I compared Costco's and Sam's Club's Halloween-candy selections, and Sam's Club had way more variety

Melissa WellsJan 13, 2024, 05:17 IST

I visited Costco and Sam's Club to scope out their Halloween-candy selections.Melissa Wells/Insider

I went to Costco and Sam's Club during the first week of October to compare their Halloween candy.
It took 10 minutes of searching to find the limited candy choices at my Costco in California.

'Tis the season for cobwebs, carved pumpkins, and skeletons, but for grocers like Sam's Club and Costco, it is also the opportunity to stock up on candy their members will inevitably buy in preparation for the spooky holiday.

Ahead of Halloween, I decided to visit both retailers, which require shoppers to buy annual memberships for access to bulk items that are typically priced lower than at other stores. I wanted to see which store had the best selection of candy for trick-or-treaters or Halloween parties, and where the best prices could be found.

Here's what I saw.

I'm a Costco member and, in previous years, I haven't seen a particularly wide selection of Halloween candy for sale there, so I didn't have high expectations.

Melissa in front of Costco.Melissa Wells/Insider

Upon entering, it was clear I wasn't going to find Halloween candy by accident.

Side of entrance aisle in Costco.Melissa Wells/Insider

I looked down the snack aisles, thinking I might find the candy there.

Chips aisle in Costco.Melissa Wells/Insider

I even found Christmas chocolate and gingerbread decorating kits before I found Halloween candy.

Lindt advent calendar; Gingerbread decorating kits at Costco.Melissa Wells/Insider

Finally, as I neared the back of the store, I spotted the first hint of spooky season: a crate of pumpkins.

Crates of pumpkins at Costco.Melissa Wells/Insider

And sure enough, there was the section for Halloween candy.

Costco Halloween candy section.Melissa Wells/Insider

Along with the Halloween candy, another holiday had also set up camp: Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.

Edward Marc Day of the Dead Halloween bark; Tajin Chili & Lime Gummy Rings variety pack at Costco.Melissa Wells/Insider

The first inkling that I was getting toward the Halloween candy was this ghost-and-monster cookie decorating kit.

Bakery Bling ghost and monster designer cookie kit at Costco.Melissa Wells/Insider

None of the candy seemed to be Halloween-themed, but the store had discounts favoring the holiday.

Ferrero full-size variety pack at Costco.Melissa Wells/Insider

There were also multipacks of favorites like Hershey's, Kit Kats, and Reese's.

Hershey's variety pack at Costco.Melissa Wells/Insider

The last variety pack also had full-size packs of M&M's, Milky Ways, Twix, and Snickers.

Mars variety pack at Costco.Melissa Wells/Insider

Kirkland, Costco's brand, also had its own all-chocolate variety assortment jumbo bag. I imagine a big bowl of these classic candies would be a hit with trick-or-treaters.

Kirkland Signature All-Chocolate Bag at Costco.Melissa Wells/Insider

Kirkland, Costco's brand, also had its own all-chocolate variety assortment jumbo bag. I imagine a big bowl of these classic candies would be a hit with trick-or-treaters.

There was also a variety assortment jumbo bag of "funhouse treats."

Kirkland Signature Funhouse Treats at Costco.Melissa Wells/Insider

In terms of Halloween-themed items, the first I saw was this Frankenstein's monster-themed Reese's dispenser.

Reese's Frankenstein-monster dispenser at Costco.Melissa Wells/Insider

Although not technically candy, Costco seemed to get more into the Halloween spirit with this spooky snack mix.

Frito-Lay Spooky Snack Mix at Costco.Melissa Wells/Insider

It also carried limited-edition spooky Twinkies and ScaryCakes.

Hostess Halloween Cupcakes & Twinkies at Costco.Melissa Wells/Insider

There were monster-shaped fruit snacks, which also seems like a good option to offer trick-or-treaters.

Monster Mash fruit snacks at Costco.Melissa Wells/Insider

The final Halloween-themed snack in Costco's lineup was this Utz Halloween barrel.

Utz Halloween barrel at Costco.Melissa Wells/Insider

Next, I drove to my local Sam's Club. I'm actually not a member so I had no idea what to expect.

Melissa in front of Sam's Club.Melissa Wells/Insider

But this visit started very differently to my Costco trip — the Halloween candy was visible to me as soon as I entered the store.

Halloween candy at Sam's Club.Melissa Wells/Insider

At the display near the entrance, I recognized the Utz Halloween Bats and Jacks-shaped pretzels.

Utz Halloween Bats & Jacks Shaped Pretzels at Sam's Club.Melissa Wells/Insider

The Utz Halloween Mini Cheese Balls, however, were a Halloween-themed item I hadn't seen in Costco.

Utz Halloween Mini Cheese Balls at Sam's Club.Melissa Wells/Insider

I continued looking around and, not much further into the store, I found the first full aisle of candy.

Halloween decor and candy aisle in Sam's Club.Melissa Wells/Insider

Unlike Costco, Sam's Club had themed chocolate collections. These monster bags had hundreds of pieces of candy in each.

Halloween Monster Bag (left); Mars Bat Bag (middle); Halloween Villain Bag (right) at Sam's Club.Melissa Wells/Insider

Like at Costco, there was a factory-favorites bag. Sam's Club's version comes with 155 pieces.

