OT- Sam's Club or Costco

Shiff

Gulfcoastguy said:

Unfortunately I don't have the choice. My state only allows liquor sales at state liquor stores so Costco won't locate here. They are a 45 mile drive across the state line in Alabama. I can't make the cost savings justify the drive.

@gulfcoastguy, I don't think that was the reason that Costco won't open a store in your state. Here in Pennsylvania, Costco can't see wine or liquor since the state has a monopoly on that. Costco has several stores in Pennsylvania and seems to be doing fine.

GregW

Shiff said:

Gulfcoastguy said:

Unfortunately I don't have the choice. My state only allows liquor sales at state liquor stores so Costco won't locate here. They are a 45 mile drive across the state line in Alabama. I can't make the cost savings justify the drive.

@gulfcoastguy, I don't think that was the reason that Costco won't open a store in your state. Here in Pennsylvania, Costco can't see wine or liquor since the state has a monopoly on that. Costco has several stores in Pennsylvania and seems to be doing fine.

I thought Alabama was the only state with such backwards liquor laws.

DMW

GregW said:

Shiff said:

Gulfcoastguy said:

Unfortunately I don't have the choice. My state only allows liquor sales at state liquor stores so Costco won't locate here. They are a 45 mile drive across the state line in Alabama. I can't make the cost savings justify the drive.

@gulfcoastguy, I don't think that was the reason that Costco won't open a store in your state. Here in Pennsylvania, Costco can't see wine or liquor since the state has a monopoly on that. Costco has several stores in Pennsylvania and seems to be doing fine.

I thought Alabama was the only state with such backwards liquor laws.

Here in PA you can only buy beer at distributors or restaurants/bars. Until recently, you could only buy a full case at a distributor, now they can sell 12 packs as well. At a restaurant/bar you can buy by the 6 pack. Also until recently, distributors and state wine/liquor stores could not be open on Sundays. Now distributors can open on Sundays, and a few wine/liquor stores have been allowed to have open hours on Sundays. Wine is now slowly being allowed in some grocery stores, but in dedicated sections with it's own checkout.

HeavyG

Gulfcoastguy said:

Unfortunately I don't have the choice. My state only allows liquor sales at state liquor stores so Costco won't locate here. They are a 45 mile drive across the state line in Alabama. I can't make the cost savings justify the drive.

There are Costco's in states that only allow liquor sales in state ABC stores. Must be some other reason Costco doesn't like your state.

GregW

HeavyG said:

Gulfcoastguy said:

Unfortunately I don't have the choice. My state only allows liquor sales at state liquor stores so Costco won't locate here. They are a 45 mile drive across the state line in Alabama. I can't make the cost savings justify the drive.

There are Costco's in states that only allow liquor sales in state ABC stores. Must be some other reason Costco doesn't like your state.

It could be like in Alabama, all alcohol has to be purchased through the state ABC board. Costco in Hoover AL only recently was allowed to sell liquor. As I understand it, Costco sells the liquor to the Alabama ABC and then turns around and buys it back to resell in the Hoover store.

This convoluted arrangement makes it difficult to compete with the state owned ABC stores on price. Costco does have the option of selling to the state at a lower cost than the other suppliers do. This allows the state to put their markup on the liquor and sell it back to Costco at a slightly lower price than the ABC stores sell the liquor for.

In practice, I don't see a lot of price reduction at Costco on liquor.  

Gulfcoastguy

Well it could be a certain OT political thing enacted in our state. I don't think that the buffalo would like me exploring that though.

BrookieP

I have memberships to both, and today I shopped at both. I would see if you can walk through them and check out their meat counter. My Costco doesn't have whole briskets or bone-in pork butts. Costco does have everything else I need/love for Egging though. 

SGH

BrookieP said:

My Costco doesn't have whole briskets 

This is true of the one in Mobile, AL. as well. No brisket. 

northGAcock

clemsontyger97 said:

For those who are Sam's members does Sam's have 50 check-out lanes with only 2 cashiers like most Wal-Marts?  

They have more than two cashiers.....but they ain't as smart as the ones at Wall-marts.

BilZol

clemsontyger97 said:

For those who are Sam's members does Sam's have 50 check-out lanes with only 2 cashiers like most Wal-Marts?  

Sam's has scan and go. I scan what I put in my basket with my phone, hit pay when I'm done and walk out after showing my receipt to door greeter. Only earthlings go through checkout anymore. Big orders I just do online and pick up my float and go. 

BilZol

WeberWho said:

clemsontyger97 said:

For those who are Sam's members does Sam's have 50 check-out lanes with only 2 cashiers like most Wal-Marts?  

@clemsontyger97
You can scan each purchase with your app and place in your cart as you go. Skip all lines.

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/html/mobile/help/scan-and-go.html?mobiledetect=false

Whoops, didn't see you beat me to it.