Sam's Club and Costco members angered by changes

Sam's Club and Costco have just announced changes that are irking many members, including membership hikes and fewer perks.

[@christi186]

Costco is going up five dollars a year after not going up fot years and immediately announced their worker's would be getting raises, this is MORE than fine with me.

[@iseewood]

Who’s angered by a $5 increase? It’s literally been years since a membership hike and they pay their employees well. Can’t say that about Walmart/Sam’s Club.

[@starmaster191]

I've never seen this anyplace else, but Costco employees actually seem to give a sh*t!

[@LifelsGreat]

@@christi186 👍

[@jd7313]

Not many Costco members are upset by the price hike. Costco hasn't increased prices since 2017, so $ 5 bucks over 7 huge inflation years is a big nothing.

[@waynemiller6070]

@@jd7313 thinking the same thing.

[@kingjames1586]

I’m shocked they haven’t been forced to increase sooner

[@ei7936]

Amen , Costo for the WIN

[@zbow1974]

agreed but they did say it will be going up steadily going forward so expect it again in maybe 2 years or so.

[@peachmango5347]

And to stir up - the report didn't say $5 increase - it made it sound worse saying $60 to $65.

[@billl1127]

I have premium, not for the better hours, but for the cash back bonus. It more than covers the $100 annual fee.

[@kittycat8222]

That’s what we do

[@onlyh8720]

@@billl1127 I agree. I’m not shopping that early in the day. I usually shop in the evenings or after running my other errands

[@user-zg9ks7xb4f]

That's why I joined the premium. Had about $150 back last year.

[@ManuelHernandez-xt8pr]

@@user-zg9ks7xb4f$700 to $900 here, annually. Scan n go is a big plus too, not having to wait in line to check out.

[@LifeHappens-xu8pg]

We got right around $300. back last year, they pay you to shop there, and THEY re-pay your membership fees! People are so dumb 🙄

[@ellwoodwolf]

Gotta squeeze every penny out of people, those CEO private jets and boats don't pay for themselves.

[@CB-ke7eq]

​​@@RajbirSingh-ul1mwAnd you're just repeating the talking points the CEOs like to utter at every turn. Keep licking the boots of the rich though, let me know how that works out for ya...

[@kamalaharry9514]

You literally voted for more taxes. And you still blame others . SMFH.

[@JimBobe]

@@kamalaharry9514 This has nothing to do with taxes but everything to do with greed. COVID gave every company in America a valid reason to increase prices. But now, 4 years later we’re still seeing these price hikes because these companies got WAY to comfortable squeezing us because they know we will pay. All you have to do is take a look at how every single corporation is bragging about record profits

[@JimBobe]

@@RajbirSingh-ul1mwInitially yes, it was inflation. Now its greed. Theft has little to do with it, its just what the media has been focusing on to create a divide so we fight ourselves instead of boycotting these greedy companies

[@brianklamer3328]

I'll still stay at Costco, so it's a measly $5.00 yearly increase . That's less than ten cents a week spread out over a year.

[@twobeagles1365]

The savings on fuel alone at costco pays for the membership ! Happy Costco member for 30 plus years.

[@bennym1956]

Sam' has same price for gas. Costco has only been in my city for 2 years.

[@edmondlau511]

And Costco is top tier fuel at that which is cleaner for your engine. Especially important for direct injection engines.

[@tomhammer1784]

We cancel our Sam’s Club. Costco has a superior management philosophy based upon service, efficiency, employee empowerment. Sam’s club is just turning into Walmart with lipstick.

[@privatecitizen1246]

Always was - Sams club is WHOLLY OWNED BY WALMART.

[@grayrabbit2211]

Like anything Walmart, the experience varies dramatically between locations.

[@bastionwolf]

I've never even been to a Sams club.

[@SunlessComa4614]

@@bastionwolf Sam (Walton)'s Club is Wal(ton)-Mart in bulk. Great for small to medium sized business owners, churches, and people with decent sized families. Some have dual membership/credit cards, and those have pretty decent cashback rewards and great gas discounts. When I first moved out on my own my parents pre-paid a one year membership for me, and I honestly went maybe 4 or 5 times. If you're single, into meal prep, very rarely eat anything other than your own home-cooked food, and have people over often for dinner, then it's worth it. This is doubly applicable if you do these things and work full time out of a home office that you're required to fully furnish, and you upgrade electronics frequently. None of these apply to me so I can't personally justify having a membership at any cost when I've got Aldi directly across the street a family member that lets me use his 15% employee discount at the big box supermarket where he works , and a gas station 2 miles from me that competes with Sam's Club for the lowest gas prices in my metro area. But for people in the aforementioned scenarios, it definitely pays for itself.

