what to buy at bjs vs grocery store

I shopped at Costco and and so visited BJ'south for the outset time — I remember the latter is a worthy competitor

Aisles of packaged nuts with arrows with "BJ's" and "Costco" pointing to them — I compared BJ's and Costco, two popular warehouse bulk-purchase chains.

I visited BJ'southward and Costco in Georgia to compare the wholesale stores' offerings, setups, and more than.
BJ'south felt less chaotic and more than cost-effective for smaller families.
Though Costco is great for large families and businesses, BJ's may have become my go-to warehouse.

The concern models and membership plans are like.

There are a few different membership options to choose from at BJ'southward (left) and Costco (right).

When it comes to bulk-buy warehouse shopping, the get-go name that comes to my listen is Costco, the fifth largest retailer in the world.

Simply before shelling out the $60 annual membership fee, it's worthwhile to think other competitors, such as BJ's Wholesale Social club. Though the franchise isn't as widespread as Costco, the store has 229 locations across 16 states.

Same as with Costco, customers pay an annual fee to shop at BJ's. Information technology's $5 less to become part of the Inner Circle and customers can add together on one household member and receive shop-brand coupons.

BJ'south customers tin likewise use manufacturer coupons, which Costco doesn't allow.

Customers tin as well choose upgraded memberships to earn yous rewards, such as BJ's $110 Perks Rewards plan. This membership gives yous 2% cashback in $10 increments, which you can apply straight toward your checkout purchases.

At Costco, customers tin can choose a $120 Executive Membership, which grants you 2% rewards on qualified purchases but is simply awarded iii months prior to renewal.

Both warehouse stores I visited have their own gas stations.

BJ's (left) and Costco's (correct) gas stations are adjacent to the parking lots.

A lot of shoppers go to Costco for cheaper gas options, merely that also means you're typically fighting really long lines at decorated locations and on weekends.

Many BJ'south stores also have their ain fuel stations and sell gas for several cents less per gallon than regular locations.

Higher tier members automatically receive v cents off listed prices and are further incentivized with a gas savings program that takes money off your beak with eligible purchases.

Costco merely offers savings through an additional credit card.

Each warehouse also has its ain tire center.

BJ's (left) tire station is visible from within the store and Costco'south (correct) can exist accessed from outside.

Both locations I visited also have tire centers, which take easy drive-up admission from the outside of the building.

I loved that this centre is accessible from the within of BJ's warehouse, near where the auto supplies are stored.

To bank check out Costco'due south tires, yous have to go exterior to the separate entrance.

Booze pick and placement vary past location.

Wine is offered at both BJ's (left) and Costco (correct).

The BJ's I visited in Woodstock, Georgia, sells alcohol in a self-contained beverage outlet at the archway vestibule.

In New York, where I'm originally from, hard-liquor sales are highly regulated, which means Costco's booze was in the entry antechamber.

Still, the Kennesaw, Georgia, shop I visited doesn't sell its liquor in a "package shop" but instead has a large variety of loftier-stop wines and cocktail mixes.

In my opinion, BJ'south liquor area is doesn't experience equally posh as Costco'south.

Just walking into the stores is a completely different vibe.

The entrance at BJ'southward (left) has a smaller electronics section than the ane at Costco (right).

Upon walking into Costco, I'1000 used to being immediately barraged by the membership-card checkers, the display of seasonal products that line the walls, and the electronics department stocked with large land-of-the-fine art TVs.

Too the TVs, Costco'south enormous electronics section expands further into smartphones, computers, laptops, tablets, and more.

Nevertheless, all of these elements tin crusade bottlenecking at the front of the store, which is stressful for those who don't like crowds.

BJ's entrance also faces an electronics department, but it's an overall gentler arroyo.

The TVs on display are smaller and the staff is far more relaxed at checking membership cards. When I walked in, I was reminded more than of a Walmart rather than a warehouse, especially since the display of promoted items toward the archway is smaller.

You have to work your way into the shop to see the bigger TVs, which I didn't heed.

Bedding, furniture, and appliances are merchandised differently.

The mattresses at BJ's (left) are wrapped in plastic and Costco (right) has an entire sample wall.

Mattress samples can be found in a bedding display backside the TV area and in the middle of the store, in the furniture department, at Costco.

The mattresses at BJ's are stacked vertically against the dorsum-right wall, and article of furniture items keep downwardly that line until you become to the tire eye.

The Kennesaw Costco also displays its major home appliances along the mattress sample wall.

