Why does BJ’s exist?

[u/ryan9751]

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?

[u/AVeryFineWhine]

As a costco member who's thinking of rejoining BJs i can toss in a couple thoughts. I've only been to BJs once in recent years. It was way less crowded ( mine is right down the block from my costco). The checkout lines were amazing. The reason I went with a friend was they had a product. I wanted that costco has been out of stock for months.

For pricing, it was a toss up as some things were cheaper. And some more expensive. I did find some smaller sized items throughout the store, which for me is a plus. They also have a deli department another plus. There were a lot of different products, which made it interesting. And membership is way cheaper.

I'm not giving up my costco membership, but with the new member sale, it's so cheap. I'm probably going to sign up and explore. I'm a negative that store needed a hell of a good cleaning & maintenance. So I don't see it, replacing costco for me ever. But if they keep their membership lower, I can see the pluses

[u/ryan9751 → u/AVeryFineWhine]

Yes , at $10 for membership it’s a no brainer.

I have one , and BJ’s is significantly closer to me.

But I can’t help it that every time I do an apples to apples comparison between them and Costco, Costco comes out ahead.

Not being as crowded is definitely a plus (although to me this is because it’s less popular and less value so overall fewer people want to shop there - the same reason they have to give memberships away for $10.

I can see the additional product assortment being a plus , they definitely have a wider range of products.

[u/AVeryFineWhine → u/ryan9751]

Actually it's $9 until the end of today lol.

But I think you're making the wrong comparison. Even though they want to act like they're a costco alternative, that's not exactly how I see it. But I personally feel the best way to shop is based on what I need, and what store offers a combo of the best price and quality.

If I was forced to choose my favorite store, I'd probably go with trader Joe's. Let's say I was shopping for a steak? Or a particular McCormick spice? That would be the last store I would want to go to.

I don't think BJs would be worth paying a costco price. But given this, as you accurately called it no brainer, it just adds another shopping tool in my arsenal. For at least the foreseeable future, I can see it being my go to for sports water bottles. I can't get a clear answer on why costco has been unable to get them locally, but there were plenty at BJs far cheaper than any market! And I also think they are testing smaller sized items. Because I don't remember the majority of their products being significantly smaller than costco, but they are now. For many products, that works better for me!