[@jflores1]

@@tomhammer1784 We have a Sam’s club but only reason is that Costco is overwhelming busy and always crowded I’m sure you are right about the company being superior but I never have that issue at Sam’s.

[@kevinklein9565]

$60-65 isn’t bad. And Costco will always be better deals for most items, than Walmart

[@darkwyve]

I actually get the premium, which was $120 (probably going up a bit too, but still worth it). You get cash back for everything you use the card for (a higher percentage if your purchase at Costco of course). If you get more than $250 cash back in that year, you can direct deposit it into your bank and not even have to spend it at Costco. So basically Costco *pays me* over $100 every year to spend money there for cheaper stuff...

[@KING-FU]

@@kevinklein9565 If you actually care about being accurate / informed, you should check comparative pricing on items BC your claim about Costco “will always be better deals” isn’t true. I just checked both stores online in Tampa (a mile apart), plus reviewed 2 comprehensive research articles with B.J’s, Costco and Sam’s on about 3 dozen items. Prices on both store brands and nationally recognized brands vary between the 3 clubs, mostly averaging out with one item being less here, the next item being more, etc. B.J’s was also surprising with lower prices on several common household items that most everyone uses. JS

[@captaindangler1675]

The 8 am to 10:30 am hours have ALWAYS been for executive members. They just don’t always enforce it but should since we pay extra for our membership. There is NOTHING new about that. Nothing.

[@shamrockfile]

Did not see the value in the executive membership. My cash return was not adding up to the extra cost of an executive membership, but I kept the credit card. After all, the credit card is a third party and you can use it anywhere. So I downgraded my membership to a basic. Here’s the kicker, entered the store showing my credit card at 9am. Normally it would take me about an hour to shop the store and by the time I arrived at checkout, my basic membership was active. Never had a problem.

[@jrlterry]

@@shamrockfile Canceling your exec cancels the citi card just fyi.

[@shamrockfile]

@@jrlterry no it doesn’t

[@Inpreesme]

the extra money they made from this little change probably won’t even pay for corporate jet gas money, about the free advertising

[@choosey87]

Y'all can have it. I don't wake up that early anyway, except for work 😂

[@alexsystems2001]

Costco has saved me thousands… I’ll gladly pay $5 more for my membership… when gas was $7/gal here in California I was paying $5.65/gal at Costco. At the time I was putting about 50,000 miles a year on my car. One take of gas alone more than pays for that extra $5 membership fee…

[@mh23hm]

Yes, but you shouldn't publicly say you would gladly pay more. Keep pressure on them to keep prices low or else they will keep increasing and more frequently. That gas won't stay low if they start viewing customers as expendable like the fast food industry did for the past decade.

[@justthecomments]

@@mh23hm Some people don't have common sense or street smarts unfortunately.

[@tarabooartarmy3654]

Just because you WOULD pay more doesn’t not mean you SHOULD pay more.

[@SilverRat-rf8wd]

This kind of attitude is why these guys will continue to increase prices at a faster rate than we can handle.

[@user-ok3wm7fv5x]

@@mh23hm That's not Costco's way... my understanding is they have strict margin expectations, and they adhere to them... I believe they make their money on the membership fees

[@Mark-rw3kw]

This report is not true. No one is angry that Sam’s added a new premium membership category, they just said that they were satisfied with the regular membership. Charging for shipping on orders over $50 will result in lower prices, and encourage more efficient bundling of orders, using less energy lowering carbon emissions. There was no evidence that any Costco members were angered that they increased their membership fees by $5 per year. They may not like it, but to say they were angered is not accurate. This was the first increase in Costco membership fees since 2017.

[@annabelle1471]

he just made the report because he’s a news caster. maybe 1-5 people are upset but judging from the comments it looks more like 1 person. lolololol

[@Mark-rw3kw]

@@annabelle1471 TV news, like KZbin videos, is all about click-bait and ad revenue. They make up stuff to get us to watch. They got me to watch and it was all bogus.

[@NGMonocrom]

Sam's Club.... It's literally Wal-Mart but with fees.

[@jayCLTeeee]

@@NGMonocrom i mean it is owned/founded by walmart

[@NGMonocrom]

@@jayCLTeeee Yes, exactly. That's my point.

