Sam's Beats Costco on Detergent This Week
A head-to-head scorecard for May 19–25, 2026. Sam's Club wins five of nine categories — Tide, Cascade pods, Hefty bags, cetirizine, and eggs. Costco leads on gas and toilet paper per-square-foot. BJ's wins the week on tires ($140 off Goodyear through May 31). Includes cherry-picker's route, three-tier membership break-even table, and an end-of-month expiry alert.
The "Costco is always cheapest" reflex dies another small death this week. Across nine product categories tracked head-to-head for the May 19–25 window, Sam's Club came out cheaper on five, Costco on two, and BJ's took the week on tires and membership entry price. No single chain sweeps the board. What follows is the unit-price breakdown, a category verdict, a one-stop shopping route, and the break-even math on all three memberships — so you can stop guessing and start routing.
This week's top 5 head-to-head calls
All prices verified against secondary sources (deal blogs, YouTube walkthroughs, Reddit photos). Prices marked secondary source have not been confirmed against the official coupon flip book.
| Category | Winner | Price at winner | Runner-up price | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laundry detergent (Tide Original 170 oz) | Sam's Club | $24.98 | Costco $29.99 | $5.01 (17%) |
| Dishwasher pods (Cascade Platinum 82 ct) | Sam's Club | $24.98 (−$5 off) | Costco $28.99 (−$5 off) | $4.01 after promos |
| Allergy meds (cetirizine/Zyrtec 120 ct name-brand) | Sam's Club | $31.98 (−$8 ISB) | Costco $31.99 | $0.01 name-brand; but Sam's generic 400 ct at $0.04/pill vs $0.27/pill |
| Toilet paper (per sq ft, store brand) | Costco | 1.68¢/sq ft | Sam's Club 1.97¢/sq ft | 15% cheaper per sq ft |
| Gas (everyday pump avg, national) | Costco | 34¢/gal below national avg | Sam's & BJ's 26¢ below avg | 8¢/gal Costco advantage |
Sources: Laundry and dishwasher prices from Tasting Table side-by-side cart test 5. Toilet paper sq-ft math: Costco Kirkland 30 rolls × 380 sheets = ~1,425 sq ft at $23.99; Sam's Member's Mark 45 rolls = ~1,254 total sq ft at $24.76 5. Note that Sam's 45-roll pack looks bigger, but Kirkland rolls are thicker (380 sheets vs ~235 per roll), so the pack with fewer rolls actually contains more paper. Gas averages from Oil Price Information Service data 6.
Category breakdown
Food and grocery
Frozen meat: Costco has Tyson Panko Breaded Chicken Tenderloins, 5-pack, at $12.99 ($5.50 off) through June 7 1. No confirmed Sam's or BJ's comparable this week. This is a family-sized purchase; fine for a 4-person household with freezer space, less practical if you're cooking for one or two.
Eggs: Sam's Club Member's Mark large eggs, 1.5 dozen (18 ct), at $5.54 ($0.308/egg). Costco sells Kirkland Signature pasture-raised large eggs, 2 dozen, at $9.07 ($0.378/egg) 7. Sam's is 19% cheaper per egg. Caveat: Costco's eggs are labeled pasture-raised, which commands a real quality premium; the Sam's Club listing does not specify. If you buy on price alone, Sam's wins; if you buy on egg welfare standards, compare the actual labels in your store.
Coffee: Sam's Club Folgers Classic Roast 43.5 oz is $14.98 in the current ISB — but this is a significant price increase from as low as $8.98 in prior ISB cycles, per YouTuber Luvs 2 Travel 8. If you have Folgers stockpiled from a prior cycle, skip this round. No comparable Costco or BJ's coffee deal confirmed for this week.