The Woodstock BJ's, on the other hand, doesn't take washers, dryers, or full kitchen sets on display. Those seem reserved for online ordering and delivery.

Publicly available health specialties are more accessible at BJ'due south.

Both BJ'due south (left) and Costco (correct) offer health services.

Select health services, namely, optical exams, are open to even non-members at either club.

In fact, at BJ'south, you can even buy glasses without a membership. At Costco, yous have to exist an official menu-wielder for the privilege.

Simply where Costco has the advantage is in its hearing screening program, which is bachelor to the paying public and has a full pharmacy that volition fill prescriptions for anyone whose doctor sends them.

Both stores' signage is ugly but functional.

Signs at BJ'southward (left) and Costco (right) mark the different areas of the store.

I retrieve the signage at BJ'due south is a petty sorry and retro, from the 70s-style script lettering to the heavy cake impress on the big department overheads.

That's non to say Costco's signs aren't horribly chintzy-looking — they expect like straight-up stickers.

Both franchises' signs blend into the remainder of the store, so they can be difficult to spot fifty-fifty if you're looking for department labels.

Costco'south thrifty-looking lettering is saved from making the place wait dated past virtue of having great lighting, as opposed to BJ's unappealing fluorescents.

But points to BJ's for having extremely articulate signage.

BJ's price tags accept arrows pointing directly at where its merchandise is stored, which is very helpful, and I really like that the savings are highlighted in yellow.

Because it directs the eye, it's a lot easier to avoid getting distracted by the pallets up in a higher place.

This clear labeling includes the aisles.

Each alley is marked by a sign at BJ'south.

Dissimilar Costco, which uses numbers to bespeak shifts in layout, BJ's uses traditional supermarket signs to denote what you tin can find in each aisle.

This, as opposed to Costco'southward more labyrinthine setup, is actually helpful for those looking to go far and out of the shop.

This is also very helpful to shoppers similar me, who are used to Costco's general formula across stores.

At Costco, snacks, nonperishables, cleaning supplies, healthcare items are on the left side of the store. BJ's reverses that, with all business firm things, including cleaning items, to the right.

Both franchises' bakeries are located in the back right of the store.

The bakeries at BJ's (left) and Costco (right) accept a diversity of cakes.

BJ's is noticeably smaller, as is its broiled-goods choice.

The muffins look astonishing and are baked in-house and the bagels are bagged and displayed on wooden racks that look just like Costco's. Unlike at Costco, notwithstanding, you can buy merely one pack.

Yous may pay more than per unit for half a dozen, but you lot're saving coin off your total purchase by not having to commit to a giant pack of anything. However, the croissants are worth the dollar more to double your package.

BJ's cakes and pies — which aren't gargantuan like their competitor'south — are packaged equally if they came from a supermarket distributor rather than from an in-house operation.

BJ's baking supplies aren't strewn about similar at Costco, which besides contributes to the supermarket-bakery feel.

For some reason, the transparency of BJ's mass-produced, not-from-scratch buckets of ingredients feels more than genuine, as does the simple packaging of its specialty cakes and desserts.

Both of the stores go on packaged bread separate from the in-business firm bakery.

Costco'southward bread section has a variety of options.

Costco'due south bread section is located in a corner visible from the baker, tucked away by the produce section, and takes up a considerable amount of space.

The diverseness is phenomenal and wonderful, with brands and types to adjust all preferences — keto, gluten-free, organic, budget-friendly. The staff of life is as well placed alongside packaged name-brand and European pastry snacks.

BJ's comes out as the loser in this area because its section is a fraction of the size and basic.

Although BJ's racks are stocked with imported packaged snacks, information technology's hidden in the eye and isn't even visible from the bakery department.

Costco's produce is set up upward similar a big farmers' market.

The produce at Costco is in boxes or plastic packaging.

Costco's produce section has bins and boxes of bulk buys of fruits brightly asking for your attention before you hitting the baker.

The greens are placed in their ain refrigerated room.

BJ'southward produce section feels like a mix of typical supermarkets and Aldi.

BJ's keeps its vegetables and dressing in the produce section.

BJ's also has bins in its produce department, but they're gear up on tables like at Aldi.

Its greens are stored in open cases along the back wall, like at nearly grocery stores.

This setup makes it a much easier and less-overwhelming transition to warehouse majority portions, equally many of its packaged items and veggies are regular-household sized.

Though information technology does have Costco-warehouse sizes of some produce, like iceberg salad mix, for incredibly cheap — under $3 — storing your BJ'due south produce in your standard refrigerator feels much more than manageable.