[@scottish785]

I use to have a Sam's club member through my employer but I found that some items I could buy cheaper right from Walmart. I mean why pay a membership fee if their own business is selling it cheaper without the fees!

[@tammyrawdon3587]

@@scottish785 But it's WALMART!?!

[@scottish785]

@@tammyrawdon3587 no Walmart is Walmart and Sam's club is Sam's club. They might be owned by the same corporation but they are different branches of the same company. In essence they are competitors within the same corporation. Why should I pay a membership fee to get items I need that might very well be lower priced at Walmart. And be honest how much do you have to spend in order to see the difference? You have to save $50 ($110 for plus) before you really start to see any savings. On top of that is Sam's in a more convenient or inconvenient location then other stores if so you're also spending more in gas if further away.

[@kittycat8222]

Name a few items please

[@scottish785]

@@kittycat8222 this was years ago so can't remember which ones but just do a comparison. I do remember one as a movie DVD it was like $5 cheaper at Walmart compared to Sam's as I was shocked as neither was on sale but it was cheaper to buy at Walmart. Just do your homework and compare prices and you might be surprised! Plus consider that in order for you to get the benefit you need to do two things first. You have to spend and save $50 ($110 for Plus) in order to justify the membership as that is an expense you have that you don't have at no membership required stores and then you also have to factor in gas and if its worth it based on the location of stores compared to how many miles you have to drive extra to get to a Sames or Costco. Is it worth it if you have to drive further to reach one of the member stores???

[@fur_baby_mama]

@@tammyrawdon3587 uhm- Sam’s Club is part of the Walmart conglomerate. And they are right- if you break the prices down for the bulk items compared to the individual items the per item cost is often just a few cents difference.

[@ElanaMccullum]

PEOPLE SAYING ILL J UST GO SHOP AT WALMART..GO FOR IT 😂😂😂

[@spoonypoon7998]

If you do the math Walmart is cheaper on most products

[@Italianqueen]

Right,seeing as the own sams club! And now there pushing the Walmart +

[@lotteleymoore-daigle9623]

I cancelled my Sam's Club Membership

[@janetmcabee4748]

@@lotteleymoore-daigle9623 I’m a plus member & this is just my 2nd year with them, I THOUGHT they were a good company but now I’m having my doubts. Their membership fee went up this last time but still didn’t know about all these other changes. They are shooting them selves in the foot. I renewed my membership last month, can I still get a refund?

[@aznthy]

@@lotteleymoore-daigle9623 "Cool"

[@MyLove-nd9wh]

@@lotteleymoore-daigle9623 you and me both. Hello Costco!

[@applepie9576]

I'm with you. I'll let ours expire. We do not live near a Sam's Club and have everything shipped. Now a $50 minimum? No thanks.

[@UncleDavesKitchen]

I shop the weekly grocery store sale ads and find items so much cheaper than Sam's or Costco. I let my membership drop 4 years ago and don't miss it.

[@krystalcastillo4537]

It All Adds up to GREED!! we all Need to decide if We feel it's the right thing for us to continue to shop at both of these Big Box Stores!

[@cupoftea5012]

EXACTLY! We need to stop shopping at these greedy stores and actually show them how much money they’re really going to lose

[@ojn4972]

Corporate greed is so rampant and blatant. Sad World.

[@jjpark1989]

Honestly, I think you're still coming out on top annually if you usually shop for a large family. If you have a family of 3, then maybe just shop at Walmart. Anything larger than 3 though, I'd say you're going to save a lot of money shopping at a club store. Not to mention if you have a gas car, the gas alone will make up for the membership cost. With rising costs everywhere, I don't expect Costco and Sam's Club to be immune from raising their prices as well. That's why you have to vote smartly instead of emotionally.

[@CB-ke7eq]

@@RajbirSingh-ul1mw You're so full of $hit. What are you, a bot for the Walton family or just a cuck for the corporate class in general? When class warfare finally arrives in US, it will be class traitors like you who are first against the wall, even before the oligarchs.

[@tl4633]

@@jjpark1989 so true.

[@czrs85]

Costco is more than welcome to take my money as long as they provide the same service as always.

[@thetaekwondoe3887]

Costco service is crap. They ask at the register "did you find everything?" I say no and I asked for help finding it. They gave me an aisle number and I told them I looked and couldn't find it and asked if they could have someone get it and they just flat out told me no they couldn't. WTH?

[@czrs85]

@@thetaekwondoe3887 you clearly have no idea how Costco works. That is their way of getting you to visit every aisle in their store.