Memorial Day grilling: Sam's Club has Ballpark Classic Meat Franks 24-pack at $5.83 and Beef Franks 24-pack at $9.83 through May 31 (secondary source: Luvs 2 Travel YouTube) 8. The 24-pack hot dogs are well-suited for a cookout but excessive for a 1–2 person household unless you're feeding guests. Kingsford Matchlight Charcoal 16 lb two-pack is $19.98 at Sam's (~$10/bag), a decent but not exceptional charcoal price per the same source.
Household consumables
This is Sam's Club's strongest category this week.
- Tide Original Liquid, 170 oz: Sam's $24.98 vs. Costco $29.99 — same product, same size, $5 less at Sam's 5
- Cascade Platinum pods, 82 ct: Sam's $24.98 vs. Costco $28.99, with both chains running a matching $5-off promotion — so the relative gap is preserved at $4 after discounts 5
- Trash bags: Hefty Ultra Strong 33-gallon 90-count at Sam's for $6.48 ($3.50 off ISB) (secondary source) 8
Costco's household wins: Charmin Ultra 30-roll pack, $6.60 off this cycle 4, and Tide Ultra OXI 143-load box at $6 off 4. The OXI Pods are a different product from the standard Tide Liquid comparison above — if your laundry preference is pods or OXI formula, Costco is competitive.
BJ's household comparison data for this week is limited. The Red Hot Summer event advertises savings on Berkley Jensen and Wellsley Farms store-brand products, but specific dollar prices were not accessible from available sources. Reddit's r/BJsWholesaleClub community consistently rates BJ's produce as a strength and its paper products as a weakness relative to Kirkland 9.
Electronics
Sam's Club clearance is doing real work this week. A 65" LG OLED TV at $789.91 and an 86" LG 4K TV at $696.91 are both in-store clearance (secondary source: The Deal Guy YouTube) 10. Clearance quantities vary by store.
Costco has a Samsung 85" TV at $729 and the Ninja SLUSHI Frozen Drink Maker at $219 ($60 off) 4.
BJ's has Apple AirPods Pro 3 at $199.99 (roughly 20% off MSRP) 11 and is running 3× rewards on iPad, Apple Watch, and AirPods over $99.99 through May 3. One warning from the community: avoid the AT&T phone reps working inside BJ's stores. Multiple members on r/BJsWholesaleClub report promised free phones and gift cards that required undisclosed trade-in values, with "This deal is a rip off and a scam. It's been going on for years" as a recurring complaint 12.
Tires
BJ's has the most aggressive tire promotion running right now 13:
| Brand | BJ's promo | Costco promo | Sam's Club promo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goodyear (set of 4) | $140 off + installation (through May 31) | No confirmed Goodyear deal | $100 off |
| Michelin (set of 4) | $80 off + installation (through May 31) | $80 off + installation (through June 7) | Not confirmed |
| Kelly | Buy 3, get 1 free (through May 31) | Not carried | Not confirmed |
For Goodyear buyers, BJ's $140-off bundle with installation included beats Sam's $100 off. For Michelin buyers, BJ's and Costco are level on the discount — installation is included at both. All prices require membership. Out-the-door cost depends on tire size and whether your vehicle takes a common or specialty fitment.
Gas
Costco's member gas prices average 34¢/gallon below the national average, compared to 26¢ below average at both Sam's Club and BJ's 6. That 8¢/gallon advantage over the other two chains translates to roughly $62/year for a driver filling a 15-gallon tank weekly.
Regional reality check: a Sam's Club in Indiana was observed at $4.29/gallon this week, 70¢ cheaper than the Marathon across the street — local competition matters as much as chain averages 8. Use GasBuddy to verify your specific location before routing around a Costco that's 10 miles further. Costco closes Memorial Day (May 25); factor that into a long-weekend fill-up plan.
Iowa note: some Costco locations in Iowa are switching pumps to E15 (Unleaded 88, 15% ethanol blend), which reduces fuel efficiency vs. standard E10. If you have a vehicle that requires ethanol-free fuel or has poor ethanol tolerance, check your local station's pump labels 14.
