Sam's Vs Costco meat question...

[bgaviator]

I currently do not belong to any club store, but the nearest Costco is a 35 min drive from me and the closest Sam's is just 10 mins up the road.
My only real interest in joining a club would be to have access to meats that are impossible to find at the local Kroger. I am wanting to get into lamb, big beef ribs, and pork belly. Kroger never has these things, but it appears Sam's does. Harder to tell if Costco carries this stuff from a search. Any opinions on either one, and is a club membership worth it just to be able to have access to these kinds of meats? Thanks.

 

[6GRILLZNTN]

Here locally, Costco has a better meat dept. Sam's almost never has pork belly, and Costco always does. Unfortunately, Sam's is 3 miles down the road, and Costco is an hour away with light traffic (never). They did just break ground for a new Costco a few miles down the road. I can't wait.

 

[SmokinAl]

We like Sam’s, had both & gave up Costco.
Al

 

[HalfSmoked]

Sam's is all we have in our area.

Warren

 

[MJB05615]

We prefer Sams to Costco.

Mike

 

[bgaviator]

Wow. Surprised at some of the early returns. I would have thought Costco would surely come in front. One thing I read about Costco I don’t like the sounds of is the “blade tenderized” meat they sell. Isn’t that a bad deal for people that like to cook their steaks medium rare?

 

[phatbac]

I hear better things about Costco but i have been a Sams member for 5 years and like what i can find in the meat dept. good prices but plan on buying more than a little. The meat is good though.

Happy Smoking,
phatbac (Aaron)

 

[bgaviator]

I hear better things about Costco but i have been a Sams member for 5 years and like what i can find in the meat dept. good prices but plan on buying more than a little. The meat is good though.

Happy Smoking,
phatbac (Aaron)

That’s good. I just have to weigh if getting a membership is worth it just to be able to have access to meats I can’t typically find at Kroger. I guess I could always start checking with various butcher shops too. I just hate having to drive all around town to find stuff if I could just drive 10 mins to Sams and know they would have it.

 

[TNJAKE]

Sam's for me as well. Mine has prime meats...tri tips and just about anything else I want. And a big plus is the scan and go app. No waiting in line

 

[sawhorseray]

We belong to both but are not renewing with Costco, both are 4-5 minutes away from home, The only meat Costco carries that Sam's doesn't is pork belly. Sam's has great beef ribs, but they are never on display so you have to ring the butchers bell and ask for them. The one pork belly I need every 12-18 months to make bacon I'll just go to Costco with my wife's cousin. Jakes right, the checkout at Sam's is way better. RAY

 

[BaxtersBBQ]

Another idea would to look for local butchers or meat packing companies. I have 2 locally that are far cheaper and do custom cuts.

 

[normanaj]

We have neither in this area but we do have BJs and they have a pretty decent meat department.Don't know if they have them in your area but it might be worth a search.

 

[radioguy]

Costco fan here due to convenience. I buy brisket, belly, pork shoulder chicken when priced right. They have amazing lamb from Australia and New Zealand. We do get some seafood also, not so much fresh, frozen crab, fresh mussels and oysters when on sale .

 

[chilerelleno]

I keep both

 

[texomakid]

I'd shop Costco if we had one. We frequent Sams but lately their meat selection has been sub standard. Just not much selection. We've also noticed this at the local Brookshires as well but not on the same scale as Sams.

 

[HalfSmoked]

I'd shop Costco if we had one. We frequent Sams but lately their meat selection has been sub standard. Just not much selection. We've also noticed this at the local Brookshires as well but not on the same scale as Sams.

Realize that things are way out of context due to the virus and meat plant shut downs.

Warren

 

[Joatman]

We shop at both.....each for different needs. The beef looks identical at both places. Im not much of a fan of their rib eyes or strip steaks from either. Not enough marbling......but thats just my preference. We buy a lot of pork from both places.......but Costco is much better for Seafood. Both places sell rack of lamb and lamb chops. I think if I had to choose, it would be Costco.

 

[noboundaries]

Once upon a time we had both and shopped both because they are 10 minutes from the house. There wasn't much overlap of products, so it was easy to shop both. The meat was fairly equal. Unfortunately, the Sam's had cleanliness issues, so ba-bye.

I'll buy meat occasionally at Costco, but find deals I like better at local discount grocers. The checkout lines at Costco are annoying. We drove through the parking lot this morning and it was packed like pre-covid. Nope. Not stopping.

 

[HalfSmoked]

Thanks for the like texomakid it is appreciated.

Warren

 

[bgaviator]

Thanks for the input everyone