[@thetaekwondoe3887]

@@czrs85 I was already checking out. How would that convince me to go to every aisle in the store? Jokes on them. I go to the paper product aisle. The plastic bag aisle. The ketchup aisle. And then the register. Most of their stuff is NOT a good deal.

[@czrs85]

@@thetaekwondoe3887 they won when you pay for your membership.

[@selcouth86]

Need more competition for better service and prices.

[@jimdellavecchia4594]

They make their $$ from the membership fees, not the items they sell

[@kingokafor6215]

😂you think they're selling these items at a loss or an even break. Either is just crazy

[@RideWNC]

I have a Costco membership. I used it to easily buy Mexi-Coke. Now that I can buy Mexi-Coke from Home Depot for same price and HD is closer to home. I won't be renewing.

[@anlam1044]

oh wow, $5 increase, I'm cancelling costco 😂 I've saved probably over a thousand a year by doing grocery in costco, $5 is pennies.

[@danasmith858]

If they sell the Colombian Coke I'm there

[@MyLeg.]

@@danasmith858🤣

[@lenoreraven9758]

Is there a Shoprite near you? It’s pricey, $9.99/4, but they carry it. Some Acmes also stock it in single bottles, also Mexi-Sprite. Check around.

[@RideWNC]

@@lenoreraven9758 Home Depot is 32.00 per case.

[@srfin24]

they don't even police the early shopping doesn't matter u can go 8am with normal membership

[@GrantDWilliams82]

@@srfin24 Yes but now you can’t.

[@srfin24]

@@GrantDWilliams82 not my location they don’t care. The hardest part waking up early

[@GrantDWilliams82]

@@srfin24 Yes because the policy doesn't go into effect until August. The story literally reported that.

[@srfin24]

@@GrantDWilliams82 pretty sure nothing will happen the workers don’t care half asleep

[@teetee19768]

Some stores do some stores don't

[@gailboyd2076]

Reality! Sam’s and COSTCO are facing the same increases everyone else is. Do I like it? No! But I do like having things brought right to my rural home. Minimum? I beat those minimums almost every time I walk into either store. And I def beat any when shopping online and shipping home. Does a hamburger cost the same today as last year? Nope.

[@kp8174]

If you purchase the premium membership, they give you (depending on how much you purchase throughout the year) a gift certificate and it has always paid for our membership in full. So ultimately you pay nothing to be a member.

[@mycharles3340]

I find both of these stores expensive. I just buy whatever is on sale at several different grocery stores.

[@ronp-eb9bh]

Robbing customers into the poor house. Darn shame.

[@SgtJoeSmith]

yes wages need to be capped

[@grayrabbit2211]

How are they robbing customers? They're raising the membership fees by ~8%. Biden's inflation is 35%. Someone has to pay for those increased costs of doing business...or the business will go out of business.

[@kaykartz9167]

​@@SgtJoeSmith🤣 touche!

[@MrPreet23]

$5 per membership looks small amount now multiply by 130 million members.. It will pay CEO and senior leadership in millions

[@RedwoodEd1]

We have been Sam's Club Plus members for years - we had been buying both online and in the store. However, with the $50 minimum purchase requirement for free shipping, we're going back to the basic membership. The extra cost of the Plus membership used to be offset by the free shipping - not any more!

[@reddeadwitch4217]

That's ridiculous! Shouldn't have to pay to ship & that is exactly what ppl are doing.

[@kaykartz9167]

Do you put stamps on your mail that goes through the Post Office? Same concept. Shipping is a convenience and payment pays the salary of the person making the deliveries.

[@Italianqueen]

I have a large family and always loved Sam’s Club,and paid for the executive membership. But over the last few years it hasn’t been worth it for so many reasons. I canceled my membership because the prices have skyrocketed as well as the cost in store… People saying I’ll shop at Walmart,there owned by same people and now there pushing that Walmart + membership,it’s just all ridiculous!

[@BK-qp8zp]

I love my Walmart+ membership.

[@HM2SGT]

*On this latest episode of the Waltons: the family whose individual members make more money sleeping than most households make a year isn't about to reduce their profits, so they're going to squeeze paying customers for more* 🙄 Nobody's surprised are they?

[@loisnoble9139]

I could never understand why we have to pay to shop at a store. We're spending our money in the store. The rich gets richer and the poor gets poorer.

[@1TewBuMyShoe]

@@loisnoble9139 that’s the only way they can sell bulk items at cheap prices. The business model can’t work without it. The grocery business is very low margin.

