Well, I didn't handle THAT great.

[BlsdMama]

So, went shopping at Sam's Club.

 

They offered me a trial membership.  I thought great - it's 20 or so minutes from my house.  I drive 45-50 to get to Costco.  It should be handy whenever I just need to pick up random things.

 

EVERY time we go in there we are frustrated with the service, the lines, the wait.  Every. Time.

 

Today was the worst.  And, after waiting about a half hour in the checkout line, I marched my little self (with eight kids 12 and under in tow) over to customer service and asked for a manager.

 

Then I explained nicely that I am usually a Costco customer but Sam's Club was kind enough to give me a trial membership, handed her my card, said I would never need it ever again because I will never set foot in a Sam's Club again, suggested they staff according to please their customers, and left.

 

 

I used my nice voice.  I promise.

 

Part of me thinks I should have sucked it up and just never shopped there again.

 

The other part of me says, "WHY DOES WALMART DO THIS?"  Our Wal-Mart is just as bad as the Sam's Club.  I fully expect a 15 minute wait every time I go there.  

 

This is crazy.  How is this customer service?

 

And no part of me is sad that I am no longer a member of Sam's Club.  Well, except those little steak strips and the hoagies - they were really good together with provolone and Costco doesn't care them.  :(  

 

 

Sigh.

 

 

[SKL]

I stopped shopping at those "club" stores a long time ago, after I read that they actually cost more than other stores.

 

But as for Wal-Mart, I will say I don't have "long wait" issues there generally.  Maybe it's a local issue.

[Jyhwkmama]

Have you heard about the new WalMart grocery shopping online? You put in your order and they bring it out to your car in the parking lot. Never unload your kids again!

 

and I am with you on Sams Club. Love Costco so much more!

[Tenaj]

Our Sam's is the same way except that they recently added some self-service checkout lanes which has helped because they have kept all their regular checkout lanes open plus the self-checkout (when it's working).

 

Our Walmart on the other hand, has installed a large area of self-checkouts.  Yesterday, I was purchasing two really large plastic balls for my kids along with some other stuff.  A cashier tried to steer me into the self-checkout area but I knew it would be a disaster because of the two extra large items and other stuff so I waved her off and headed to the regular lines.  They had ONE checkout open!  In the front of a store that has 25 lanes they had ONE open!!!!  

[BlsdMama]

I wonder if I would be more accepting if I wasn't Costco spoiled?  Or maybe it really IS a local issue?

 

Sigh.

 

She told me they are understaffed, which I understand, but if they paid more, they'd have more applications, their help would be better, they'd stay longer, you wouldn't be training new people all the time, you'd have competent help, goodness, they MIGHT even be happy to help and .... wait for it..... MAYBE you could open FOUR lines.  Gasp!  Or even FIVE!

[JudoMom]

Interesting.  I feel the same way about Costco--long waits, rude customers, I hate it.  I let my membership expire and plan to never renew it.

I'm at Sam's weekly.  In and out, never a wait, and the staff is friendly and helpful.  I'm at Walmart weekly, and I rarely have a long wait there, either.

[BlsdMama]

Our Sam's is the same way except that they recently added some self-service checkout lanes which has helped because they have kept all their regular checkout lanes open plus the self-checkout (when it's working).

 

Our Walmart on the other hand, has installed a large area of self-checkouts.  Yesterday, I was purchasing two really large plastic balls for my kids along with some other stuff.  A cashier tried to steer me into the self-checkout area but I knew it would be a disaster because of the two extra large items and other stuff so I waved her off and headed to the regular lines.  They had ONE checkout open!  In the front of a store that has 25 lanes they had ONE open!!!!  

 

 

This is it exactly!  Exactly!  

 

I almost always do self-checkout.  Today, sadly, I made a bad choice.  You aren't supposed to go through self-checkout with many items....   So I waited in line.

 

You know what's funny?  (Or NOT, I guess) There were only three people in line.  They had problems with each person.  And sure enough with my order too.  It boggles my mind.  

 

 

(As an aside, the other poster is right that many people do not save money by shopping at clubs, in part because they can't consume the sizes.  Considering my food/household expenses, I've been pretty careful to cost compare and I figured out that I do save quite a lot.  I did find Sam's more expensive, but handy for short trips.  However, it isn't worth the aggravation at this point.)

[Spryte]

I don't think you handled that badly at all.

 

Good job!

