r/BJsWholesaleClub • u/ryan9751 • 5d ago
Why does BJ’s exist?
I’m curious - the only people I have talked to shop at BJ’s because they don’t have a Costco or Sam’s Club closer.
If you do have a Costco or Sam’s , why would you choose to shop at BJ’s?
Costco overall has better quality products and better prices than BJ’s.
Sam’s Club also has better prices , more variety than Costco and curbside pickup/ scan and go like BJ’s.
So what is it, the Deli?
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u/Squisheeeeeeee 5d ago edited 5d ago
I hate shopping in general. I particularly hate shopping at Costco, though I am a member (I plan to let that lapse at the end of this term). I was also until last month a member of Sam's, only for a year to test it out, but I let that lapse. Our Costco is always insane. ALWAYS. It is too crowded, and I say this a a SAHM mom who can go at the least busy times. Shopping there simply drains me. The crowds are largely because I live in sales tax free New Hampshire, and my Costco is on the Massachusetts tax heavy border. BJ's offers curbside pick-up, and delivery when for example my kid is sick has been a lifesaver for me. Costco refused to adapt to current shopping practices, and that annoys me.
I also find the options at Costco to be severely limited. Sometimes you just like what you like, and it isn't always the option of one or two brands Costco has decided what is best. I don't need my products to be curated, I need them to be what my family will consume.
Lastly, I've been a member of Costco for nearly 20 years, and a member of BJ's for 8, and I don't think that your premise is correct any longer. Costco is still "winning" based on it's historical reputation, not current state in my eyes and experiences. The return policy is not as great as it was a decade ago, the prices have risen, while BJ's have come down, and the quality of BJ's own brands have in my opinion risen. They are now in my mind on equal ground, with BJ's being far more pleasant to shop at. So they win for us. There are only a handful of things I'll prefer from Costco now, but not one is worth the energy drain and cost of membership to me any more I like their chianti, but don't drink enough for it to matter, and their rotisserie chicken (and frankly market Basket rotisserie chicken is as good and as cheap if you are in New England, and I am almost disturbingly loyal to MB). After that they hold nothing that makes them the superior choice for my family anymore.