[@MyLeg.]

You don’t have to, nobody forces you to shop there. if you prefer to buy in bulk then a membership isn’t that bad. You save money in the long run, but only buying bulk makes sense

[@ChewyChicken589]

It's worth it

[@sandyrose2398]

Costco sells everything with a low mark-up - that's why they charge for membership. Just get a Costco Visa Card and you'll get a Costco check yearly - which covers the cost of the membership. Use those coupons which are mailed to members monthly - Big Savings. Not to mention all their quality products, 2-year warranties on small and big appliances, TVs, etc. The best Customer Service - and so easy to shop on-line. So Worth It.

[@morrismonet3554]

Socialist detected.

[@HumptyMcFly]

10 years ago, I had a Sam’s membership (had it for 2 years). Then it hit me, why am I paying money to spend money. Now it’ll be a cold day in…before I’d do it again.

[@SpotTheBorgCat]

Really? Costco's $5 up charge isn't that big a deal.

[@SBE3000]

It's huge. Because everything else went up 15$ or more at the same time. They can't get blood from a turnip. Record profits is wage theft. No increase in cost without equal increase in service! No one else's wage went up 5$.

[@granitemoss1451]

It is reported they haven't raised membership prices since 2017. It's been steady for 7 years and it's going up less than 10%. Sounds very reasonable to me, given the inflation we've been experiencing. People need to calm down already about it.

[@Gears9]

Because they backdate membership renewal fees essentially pickpocketing their members.

[@markmyers3188]

Most companies have a minimal amount you have to buy before you get the free shipping. Sam’s always had early shopping if you were a plus members. Click bait, nothing new that Sam’s is doing. And the $25 membership for new customers is not lifetime but a one time promotion to get new customers or old customers back into shopping at Sam’s. After the first year the renewal fee is the same as everyone else’s.

[@Freddy_Confetti]

Paying to shop somewhere is a hilarious concept

[@Adiscretefirm]

There has always been a $60 difference between the basic and plus membership at Sam's Club

[@rbdickson822]

We stop going there years ago, I'm not going to pay you to spend money in your store!!! Where's the savings???

[@maricruzgarcia7346]

I don't understand why people pay to shop there . I've asked my friends and co-workers why they go there? It's the same answer good deals . These companies should be paying us to go to there stores !!!!!! This stores are not worth it , next year it will cost 150 dollars or Moore. 💩🤬

[@sharonknollsk]

Sam's Club also uses a third party for deliveries. On caller ID it's a company I have never heard of before with an area code that's not in Wisconsin. So not knowing this company that called, but left no message my order was returned and cancelled. And I had to call Sam's to find out that my delivery was returned. Plus I never received my over $30 Sam's Cash back on cancelled order. Plus coffee ( Starbucks Espresso) that I normally have to order for shipping because none of the stores in our area has that coffee out for purchase, I couldn't get it shipped but could purchase it online for store pickup only. So it's a bit of a large mess right now and frustrating.

[@moonshoes11]

Costco is better.

[@LD__]

💯💯💯💯

[@omgcrisbreezy]

@@moonshoes11 not until they have scan and go. Waiting 20 min to pay for 4 items is wild.

[@moonshoes11]

@@omgcrisbreezy I’ve never experienced more than a five minute wait at Costco. And at Sam’s club scanning and re-scanning takes time too. Plus, Costco treats their employees way better, and that matters to me. But if you like Sam’s Club better, enjoy going there.

[@jamesspalten5977]

It depends if you want major label items or private label items. Quality is not always the same.

[@danasmith858]

They tried to upsell to a premium membership at Sam's every time I go in.

[@stanford-nf4jk]

My Costco membership expired during Covid. I haven’t renewed it because I realized that I just don’t *need* it. Plus it’s *crazy* busy now and other shoppers are rude as duck. Like, worse than it was before the pandemic!

[@luvsiberians8006]

Agree! I had a Costco membership and used it exactly 3 times because of the crowds. Getting in and out of the parking lot alone made me hate going there.

[@twentynineteen4687]

I agree. The crowds are just too much. And people are so unkind in the aisles. Even the employees are mean at my store. I feel like I paid $60 to be treated like I'm not even human.

[@dontbanmebrodontbanme5403]

It's going from $60 to $65??? OMG, what a...wait...that's not bad! It's called inflation and the price of EVERYTHING goes up over time. You have to do the math to see if being a member works for you, but the deals you get are fantastic.