[SparklyUnicorn]

In the past I went to Sam's and BJs . We do not have Costco around here.  The service was fine at both, but I think overall I ended up spending too much money.  These stores probably make great sense for large families though.

 

 

[Anacharsis]

​I think it depends on how cynical the business owner is. This is part of a strategy of "profitable inconvenience" (I think it has a more formal name; I'll try to find out) -- the idea being that a customer, when faced with either being unhappy or doing without a product, will pay for unhappiness. Usually this works best in a region where a business has established a unique niche; nothing else is open, or nothing else is nearby, or nobody else carries the item.

Edited August 4, 2016 by Anacharsis

[HomeAgain]

Our Sam's is practically empty when I go.  And since we live in practically a food desert, they have the best prices on chicken, coffee, bread, pasta, and hummus.  The rest is iffy.  When we move we won't be continuing our membership, but food prices are cheaper or on par at the regular grocery stores in our next town.

[Um_2_4]

My experience is the exact opposite. I can't stand Costco and actually went in and cancelled my membership after 2 months because of bad customer service, long lines, LATE opening (they don't open till 10 here!!) and horrible customers (rude, pushy). They refunded my fee and asked why. I told them nicely.

 

My Sam's club is like JudoMom's above. Quick, clean, better prices, only time I avoid going is 2-5 pm on Sat, even then it is no where as bad as Costco.

 

As far as saving money or not, you do have to price compare and watch your usage, but most things are cheaper at Sam's than regular grocery stores (including walmart and winco). Although I do buy most of my produce at a produce outlet and my meat at a butchers. But their salmon is a good price and better quality.

 

ETA: At least a large part of it in my area is Costco is a "status" thing here. They carry a lot of "unique" items and things I am not interested in.

Edited August 4, 2016 by Um_2_4

[SparklyUnicorn]

​I think it depends on how cynical the business owner is. This is part of a strategy of "profitable inconvenience" (I think it has a more formal name; I'll try to find out) -- the idea being that a customer, when faced with either being unhappy or doing without a product, will pay for unhappiness. Usually this works best in a region where a business has established a unique niche; nothing else is open, or nothing else is nearby, or nobody else carries the item.

 

Yeah around here there are so many options that it would be pretty stupid of any of these places to have bad service as a rule.

 

 

[gardenmom5]

I think you did just fine.  you told them why they were losing your business.  most people just leave - and the store doesn't know why.  they've been told their lines are too long - now it is up to them to hire more clerks.  (but dont' hold your breath.)

[Pawz4me]

I think you did fine. There's nothing wrong with letting any business know why you're not happy with them.

[gardenmom5]

My experience is the exact opposite. I can't stand Costco and actually went in and cancelled my membership after 2 months because of bad customer service, long lines, LATE opening (they don't open till 10 here!!) and horrible customers (rude, pushy). They refunded my fee and asked why. I told them nicely.

 

 

I'm in Costco country.  I have four Costco's within 20 minutes of my house.  I grew up in Kirkland, and my eye dr was in bear creek. (two product line names Costco uses).  I do prefer the Issaquah warehouse (old indian name meaning speed trap - and across the street from corporate), though dh prefers Kirkland.

 

costco doesn't open until 10am anywhere.  they close at 6pm on Saturday.  they aren't open on holidays - and they treat their employees very well and have low turnover.

 

there is a sam's club here - dh has been there once, and found it a waste of his time because of what they stocked.

[OneStepAtATime]

1.  You handled it well.

2.  This really depends a lot on the local situation.  Our Wal-Mart is notoriously understaffed and so is the Sam's.  They are awful, and the wait time is endless.  I usually have to wait in line longer than it took me to shop (I don't browse, though, I just get in and get out).  Costco is much better.  HOWEVER, that is not the case all over.

 

And kuddos to you for saying something.  :)

[Renthead Mommy]

Good for you.  If you just leave/stop shopping there, they don't know it or know why.  

 

I admit I am bad about that.  I keep swearing I will not go into Safeway again.  But it is two minutes from my house, right next to Target and in a shopping center with many other places we use. 

 

I have probably just abandoned my basket or cart somewhere in the store out of frustration and walked out more times than I have actually bought things at this point.  And they only ever have two lanes open.

 

I have done better the last few times and told myself to just skip it and go straight to Nugget instead of spending the time in Safeway to just leave and have to go to Nugget anyway. 

[fraidycat]

We have Costcos all over the place here. Every one of them is busy-busy. All the time. Steering carts in Costco is like playing human/cart Jenga. The lines are long at checkout, but the cashiers are efficient and the lines move quickly.

