Sam’s Club vs Costco vs BJ’s: Which Is The Best?

Let’s start with Sam’s Club, the largest chain of warehouse club stores. Sam’s Club, which is owned by Wal-Mart Stores Inc (NYSE:WMT), has around 655 stores across the US with an average size of 134,000 square feet. Sam’s Club also operates an online portal at samsclub.com, while physical stores are available in 48 states in the U.S. as well as in Puerto Rico. According to the company’s last 10-K report with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, for its fiscal 2016, Wal-Mart’s Sam’s Club segment had sales of $56.8 billion, representing roughly 12% of the company’s net sales. However, since Sam’s Club is a warehouse club, it has lower operating expenses than Wal-Mart Stores Inc (NYSE:WMT)’s other segments and a lower gross profit rate as percentage of sales.

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Aside from having the highest number of stores, Sam’s Club also has the lowest membership fee. The basic Savings and Business memberships cost $45 per year, while Savings Plus and Business Plus cost $100, but offer cash rewards, which include $10 for every $500 worth of qualifying purchases (up to $500 per year).