[@bennym1956]

I have had the basic Sam's membership for over 20 years. Big whoop. Wife got a free membership to Costco, a few different items, BUT Sam's is cheaper overall on items !!!

[@rayshelld791]

I can barely afford stuff now. I can't afford to pay memberships too. You all lost me paying memberships after covid, when prices skyrocketed. I'm on a fixed income.

[@philoctetes_wordsworth]

I would happily pay for the right to shop CostCo early. I don’t really care about Sam’s.

[@jsa790]

really need better training, monitoring, and enforcement for costco workers. i see costco workers throwing boxes of fruits right in front of me. and a big issue with buying from costco is damaged produce. i’ve had to make so many returns the past few years.

[@DoctorTiktoc]

I have Costco, BJ's and just added Sam's because of the $20 (not $25) membership for alumni of any accredited US school. So, folks if you want this deal, hurry because it ends Aug.1. BUT I won't pay extra for any perks. Nope.

[@mattbosley3531]

I never shop before 10am anyway. And I don't get items shipped to me from Sam's, so these changes won't affect me.

[@poppyneese1811]

Sams is a division of Walmart, Walmart treats their associates/employees with no responsibility for them about like Dollar General.

[@ggeorge4144]

These stores have always been a ripoff for the middle and upper middle class. I priced everything in Costco like cereal in giant boxes. It turned out that I could buy the cereal at Walmart in the small boxes for the same or less. Everything else was pretty much the same.

[@your_royal_highness]

What people like or don’t like doesn’t matter; they won’t stop shopping at these places.

[@akui88]

i run a small business, i have the plus membership, i spend THOUSANDS, i get rewards cash back and it pays for itself. i buy things and i get the rewards cash back, i use the cashback to pay for the 110$ membership fee and i spend the rest of the rewards cash on candy for myself!

[@5967malibu]

All about the $$$$ not about the customer...

[@Mauser1965]

Consider that Sams Club is the same corporation as Walmart. Five dollar increase for my Costco membership is still offset by my savings, even if it was just fuel since joining in 1993.

[@aprilh7423]

I’ve let my membership lapse this year because I just couldn’t afford to buy bulk anymore and just live week to week on bare essentials 😢 The blame is voters always voting yes to every levy. Property taxes went up 70% in my area. For sale signs popping up all around us and sadly we’re probably going to get forced out too. Spending doesn’t make sense in this economy but the government seems to have increased its appetite.

[@timwaddell9450]

So sams club is matching costco, no news there. Here is the way to look at it. The saving alone on toilet paper and paper towels, tide pods and dishwasher pods we use in a year, is more than the membership price. Plus do their citibank card and the cash back is more than the annual fee. You can use that to pay your membership as well.

[@wsinbad1356]

$50 minimum? Sam's and Costco are called the $100 stores for a reason. What could you possibly be buying for less than $50 that you need delivered from them that you couldn't get elsewhere?

[@wyrunuts]

The last lady is smart. Why should you pay any kind of fee to buy their products. Don’t care what the perks are. It’s like tipping to go shopping .

[@OutdoorGirls7]

The Plus membership for Sam’s is 5% back on gas, anywhere. Every time I walk in, I go to customer service and ask for my accrued rewards and get handed anywhere from $30-$80 cash. It saves us hundreds just in fuel purchases alone each year. Just got a set of Michelin tires for about $200 cheaper than a national chain tires-only store could. It’s a no brainer even with “restricted hours” - and wait to make an online purchase until you have over $50, how hard is that?

[@edwardantrobusjr2253]

We dropped our Sam's membership last year. The basic membership went from $60 per year to $115. We didn't even know they shipped & were usually in the store in the evening. 😮 I wonder if they have different rates in different states.

[@jenjenirish]

I’ve never seen the benefit of being a member, even when all my kids were living at home. The prices are usually better if you look for sales at stores that don’t charge a membership fee and most food comes in too big of quantities to use before it expires.

[@sherylclements2846]

Smart and Final doesn't charge a membership. I'm going to go look through their store, which is local for me. God bless!!!

[@chuckgates1171]

Sam club membership is a scam.

[@DianaAngel259]

deal was 25$ to join this yr not each yr. to bring in new customers. awhile back they had 15$. i think Costco cost too much at 60 & they are going up.

[@annabodhi38]

We have an executive membership at Costco and it's going up again from 120 to 130. According to stats it will affect 52 million memberships. So 10dollars times 52million memberships is a whole $hit-whack of moola.