The cherry-picker's route this week
Primary stop: Sam's Club. Load up on Tide Original 170 oz ($24.98), Cascade Platinum pods ($24.98 after $5 off), and the Hefty trash bag 90-pack ($6.48) in a single household consumables run. If you need allergy medicine, add Member's Mark generic cetirizine 400 ct ($15.98/$0.04 per pill) — chemically identical to Zyrtec and one-seventh the per-pill cost of name-brand.
Gas decision: If your nearest Costco is within 5 miles, fuel up there. If Sam's Club is closer and you can confirm a local price gap of 8¢+, either works — the national average advantage is Costco's, but local pricing varies.
Add-on stop for tire buyers: If you need Goodyear tires, detour to BJ's before May 31. The $140-off-plus-installation bundle won't repeat until the next promotional cycle.
Skip this week at Costco (unless you need toilet paper, Kirkland-specific items, or gas): the household consumable prices on equivalent products are $4–$5 higher this week.
Membership math
Sam's Club raised its membership fees on May 1, 2026 — Club tier went from $50 to $60/year (+20%), Plus tier from $110 to $120/year. This narrowed the gap with Costco to just $5/year at the base level 15.
| Tier | Annual fee | Cashback | Break-even spend | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Costco Gold Star | $65 | None | N/A — savings from lower prices | Infrequent shoppers who want just gas + groceries |
| Costco Executive | $130 | 2% (up to $1,250/yr) | $3,250/yr ($271/mo) | Heavy shoppers who can hit the spend floor |
| Sam's Club Club | $60 | None | N/A | Basic access after fee hike; nearly same as Costco |
| Sam's Club Plus | $120 | 2% Sam's Cash (up to $500/yr) | $3,000/yr ($250/mo) | Members near the $3K spend level |
| BJ's Club Card | $60 (regular) / $20 promo through June 1 via StackSocial | None | N/A | New members in BJ's footprint — cheapest entry by far this month |
| BJ's Club+ | $110 | 5% back on most purchases, 6% on Apple | $2,200/yr ($183/mo) | Moderate spenders — highest rate, lowest break-even floor |
The BJ's Club+ cashback math is worth a look: 5% back at a $183/month spend pace recoups the $110 annual fee, which is a lower bar than Sam's Plus ($250/month) or Costco Executive ($271/month) 16.
Current new-member promos: Sam's Club is offering Club membership at $25 (was $50) and Plus at $55 (was $110) through June 15 2. BJ's regular Club Card is $20 via StackSocial through roughly June 1 17.
Next week: watch these expiration dates
- Sam's Club Instant Savings Book (ISB) expires May 31 — all ISB prices (Hefty trash bags, Folgers coffee, Ballpark hot dogs, Starbucks Frappuccino 15-pack, Häagen-Dazs bars) disappear June 1. Stock up on non-perishables from the ISB list before Saturday.
- BJ's tire promotions end May 28–31 — the Nexen $20-off deal expires May 28; Goodyear and Michelin run through May 31.
- Costco coupon book does not expire until June 7 — no urgency on Costco items this week beyond the store closing May 25.
References
- 1Slickdeals: Costco Coupon Book May 2026
daily.slickdeals.net
- 2Hip2Save: Sam's Club Memorial Day Sale
hip2save.com
- 3BJ's Wholesale Club Deals
bjs.com
- 4
- 5Tasting Table: We Tested Whether Sam's Club Or Costco Is Cheaper
tastingtable.com
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11Slickdeals: Apple AirPods Pro 3 at BJ's
slickdeals.net
- 12
- 13BJ's Tire Center
tires.bjs.com
- 14Reddit r/Costco: Iowa E15 gas discussion
reddit.com
- 15
- 16The Krazy Coupon Lady: Best Membership Deals May 2026
thekrazycouponlady.com
- 17MarketWatch: BJ's membership for $20
marketwatch.com
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