Sam's wins the cook-out, Costco wins the tires: Memorial Day week warehouse scorecard
Memorial Day week, May 26–June 1: Sam's Club wins grocery and household with ~25 ISB deals (all expire May 31!), BJ's wins tires ($160 off vs Costco's $80), Costco leads electronics and protein drinks. Gas savings favor Costco for simplicity, BJ's for card-carrying heavy spenders. Double cliff warning: Sam's ISB and BJ's Red Hot Summer both end May 31.
Memorial Day week dropped two savings cycles on the same calendar page. Sam's Club is running both its April 29–May 31 Instant Savings Book (ISB) and a separate Memorial Day Sale through June 3 1. Costco posted its May 26 Weekly Insider Deals a day late (blame the holiday) with most items valid through May 31, and the May 11–June 7 savings book still in play 2. BJ's Red Hot Summer event runs through May 31, with the TV-plus-gas promo extending to June 14 3.
Before you plan a route: almost every Sam's ISB item — roughly 25 products — expires May 31, which is a Saturday. They will not be active for next Tuesday's read. If you want them, go this week.
Headline picks — top 5 cross-chain comparisons
| Item | Sam's | Costco | BJ's | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tires (set of 4) | Not confirmed this week | Michelin $80 off | Goodyear/Michelin $160 off + install | BJ's |
| Charcoal (16–18 lb) | Kingsford Miller Lite 16 lb: $9.98 | Kingsford Professional 2/18 lb: $17.99 | Not confirmed | Sam's per lb |
| Protein drinks | Fairlife CPE 42g, 12-pk: $47.99 (Costco) vs $42.48/10-pk (Sam's) | $47.99/12pk = $3.99/bottle | Not available | Costco per bottle |
| Allergy meds | Zyrtec 120ct: $31.98; Claritin 115ct: $30.98 | Not on promotion this week | Not confirmed | Sam's (ISB through 5/31) |
| Gas savings | Variable (Walmart+ fuel discount available) | ~20¢/gal below local market | 5¢ baseline + up to 50¢ with BJ's One card | Costco flat; BJ's high-end |
Pick 1 — Tires: BJ's wins by $80. Costco's Michelin deal is $80 off any set of four through June 7 4. BJ's Tire Center is showing $160 off Goodyear and Michelin purchases plus installation, and a buy-3-get-1-free on Cooper and Kelly Endeavor tires, with 3× rewards on all tire purchases 5. That $160 gap matters on a $1,000+ tire purchase. Heads up: BJ's tire promo end date is unconfirmed — verify before you go.
Pick 2 — Charcoal: Sam's wins on unit price. Sam's Kingsford Miller Lite Beercoal runs $9.98 for 16 lb (~$0.62/lb) through May 31 6. Costco's Kingsford Professional comes as two 18-lb bags for $17.99 (~$0.50/lb) 4 — Costco wins on per-pound price, but you're buying 36 lb. For a 1–2 person household, 36 lb of charcoal won't go stale fast but takes real storage; Sam's 16-lb bag is the practical size.
Pick 3 — Protein drinks: Costco just sniped Sam's. Reddit user u/MoonDoggie_99 spotted Fairlife Core Power Elite (42g protein) showing up at an Ohio Costco at $47.99 per 12-pack — $3.99/bottle 7. The same product at Sam's has run $42.48 for 10 bottles ($4.25/bottle). That's a 6% per-bottle advantage for Costco — and a larger pack. Regional rollout; confirm stock before driving across town.
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Pick 4 — Allergy meds: Sam's, and hurry. Zyrtec (120ct) runs $31.98 ($8 off), Claritin (115ct) runs $30.98 ($8 off), and Zyrtec Liquid Gels (65ct) runs $25.98 ($8 off) — all ISB, all gone after May 31 8. Costco has no matching promotion on antihistamines this cycle. If your medicine cabinet is low, Sam's is the call.
Pick 5 — Gas: know your region. With the AAA national average at $4.56/gal 9 — up roughly 54% since the pre-Iran-conflict baseline of $2.96/gal in late February 10 — all three chains are printing savings at the pump. Costco runs about 20¢/gal below local market 10. BJ's baseline is 5¢/gal, but members using the BJ's One Mastercard with a $150+ in-club spend can push that to 50¢/gal. A confirmed local BJ's price: $4.19/gal at the Blasdell, NY location on May 25 (GasBuddy-sourced via WIVB Buffalo) 11, against a national average of $4.56 — about 37¢ under. Sam's Club offers variable per-gallon discounts; Walmart+ members get additional fuel savings. If you hold the BJ's card and spend regularly, BJ's total gas discount can beat Costco's flat 20¢ — but only if you use the card.