[@DianaAngel259]

@@annabodhi38 we have executive also. just 2 of us. dont think worth it but i like what i can find at Costco that i cant at regular stores. that is insane to raise it that much. the sizes of packages & boxes have gone up like any store but so has the prices that hurt us as well.

[@elchamber]

The shipping fee seems logical. Imagine you own a store that ships items. And a customer only buys $20 worth of items. Shipping isn't free for the business person.

[@joyanderson8646]

Sams Club should listen to their customers w/o them you wouldn't exist💯😮😮😮

[@readplanet23]

Thank You for the informative report. I always appreciate any Information regarding the large membership retailers. Have A Good Day! 😁👍😎

[@FannypakDanny]

As a long time Costco member. I am fine with a $5 increase

[@toddedwards5373]

If you have a large family they might come in handy.but i can't go through 55 gallons of peanut butter before it goes bad.

[@akbouton]

I’ve already been thinking about dropping my Sam’s membership. Now it’s a no brained. I was happy for my daughter when she got a half price membership last year, but it still aggravated me! I’ve been a loyal Sam’s Club member since they arrived in our location.

[@saronmalloy6074]

It’s the gas for Sam’s membership. The regular fee is ok. The premium does have cash back rewards and that is good too. I just got a BJs membership for $10 and of course they have gas too and reasonable prices. Sometimes walmart is charging more so bulk is better, to me. I prefer anything but Walmart even if Sam’s is the same company.

[@briandavis8629]

I've been shopping a lot on Amazon. Why i save on gas going to the store and i don't have to stop and show my receipts.

[@randmayfield5695]

I've been a member of Costco since the late 80's and have seen things change dramatically. These changes always seem to happen gradually as a fade out rather than something immediate. For instance, the food court used to have sauerkraut, chopped onions, and relish for the loss leader hot dogs. Remember the Polish dog choice? The pizzas are either pepperoni or cheese... that's it. So many of my favorite go to products like Lipton tea bags and Hebrew National salami disappeared off the pallets. There are many more but you get the idea. Out of the blue the store policy changed that everything HAD to come out of the cart for check out. I get a dozen or so items all in the cart with the bar codes facing up, that's the way I have always done it because orders don't get run together, it became an issue. I went to the manager and expressed my concern and told him I keep everything in my basket and gave him the reasons why. Then came the company rhetoric. I quietly asked him if he had a pair of scissors I could use just for a second... confused he asks me why. To cut my credit/membership cards up in protest. The new cashiers are told to do it and when I refuse, they get irritated. I wasn't the only one and Costco soon dropped the 'unload your cart' policy. I don't need Costco but they do need me and all other customers because we are what makes it all work.

[@mistiinseattle]

Avoid the half price deal!! I fell for that and the next year they tried to charge my card for the premium membership. Fortunately the bank rejected it. They would then not allow me to join at all for the regular membership. It's in the fine print. I canceled and then waited a few months and went back in and joined lower one, giving them CASH

[@DaveAnderson-ic6oo]

I have a Costco membership. I don’t really use it anymore because everything is bulk and I live alone now. I don’t need 4 pounds of butter nor do I need 30 rolls of toilet paper. Everything there seems to cost $15 and up. Then, the line to checkout is usually 10 people deep. And don’t get me started on the people at the door checking my receipt. It makes me feel like I’m a criminal. I’m not going to renew. I prefer Walmart pickup. Easy. Convenient. They have an app for me to compare prices and I feel like I save a lot of money. And I don’t even have to get out of my car. Just my thoughts.

[@DustySteel]

You have to pay to shop? Because groceries aren’t already super expensive?

[@outlander2878]

Wish Costco had a special time to shop when the idiots were not there blocking the aisles with their carts…

[@milfordcivic6755]

Right when they open or 2 hrs before close on Monday and Tuesday. Best time to grocery shop too.

[@gottagift]

Premium members never got their own exclusive cash registers at Sam's, so i stayed with the basic membership. Maybe if they offered a 1% rebate i might consider spending $6,000 annually to make up for the extra $60 of membership cost. I appreciate Sam's a lot due to it being in my neighborhood however i typically always rely on Amazon for online shopping.

[@IzzyEatz]

Shipping isn’t free at Sam’s it’s like $8…… unless you have premium service it’s free shipping. Costcos prices have skyrocketed 30%+ in the last few years. And guess what the stock price has as well. Hmmmmmm interesting

[@AnointedSong]

@IzzyEatz Shipping is free, delivery is $8.