Hershey's Factory Favorites at Sam's Club.Melissa Wells/Insider

The Hershey's Superhero variety pack at Sam's Club was similar to Costco's full-size bar variety packs.

Hershey's Superhero variety pack at Sam's Club.Melissa Wells/Insider

Sam's Club seemed to have more large-quantity options, however.

Reese's Halloween Bucket at Sam's Club.Melissa Wells/Insider

There were three other huge buckets to choose from.

M&M's Mixed Bucket (left); Twizzlers Bucket (middle); Snickers Bucket (right) at Sam's Club.Melissa Wells/Insider

Another aisle over, and there was yet more candy.

Another Halloween candy aisle in Sam's Club.Melissa Wells/Insider

These Halloween Pretzel Rods were unique to Sam's Club.

Halloween Pretzel Rods at Sam's Club.Melissa Wells/Insider

Another item that I only saw at Sam's Club was this Brach's Candy Corn.

Brach's Candy Corn at Sam's Club.Melissa Wells/Insider

I also found this fun 24-pack of Halloween Treats Jelly & Swirl Pops for $11.98.

Halloween Jelly & Swirl Pops at Sam's Club.Melissa Wells/Insider

Like Costco, Sam's Club had savory Halloween-themed snacks, including this Halloween Party Pack Popcornopolis selection.

Halloween Party Pack Popcornopolis at Sam's Club.Melissa Wells/Insider

Still, the candy bags kept coming at Sam's Club. Among them, there was an 105-count assortment of chocolates for $18.98.

Hershey's Halloween Shapes at Sam's Club.Melissa Wells/Insider

I also spotted a Kit Kat Halloween-themed bag, which contained 90 pieces.

Kit Kats Halloween Bag at Sam's Club.Melissa Wells/Insider

There were a lot of Reese's items to choose from, too.

Reese's Pumpkins Halloween Bag; Reese's Pumpkins Halloween Box at Sam's Club.Melissa Wells/Insider

Ultimately, I thought Sam's Club had a much wider selection of candy, including Halloween-themed items, and I had to give it the win.

Collage of candy at Costco versus Sam's Club.Melissa Wells/Insider

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I compared Costco's and Sam's Club's Halloween-candy selections, and Sam's Club had way more variety

I'm a Costco member and, in previous years, I haven't seen a particularly wide selection of Halloween candy for sale there, so I didn't have high expectations.

Upon entering, it was clear I wasn't going to find Halloween candy by accident.

I looked down the snack aisles, thinking I might find the candy there.

I even found Christmas chocolate and gingerbread decorating kits before I found Halloween candy.

Finally, as I neared the back of the store, I spotted the first hint of spooky season: a crate of pumpkins.

And sure enough, there was the section for Halloween candy.

Along with the Halloween candy, another holiday had also set up camp: Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.

The first inkling that I was getting toward the Halloween candy was this ghost-and-monster cookie decorating kit.

None of the candy seemed to be Halloween-themed, but the store had discounts favoring the holiday.

There were also multipacks of favorites like Hershey's, Kit Kats, and Reese's.

The last variety pack also had full-size packs of M&M's, Milky Ways, Twix, and Snickers.

Kirkland, Costco's brand, also had its own all-chocolate variety assortment jumbo bag. I imagine a big bowl of these classic candies would be a hit with trick-or-treaters.

There was also a variety assortment jumbo bag of "funhouse treats."

In terms of Halloween-themed items, the first I saw was this Frankenstein's monster-themed Reese's dispenser.

Although not technically candy, Costco seemed to get more into the Halloween spirit with this spooky snack mix.

It also carried limited-edition spooky Twinkies and ScaryCakes.

There were monster-shaped fruit snacks, which also seems like a good option to offer trick-or-treaters.

The final Halloween-themed snack in Costco's lineup was this Utz Halloween barrel.

Next, I drove to my local Sam's Club. I'm actually not a member so I had no idea what to expect.

But this visit started very differently to my Costco trip — the Halloween candy was visible to me as soon as I entered the store.

At the display near the entrance, I recognized the Utz Halloween Bats and Jacks-shaped pretzels.

The Utz Halloween Mini Cheese Balls, however, were a Halloween-themed item I hadn't seen in Costco.

I continued looking around and, not much further into the store, I found the first full aisle of candy.

Unlike Costco, Sam's Club had themed chocolate collections. These monster bags had hundreds of pieces of candy in each.

Like at Costco, there was a factory-favorites bag. Sam's Club's version comes with 155 pieces.

The Hershey's Superhero variety pack at Sam's Club was similar to Costco's full-size bar variety packs.

Sam's Club seemed to have more large-quantity options, however.

There were three other huge buckets to choose from.

Another aisle over, and there was yet more candy.

These Halloween Pretzel Rods were unique to Sam's Club.

Another item that I only saw at Sam's Club was this Brach's Candy Corn.

I also found this fun 24-pack of Halloween Treats Jelly & Swirl Pops for $11.98.

Like Costco, Sam's Club had savory Halloween-themed snacks, including this Halloween Party Pack Popcornopolis selection.

Still, the candy bags kept coming at Sam's Club. Among them, there was an 105-count assortment of chocolates for $18.98.

I also spotted a Kit Kat Halloween-themed bag, which contained 90 pieces.

There were a lot of Reese's items to choose from, too.

Ultimately, I thought Sam's Club had a much wider selection of candy, including Halloween-themed items, and I had to give it the win.