AP/LM Otero
Costco is clearly the better store to shop at.
- Costco and BJ's Wholesale are two very similar members-only warehouse stores.
- I'm a member at both stores, which is generally worth the extra price.
- However, there are some ways where one wholesale club clearly excels over the other.
- From location count to return policy, there are at least eight ways in which Costco trumps BJ's.
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Costco and BJ's Wholesale are two of the most popular warehouse stores in the US.
The two competitors operate on a very similar basis: both stores charge a set annual membership fee - $60 at Costco, $55 at BJ's - in exchange for bulk goods at compelling prices. Both stores have a special premium membership that costs about double the usual amount.
There are a few reasons I shop at both: location, availability and pricing on certain items, plus my local Costco is almost always much busier and more crowded than BJ's.
Despite all of that and the slightly higher membership fee at Costco I, a devoted wholesale shopper and card-carrying member of both, am convinced that the extra $5 a year at Costco is well worth the money for eight particular reasons.