BJ's also backs its cocky-branded, white-characterization Wellsley Farms greens up with an impressive money-back guarantee, just similar at Lidl and Aldi.

Costco, on the other hand, proudly displays proper noun brands.

BJ's meat department is also more like a standard grocery store.

Other customers at BJ's were picking the cuts of meat they wanted.

I loved that BJ's meat section offered smaller packages, akin to family-size, in add-on to larger cuts like whole sides and haunches.

BJ'southward pricing is impressively lower than most supermarket standards, and in many cases, is cheaper than Costco's sales.

All the meat is laid out in traditional open-shelf cases, which is piece of cake to navigate.

Costco's butcher is renowned just can be overwhelming.

The meat at Costco is displayed in inlaid bins.

Costco has a tremendous option of premium cuts, but that means the prices correspond.

The cuts of meat are huge, so y'all really take to commit, and honestly, my freezer is often not fix for that.

These cuts of meat are located in inlaid bins.

Costco has a manageable seafood section, simply BJ's has a deli.

BJ's (left) has a deli and rotisserie craven and Costco (correct) has a seafood section.

Costco also has a groovy variety of fresh seafood, and gourmet, restaurant-grade items such as Alaskan king crab and giant shrimp in open-cased bins.

BJ's doesn't accept a fresh seafood section merely makes upwards for it with a real, slice-to-order deli featuring its own brand of common cold cuts and Dietz & Watson.

On the other hand, Costco only offers pre-cut bulk packs priced by the pound in the deli cases that sit in front of its famous rotisserie chickens.

BJ'south also makes a potent showing in its roasted-poultry pick, with 3-pound Perdues hot and ready at the aforementioned price as the Kirkland craven.

BJ'southward doesn't accept as many at the warming station, though this might be because it doesn't expect to sell as many chickens as Costco.

The rut-and-eat repast selection is where Costco really shines.

The rut-and-eat meal section at Costco was well-stocked.

The cafeteria section is busy at Costco, taking all the time it saves by non cutting meat and cheese and pouring it into almost-bootleg meal-prep kits.

The diversity is astounding, and the size of the ready-to-go trays is fit for a family'southward or dinner party's feast. The trays are sold by the pound, so you lot can avert ownership too much.

At BJ's, the prepared meals are more like what y'all find on the proper name-brand side of Costco's impressive refrigerated-foods wall.

They're displayed supermarket deli-style in brusk trophy that punctuate the space.

At Costco, dairy gets its own room.

The milk and eggs are in their own section at Costco.

Milk and eggs are given the same treatment as greens and are located in a big refrigerated section at Costco.

BJ'due south puts all of its dairy products in refrigerated aisles, like to the setup of Costco's juice, shredded-cheese, and yogurt sections.

Frozen foods are displayed the same way at BJ's and Costco.

Foods like popsicles and yogurt can exist establish in BJ'south (left) and Costco'south (correct) refrigerated department.

BJ's lines half the wall of its store with freezer cases of desserts and fruits.

Costco's frozen-foods section wall is lined with beverages every bit well as pet items, which get their own aisle at BJ's.

However, you don't notice the absence of a pet-items section since Costco has more than aisles of frozen foods, which better conform the variety of authentic Asian products and brands — a nod to its primary demographic.

I wouldn't say BJ's choice is limited, only more traditionally "American" and less global. For the basics, information technology definitely has most folks covered.

The snack selection is enormous at Costco.

The snack aisle at BJ's includes rice cakes and fries.

The huge snack selection, too as the large size of the packages, brand this an exceptionally tempting set up of aisles.

BJ's offers a similar setup, only also sells more conventional-size packages and has mix-and-friction match deals on snacks located on the endcaps.

Costco has over-the-top quantities of java, but I appreciated that BJ's offers free grounds.

BJ'due south (left) coffee alley is a bit different than Costco'due south (right).

Costco's packages of java, just like the industrial-sized bags of baking ingredients, cooking oils, and veritable tubs of spices, seem large enough to fuel diners.

Buying coffee from BJ's is more accessible for the average person, with large simply non industrial-sized bags and the availability of grinders.

At both stores, the supplements and healthcare aisles are toward the left front, near the checkout.

Supplements and lip balm could be found in this expanse at BJ'south (left) and Costco (right).

Both stores have a broad selection of name-brand vitamins and over-the-counter items.

Infant items get their own big aisle in BJ's, with gear and formula also located nearby.