 

I haven't been to a Sam's in years to compare.

 

I think it's good to let them know why you won't be back.

Edited August 4, 2016 by fraidycat

[Renthead Mommy]

As for Costco/Sam's.  I had never belonged to one until last year.  (Got talked into it by my parents who needed me to go buy some expensive mattress pad for when they came to visit).  They really are not worth it for us.  Everyone says how their membership is more than covered by their rebate check.  Our rebate check was $27.  So not worth it.  I need to remember to cancel it when it comes up for renewal this year. 

 

But I will say it is clean and I have never had to wait even a full ten mintues to check out.  I don't understand the stupid recipt thing and think it's pretty stupid, but whatever. 

 

However I NEVER shop at Walmart.  Can not stand them.  The customers are bad, the staff is bad and the stores are dirty/unorganized.  (and this has been true for mulitple states).  I went into my first Sam's last spring to get something for the school with their Sam's card.  Oh my god.  Dirty, nasty, dark, slow employees and was in line for almost ten minutes, for just me!  She moved at the speed of a mushroom and had about as much personality!  On the plus side at least there weren't really any lines becaus the place was almost empty.  And people rave about that place. 

[gardenmom5]

Good for you.  If you just leave/stop shopping there, they don't know it or know why.  

 

I admit I am bad about that.  I keep swearing I will not go into Safeway again.  But it is two minutes from my house, right next to Target and in a shopping center with many other places we use. 

 

I have probably just abandoned my basket or cart somewhere in the store out of frustration and walked out more times than I have actually bought things at this point.  And they only ever have two lanes open.

 

I have done better the last few times and told myself to just skip it and go straight to Nugget instead of spending the time in Safeway to just leave and have to go to Nugget anyway. 

 

 

we have a chain here called QFC. they have excellent products - but they're expensive.  they're also two minutes from my house.  dh keeps telling me to stop thinking of them as an over priced grocery store and start thinking of them as a cheaper 7-11 with better selection.

 

we used to have a k-mart five minutes away (and easier traffic) - but it was horrid.  you could never find anything, and I'd only go if I was desperate.  and always remonstrate myself for not sucking it up and dealing with the traffic/lights to get to my local target. (much better run, and better stock.)

the k-mart has now been replaced by a walmart - which I've been in all of three times? for specific items in a time of time-crunch.

[gardenmom5]

 

 

But I will say it is clean and I have never had to wait even a full ten mintues to check out.  I don't understand the stupid recipt thing and think it's pretty stupid, but whatever. 

 

 

the 'receipt thing" is about seriously cutting down on shoplifting (which translates to higher prices for customers).  and it does.  there are stores that can have employees as part of a shoplifting ring who won't ring up that super expensive item as someone walks out the door with it.  checking receipts means that doesn't work at Costco.

[mom2att]

We have memberships to BJ's, Sams, and Costco due to dh's work. Costco is the farthest away so we rarely go there. It is also the only one in our area and seems to be the most popular because it is always, always super busy. But the workers are friendly and it apparently everyone just expects it to be busy so there's a sort of cheerful camaraderie there. BJs I probably go to the most often--it's closer and more Costco-like than Sams in it's selection. It's rarely super busy and the employees are helpful, though I usually always use their self checkout since they only have a couple of staffed lanes open. Sams--I just spent way more time than I intended to spend at Sams yesterday. Three customers in front of me and a problem with every one. At one point the cashier just walked away and left us all standing there. In the meantime the line is piling up behind me and the grumbling is getting louder. I should have done self-check but they have big signs saying 10 items or less only and I had a pushcart full. Next time I'm ignoring the signs. I have no idea why everything is always so difficult at Sams.

 

 

[Renthead Mommy]

the 'receipt thing" is about seriously cutting down on shoplifting (which translates to higher prices for customers).  and it does.  there are stores that can have employees as part of a shoplifting ring who won't ring up that super expensive item as someone walks out the door with it.  checking receipts means that doesn't work at Costco.

 

 

I find it really hard to believe they are comparing my reciept to what is in my cart, especially when everything is piled into one box on top of everything else.  There is no way to see what is in that box, especially in the time they take to actually look at the list.  