[@IzzyEatz]

@@AnointedSong I have the premium Sam’s. What is considered delivery?

[@AnointedSong]

@@IzzyEatz Delivery is when you place your order and someone brings (delivers) the order to you during the timeslot you selected at checkout. With the Plus membership, you can get slightly earlier delivery times.

[@alg003]

Corporations try not to milk customers dry of every single penny they can challenge (impossible)

[@DegenProjects]

I see the trend with companies give them good deals whatever for a while then dick down your customers because people dont like change and will continue paying

[@bb0123]

This years word is.....Gouging. Done everywhere,by every store and no one does anything about it. Sad for people with large families.

[@joanclayton5212]

@@bb0123 And now we see how. Reading through the comments, most people are just so okay with it. They keep defending the companies decisions to keep raising prices. So companies realize they can get away with it.

[@213funnyp]

Its all a facade😂 figured that out couple years ago, and quality is poor

[@LydonLewisDoUbLeZz]

Thanks to some of you who responded to this.I'm thinking of costco costco as the better place of employment compared to sam's, I've worked for sams But visited costco with a friend who has a membership and just felt a whole other vibe! In my head i was like yea up this is like sams but way better! Bigger menu, more updated tire shop ect! If part of sam's problem is Having too many Stores with not enough employees They're turnover rate is pretty horrendous and I know of a store That has been through like three store managers in one Year which says a lot! Hell the tire department alone hasn't had a set manager for years and they keep switching team leads. Another weird thing with the managing is that the manager doesn't actually know the department at all, so they might as well.Let the team lead be the manager.I could go on but on my end here its a mess enough said!

[@theindivisible]

Hurricane in Houston last week.. everyone else priced their gas up 3.4-4$ per gallon. Costco was 2.79

[@ChewyChicken589]

At least we don't have mean Tweets anymore though

[@amayzingyoga6403]

😂😂 I’m not a member but i’l also not a morning person so they can keep that extra 2 hours 😂😂😂😂

[@MadManUSMC]

Glad to see reporters still don't look up what they spew. Sams has always had some type of intro discount for people for the first year only, which is what you showed. I paid 25$ for the first year BECAUSE I'M A VET, then 50$ a year just like everyone else. Any ORDER 50$ or more, including groceries, is FREE shipping on any type of account instead of only premium. So, Sams is giving more to people who don't to pay premium.

[@porkchopjp]

corporate greed!

[@rajatjims]

I got membership for both costco. And sams. And both are worth it

[@solracer66]

East coast viewers probably aren’t aware of this but Sam’s Club is no longer nationwide, they couldn’t compete with Costco and pulled out of the Northwest a decade ago and shuttered all their stores. One does wonder if this inability to compete has encouraged them to look for revenue elsewhere.

[@Greenchristinee]

It really isn’t cheaper than Walmart and you don’t need to buy a ridiculous amount or buy a membership.

[@tammyrawdon3587]

But it's WALMART!?!

[@juanitanoju2984]

Sam's Club does not offer free shipping for basic membership now.

[@OperationChicago]

Once they put all of these. other stores out of business, you are then stuck with these memberships fees forever. AND THEY WILL ALWAYS GO UP. So pretty much you are just paying to be able to walk in tha store, lol

[@morris4morris]

Oh NO! a whole $5/yr increase in membership fees? How dare they! Come on Man.

[@toomignon]

look at Costco's annual report. Their profit line almost matches their membership dues. That means that anything you buy there is at cost (including staff, rent, etc.) If you use it - it is a great value.

[@marilynjackson3267]

my plus membership won't expire until next January. The report isn't clear. If the $50 minimum for free shipping applies to current customers who have plus memberships doesn't this mean they owe me a refund on my membership or a credit of 4+ months on the $110 plus membership?

[@Nancy........]

This is why one family member would buy one membership and use the card to help out the whole neighborhood 😂 so they want to jack us.. I think not😂

[@pearlsswine]

It's cool that your trailer park has a tight knit community but if you think Costco is going to care about the $100 they lost from you sharing your card with drug addicts than it's clear the fent has fried up your mind.

[@tenlow2]

Wow, instead of saving hundreds, if not thousands of dollars every year by shopping at Costco, I’ll only save $5 less than hundreds of dollars if not $5 less than thousands of dollars by shopping at Costco. This is unacceptable! The savings on one single shopping trip a year more than covers the current cost of membership, so just don’t buy that second rotisserie chicken and you come out 1¢ ahead.