken, nicer steaks) was mediocre to poor. The cheeses were average to poor (the worst block of parmesan I've ever had). The eggs (organic) were the cheapest supermarket quality. Packaged charcuterie and most frozen things were mediocre. We threw out a lot of food - something we don't normally do.

All the stores in our area are super crowded with long lines so going was a headache. Gas savings was appx 30c a gallon, for $6 a tank I will just fill up where it is convenient rather than waste half an hour driving out of my way and waiting in line.

Overall the cost was irrelevant because we didn't like most of what we bought. It wasn't substantially cheaper than better quality products elsewhere, and if you factor in us tossing a bunch of food that was just not good I am sure we came out a couple hundred behind over the course of a few shopping trips.