[kbutton]

We have all of this trouble and more at Meijer. Their staff is pathetically untrained. It's right across the street from a Kroger, which is very well-managed. The one and only problem I've had with Kroger is that they sometimes forget to train their baggers--rotisserie chicken and ice cream in the same bag once (teenager bagging)! But if you have a problem, they are on it and resolve it. At Meijer--they don't care if there is a problem. They'll do something about, but it will just keep happening over and over every time you go in. As for the warehouses and Walmart, I've found all of them to be different, but I do think that Walmart tends to understaff the checkout lines across the board--I've rarely been in one that doesn't require a significant wait.

 

I strongly suspect that Kroger snatches up the better pool of employees and treats them better. They seem to retain their workers.

 

 

[Laurel]

I find it really hard to believe they are comparing my reciept to what is in my cart, especially when everything is piled into one box on top of everything else. There is no way to see what is in that box, especially in the time they take to actually look at the list.

By marking the receipt when they check it at the door, they are also preventing you from buying an expensive item, and then, after bringing it to your car, returning to get another one (or sending another person), and pretending you just bought it.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I find it really hard to believe they are comparing my reciept to what is in my cart, especially when everything is piled into one box on top of everything else.  There is no way to see what is in that box, especially in the time they take to actually look at the list.  

 

I often got the impression that they were going through the motions rather than actually looking.

[fraidycat]

I often got the impression that they were going through the motions rather than actually looking.

They look fast, but they do look. I've had them double check to make sure I really do have two of an expensive item in my pile and wasn't inadvertently overcharged. They may only be looking for $50+ priced items or something? Not sure, but I've been amazed more than once at their skimming abilities.

[mamiof5]

Lol! I'd have probably done something similar.

 

I can't stand Walmart, just go there for some musts. Have bailed on Target. I don't do Costco or Sam's, find the whole "pay for membership" just ridiculous...and I have been to both...yeah, some decent deals in some stuff, but not enough to reel me in. Besides, there's SO MUCH stuff! Easy to overspend in stuff we can do without. I don't go to Albertsons or Safeway (too expensive). And I have never set a foot in WinCo, it just looks like a huge Walmart.

 

Thank goodness for Fry's, or I'm not sure what I'd do 😂😂😂

[kitten18]

Interesting. I feel the same way about Costco--long waits, rude customers, I hate it. I let my membership expire and plan to never renew it.

 

I'm at Sam's weekly. In and out, never a wait, and the staff is friendly and helpful. I'm at Walmart weekly, and I rarely have a long wait there, either.

I'm exactly the same. The Costco in my town has insane lines and the parking lot is a disaster.

I go to Sam's at least once a week and I'm always in and out in less than 35 minutes (kids at activities so I'm always on a time constraint) and never wait more than a couple minutes in line.

I almost always self-check at walmart so I never wait there either.

[kitten18]

I find it really hard to believe they are comparing my reciept to what is in my cart, especially when everything is piled into one box on top of everything else. There is no way to see what is in that box, especially in the time they take to actually look at the list.

At my store they count the items in the cart and make sure it matches the # on the receipt.

[Guest]

I often got the impression that they were going through the motions rather than actually looking.

Our Costco door staff is actually really thorough. They check for a few specific items they note in the cart in the receipt, as well as whethand the total number of items matches roughly what they see. We have major theft issues in that area and Costco is a huge target with the food court and bathrooms that are open to the public on the other side of the checkout, so if anyone has an item they are fastidious about checking.

[PrincessMommy]

Isn't that interesting.  Here where i live it's just the opposite.  I gave up on Costco many years ago because of the long, slow lines.  Many friends who insisted on staying with Costco now travel to a different county in order to avoid the lines at the closer one.

 

Sam's Club is a breath of fresh air.  Almost never a line longer than 2 people in front of me.

 

I almost never shop there anymore though because I also read how they aren't that much cheaper than regular grocery stores.

[Debbi in Texas]

Not a fan of Wal Mart or Sam's. If I have to go in there, I almost always have to wait too long in line.

[Shellydon]

I wonder if I would be more accepting if I wasn't Costco spoiled?  Or maybe it really IS a local issue?

 

Sigh.

 

She told me they are understaffed, which I understand, but if they paid more, they'd have more applications, their help would be better, they'd stay longer, you wouldn't be training new people all the time, you'd have competent help, goodness, they MIGHT even be happy to help and .... wait for it..... MAYBE you could open FOUR lines.  Gasp!  Or even FIVE!

 

I find Sams to be subpar to Costco in every way.  Apparently Costco is great to work for, so they are able to have plenty of cashiers.