At Costco, the baby section is mostly diapers and is located on the perimeter of the pharmacy area.

When I rounded the perimeter, I moved into the centre — the dress.

I idea the book display at BJ's (left) felt college-terminate than the ane at Costco (correct).

There'southward a significant difference in how the clothes are merchandised at BJ's and Costco.

Costco folds its clothing items on shelves made of pallets, which await and feel low-end ... because they are.

On the other mitt, BJ'south vesture is displayed on metal shelves. The department feels much more than like a proper clothing store, thanks to hanging garment racks surrounding the area.

BJ's clothing section is much bigger than it looks, and has mirrors prepare at key points.

The books department at BJ'south is significantly more welcoming and the bill of fare store is clutch.

The greeting cards BJ'due south offers are Hallmark brand.

Maybe it's because information technology'southward surrounded by clothes and gear up up as a smaller display tabular array, but BJ'southward book and bill of fare section is very welcoming.

Adding to the appeal, there's a Hallmark Greeting Cards mini-store right adjacent to it, which is immensely handy and saves the trip to a card store.

I love that y'all tin purchase a thoughtful souvenir and a menu at the same place, and both at a disbelieve of the standard retail price.

Costco has an choice for those who want to say it with flowers.

There are different types of flowers to choose from at Costco.

Costco'due south blooms are a lovely way to say "I'm thinking of yous" to someone as yous're running errands, and for a fraction of the cost of a florist — even a supermarket 1.

The flowers are always fresh and set right by the checkout, so the store makes it easy for you not to forget that special gift.

Store check-out is unlike at both warehouses too.

The lines at Costco weren't long when I visited.

At Costco, check-out tin can be daunting, since information technology gets crowded on the weekends, with long lines and people barking orders.

It has an efficient procedure, every bit your cart goes on ane side of the conveyor belt and the customer on the other, but information technology tin can await like a lot.

Self-checkout is also available.

BJ'southward checkout surface area is more relaxed.

There aren't any Plexiglass dividers at the registers at BJ'south.

BJ's bank check-out process is far calmer, friendlier, and less brisk and militant.

Cheque-out was a little jarring because there's no Plexiglass divider at the annals and you lot're in close proximity to the cashier. I had gotten used to those two things at many stores among the ongoing pandemic.

The BJ'southward location I visited also had a self-checkout area.

On my way out of Costco, I passed a humming nutrient courtroom.

The nutrient courtroom is next to the cheque-out at Costco.

The entire experience of shopping at Costco is generally ambitious, from your first step within to leaving the shop.

The café is typically total of hungry shoppers, and there's usually a wait for the famous $9.95 pizza — which has its own cult post-obit — and the $i.l hot canis familiaris.

Most BJ's locations have an in-shop Dunkin' counter in lieu of a café.

To exit either shop, you lot'll probably be waiting in line for your receipt to be checked and marked.

Costco is meliorate for bulk buying, but BJ'southward is more realistic for the typical family unit.

Fifty-fifty the bank check-out areas and exits at BJ's (left) and Costco (right) are different.

There are a lot of similarities between the two stores — both warehouses accept tire centers, majority-buy items, gas stations, fresh-baked goods, and cheap rotisserie craven.

Overall, Costco is not for the faint of centre and the sights, sounds, people, and the sheer commitment of buying industrial-sized quantities of everything can be overwhelming.

However, Costco does offering certain things BJ's doesn't: a wide diversity of packaged and fresh nutrient, a pharmacy, home-improvement supplies, strong proper noun-make representation, lots of Asian food items, fresh flowers, and the convenience of more locations.

On the flip side, BJ's offers a calmer environment, its own card store, a cut-to-order deli, smaller sizes of packaged items, access to coffee grinders, a big baby department, and more than curated choices.

The surroundings also has friendlier and more personable client service and aplenty parking thanks to less crowding. At BJ'southward y'all'll probably spend less and have more than storage space in your house than if y'all shop at Costco.

But "best" is also based on what you prefer and can tolerate.

Unless yous're a restaurant owner — in which case, Costco'south Restaurant Depot-levels of parcel sizes and commercial-grade items are definitely the style to go — you have to weigh your priorities for a typical family's needs.

Personally, as someone in a smaller household whose head cannot exist trusted with 5 pounds of murphy fries at a time, BJ's is worth the bulldoze and may have become my new default.

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Source: https://www.insider.com/costco-and-bjs-review-differences-which-better-photos-2022-3