[Janeway]

I had such bad customer service at Costco that I never went back. I went in to sign up for a membership. After 45 minutes of being given one piece of paper after another to fill out and waiting in between, I gave up and left. I told them the membership was not worth it and getting a home mortgage was easier. I cannot even figure out how they get members when it takes all that. I swear, there was more paperwork to a Costco membership than a mortgage or anything else. It was quicker and easier to register at the hospital for surgery. I have never had anything in my life that required that much paperwork.

[gingersmom]

I don't want to make you jealous but my Costco is empty. You can park really close and no lines at checkout.

 

Where I used to live it was a full contact sport going to Costco. The parking lot was insane (if you found a space, then had to hunt down a cart). The checkout lines always had about 20 people in each line waiting.

 

Now I'm just spoiled.

[TammyinTN]

I was very spoiled to Costco...5 minutes from my last house.  Now...1 hour to Nashville to go. I did get a Sam's club membership just so I could go during the week when it isn't busy, but never do I go on the weekend.   You have my full sympathy! 

[Frances]

I rarely go to Walmart, but the lines are almost always terrible. Even though the self check machines don't work very well compared to ones at grocery stores, I use them whenever possible.

 

The place I like best in the PNW is Winco, as it's employee owned and even though almost everyone is checking out massive quantities, the lines move very quickly and they are very responsive about adding more checkers during busy times. I rarely bother with self-check there. I just wish they had higher quality produce.

[fraidycat]

I had such bad customer service at Costco that I never went back. I went in to sign up for a membership. After 45 minutes of being given one piece of paper after another to fill out and waiting in between, I gave up and left. I told them the membership was not worth it and getting a home mortgage was easier. I cannot even figure out how they get members when it takes all that. I swear, there was more paperwork to a Costco membership than a mortgage or anything else. It was quicker and easier to register at the hospital for surgery. I have never had anything in my life that required that much paperwork.

Weird. Were you applying for their credit card? Our Costco membership form was 1/2 page at the bottom in blocks. Name, address, phone #, and maybe birthdates (? I don't remember for sure on birthdates). But it was simple and straightforward.

[Anne in CA]

Lol! I'd have probably done something similar.

 

I can't stand Walmart, just go there for some musts. Have bailed on Target. I don't do Costco or Sam's, find the whole "pay for membership" just ridiculous...and I have been to both...yeah, some decent deals in some stuff, but not enough to reel me in. Besides, there's SO MUCH stuff! Easy to overspend in stuff we can do without. I don't go to Albertsons or Safeway (too expensive). And I have never set a foot in WinCo, it just looks like a huge Walmart.

 

Thank goodness for Fry's, or I'm not sure what I'd do 😂😂😂

I LOVE Winco, plus they pay their people very well and are employee owned. The Winco in my area is cleaner and cheaper than Walmart, although not as clean as Target. But I am never shopping at Target ever again, long story there, so Walmart has good a good makeup section. I think they keep it so nice to prevent theft, but  I love that there is someone there to help me and I can pay for it right there in the make up section! Sooo much better than Target anyway.

 

Costco has many advantages, but I've never been to a Sam's. I love that Costco treats their employees so well. Walmart is famous for the opposite, so I am prejudiced.

[heartlikealion]

Dh is crazy, he does self checkout. He was a bagger many moons ago and he's pretty quick. Well, actually he doesn't take our bags into Sam's... which I learned when I thought I was being helpful by bringing them inside and he told me that he keeps them in the trunk and bags the items after he gets to the car. I don't know that he'd choose self check out with eight children in tow, though.

 

WM is really bad with the registers/customers ratio. Sometimes I take my cart to the garden dept. (not usually a packed cart or necessarily with food). I once needed to buy a single greeting card and/or one or two other items and asked the lady at the jewelry counter to ring me up.

 

We save money on some items at Sam's, but not all items. It really depends on if you eat the food before it goes bad (like the big bags of lettuce) or need that much of the same flavor of cereal, etc. You won't run out of peanut butter immediately, that's for sure. I bought 3 ring binders in a pack of 2 before and that was a pretty good deal.

[Katy]

It's normal for Sam's Clubs.  The only exception is large cities where there are multiple clubs in the metro area.  If there are 5 or more clubs within 45 minute drives, I find they're only crowded and understaffed on Saturdays.  We're members, but the closest Costco is an hour away (one way) in no traffic.

 

Costcos not only staff better, their pay and benefits are better, and prices are similar.  If they weren't so far away I'd go there too.

[RootAnn]

I've never been in a Costco. Both Sam's & Costco are huge drives from where we live. When we've tried out the Sam's, we've found that we can get our food in better sizes & prices for us at our normal Walmarts & grocery stores. (The cans were smaller at Sam's. Sam's didn't have generic brand canned food & the name brand was much pricier at Sam's.) We ended up paying more for things at Sam's. I don't have 8 or 10 kids, but 7 is still a pretty decent sized family. It didn't make sense for us because of what we purchase & eat.

 

(I do know other local people who have Costco or Sam's memberships who love them. My mom - a household of one - has a Sam's membership. Boggles my mind.)

[Anne in CA]

I know plenty of single people who have a Costco membership. They do it mostly for the pharmacy and the frozen food, which tends to be high quality. Costco does have good vacuums and furniture they can be good for people who have lots of people to buy gifts for.

[Garga]

I think it's location.

 

Now, I don't have a Sam's Club nearby, only a BJs.  But there are short lines at the local Walmart and I get through the BJs line really fast.

 

Rewind 13 years ago when I lived in the Baltimore suburbs and Oh My!  The lines!  The crowds!  It was just awful!  And that was at WalMart, Costco, the local grocery store. Everywhere.  Everywhere there were crowds and waits and my frozen food would thaw.

 

So, location could be the problem as well as being understaffed. 

 

As far as price: Every couple of years I do a huge excel sheet of the prices of the things I buy.  I compare the BJs prices to the Walmart prices (and next time I'll compare to Aldi prices, because I discovered Aldi recently).  For BJs, if I use their coupons, it's pretty much always cheaper. If the item doesn't have coupons, then Walmart is usually cheaper.

 

I only get certain things that are clearly cheaper at BJs.  And I stock up.  I actually let my BJ's membership expire because I bought what I thought was a year supply of laundry detergent and bouillon and cleaning wipes and stuff like that (that's cheaper at BJs.)  Turns out I'm 2.5 years into my "one year supply."  I totally overbought my supplies. 

 

After buying a box of 36 Mounds bars and eating them all in a month, I realized that I needed to NOT make impulse buys at those big stores.  :)  I stick with what I actually use and what can be stored without going bad.

Edited August 5, 2016 by Garga

[mellifera33]

Costco is awesome around here--even when it's crowded, the checkout lines run quickly and smoothly. Walmart is awful. Surly employees, never enough registers open, awkward parking lot. I try to avoid it. 

 

Costco has high-quality products for the most part, but I've noticed that their produce has gone downhill. That seems to be everywhere, though--I haven't found a store with good produce lately. Maybe I need to try the QFC. You do have to know your prices--they aren't always the lowest. I find the best deals are on eggs, milk, generic drugs, and some frozen foods. 

[AngieW in Texas]

I go to Costco, but only for specific things. 

 

I get my Turkey Perky Jerky there for $14 for a 14 ounce bag as opposed to $5 for a 2.2 ounce bag at Target or $34.64 for 12 one-ounce bags delivered monthly by the producer.

I get my bread there (just like that particular bread and haven't found it anywhere else).

I buy my sets of 96 Ticonderoga pencils for $10 there. I'm a public school teacher and I will go through at least 4-6 sets of 96 pencils during the schoolyear.

 

I also got my last set of tires there for $150 less than Discount Tire was going to charge me for the exact same tires.

 

And my dh got commercial shelving for $40 each that he had been pricing at $120 each. That was a huge sale. They were normally $80 each at Costco.

[vonfirmath]

Interesting.  I feel the same way about Costco--long waits, rude customers, I hate it.  I let my membership expire and plan to never renew it.

 

I'm at Sam's weekly.  In and out, never a wait, and the staff is friendly and helpful.  I'm at Walmart weekly, and I rarely have a long wait there, either.

 

Locally this is the case. We switched from Costco (where I had been a member for over a decade, since I lived in the land of no-Sam's Club) to Sam's Club because the shopping experience is so much more pleasant locally.

Edited August 9, 2016 by vonfirmath

[vonfirmath]

we have a chain here called QFC. they have excellent products - but they're expensive.  they're also two minutes from my house.  dh keeps telling me to stop thinking of them as an over priced grocery store and start thinking of them as a cheaper 7-11 with better selection.

 

Laugh. when I had to WALK to the grocery store and walk back with my groceries, I would walk past the QFC to the Safeway farther away from my house because of the prices. (Factoria)

 

Now I've moved to an area where we have Randall's instead of Safeway -- and it is the "expensive" grocery store.

Edited August 9, 2016 by vonfirmath