Category-by-category comparison
| Category | Costco | Sam's Club | BJ's | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food | Kirkland Beef & Rice Stuffed Bell Peppers $4.99/lb; Outshine Fruit Pops 36-ct $7.49; Kirkland Peach Cream Bar Cake $17.99 | Häagen-Dazs Bars 15-ct $8.84 ($3 off); Rao's Marinara 2-pk 44oz ~$7.76 ($2 off); Olipop 15-ct $14.98 ($5 off); Ball Park Hot Dogs 24-ct $5.83; Kinder's BBQ Sauce $4.48 | Wellsley Farms USDA Prime Beef on coupon (price unconfirmed); Folgers 40oz ~$11 with $5 coupon (unconfirmed) | Sam's on branded grocery this week |
| Household | Ziploc Slider Bags 144-ct (price not extracted); Spindrift 30-pk $5.20 off | Bounty 12-roll $20.68 ($5 off); Charmin 32-roll $24.98 ($5 off); Ziploc Gallon 208-ct $13.48; Reynolds Wrap 2-pk $5 off | Berkley Jensen $2 off / Wellsley Farms $3 off stacking coupon on most store-brand items | Sam's on name brands; BJ's on store brands with stacking |
| Electronics | Samsung Galaxy Watch8 $100 off (to 5/31); Roborock QX Revo PLUS robot vacuum; Sonos Arc Ultra 9.1.4 bundle; MSI Raider 18 HX $300 off | Ninja Blender DUO $79.98 ($40 off); Shark StainForce Cordless $119 ($30 off) | TV ≥$399 = free tank of gas (to 6/14) 12 | Costco on premium tech; BJ's on value TV + gas bundle |
| Travel | Universal Orlando 5-day/pay-3 pkg; Celebrity Cruises Europe $100 credit (book by 5/28); Disneyland Grand Californian pkg | No active travel deal in current window | No confirmed travel packages | Costco Travel (no competition this week) |
| Gas | ~20¢/gal below local market | Variable; Walmart+ fuel discount | 5¢ base + up to 50¢ with BJ's One card + $150 spend | Costco (flat, reliable); BJ's (potential high if card user) |
Cherry-picker's route
This week's primary store: Sam's Club — before Saturday May 31.
Sam's ISB ends May 31 and the Memorial Day Sale stays active through June 3. One trip clears the expiring ISB essentials and picks up the extended-sale kitchen gear.
Grab-list (ISB items, expire May 31):
- Bounty Select-A-Size 12-roll — $20.68 6. ⚠️ 1–2 person household: 12 rolls at 110 sheets each is 3–6 months of supply; fine to buy.
- Charmin Ultra Strong 32-roll — $24.98 6. ⚠️ 1–2 person household: 32 rolls is about 4 months; manageable if you have a closet shelf.
- Ziploc Gallon Storage Bags 208-ct — $13.48 ($3 off) 6. ✅ 1–2 person household: 208 gallon bags is a 1-year supply — genuinely fine to stock up.
- Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Bars 15-ct — $8.84 ($3 off) 13. ✅ 1–2 person household: 15 bars in the freezer is zero risk.
- Zyrtec 120ct or Claritin 115ct — $31.98 or $30.98 ($8 off each) 8. ✅ Any household size: OTC medication lasts 2+ years. Stock up if you're an allergy sufferer.
- Olipop 15-ct Variety Pack — $14.98 ($5 off) 13. ✅ 1–2 person household: 15 cans go fast; reasonable buy.
- Rao's Marinara 2-pack (22oz × 2) — ~$7.76 ($2 off) 13. ✅ 1–2 person household: Two jars is a normal pantry quantity.
- Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier 30-ct — $20.98 ($8 off) 6. ✅ Any household size: Sealed packets, long shelf life.
Memorial Day Sale grab (extends through June 3):
- KitchenAid 2-Piece Hard-Anodized Induction Nonstick Fry Pan Set — $49.98 ($30 off) 1. ✅ 1–2 person household: Two pans is exactly right.
- Kingsford Miller Lite Beercoal 16 lb — $9.98 ($2 off) 6. ✅ 1–2 person household: 16 lb is a summer's worth for occasional grillers.
Secondary stop: Costco (for tires, protein drinks, and tech)
If you need tires or a robot vacuum, Costco's Michelin $80-off deal runs through June 7 — no deadline pressure 4. The Samsung Galaxy Watch8 ($100 off, through May 31) and the Sonos Arc Ultra bundle also justify a Costco loop this week.
Membership math
| Tier | Annual fee | Cashback rate | Break-even annual spend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Costco Executive | $130 | 2% (max $1,250) | $3,250 to cover the $65 upgrade premium over Gold Star |
| Sam's Plus | $110 | 2% Sam's Cash (max $500/yr) | $2,750 to cover the $50 upgrade premium over base Savings |
| BJ's Perks Plus (Club+) | $110 (promo $70 currently observed) | 5% on most purchases | $1,400 at regular fee; $1,000 at promo $70 |
A few things worth knowing:
Sam's raised its base membership from $50 to $60 on May 1, 2026 14. If you're still grandfathered at the old rate, your renewal will hit the new $60. The Plus tier stays at $110.
BJ's 5% cashback rate makes the math sharper than it looks on paper. Spend $2,200/year at BJ's (around $185/month) and you've earned back the full $110 Perks Plus fee. But that 5% only applies at BJ's, not at the pump. The Perks Plus gas discount (5¢/gal base, more with the BJ's One Mastercard) is a separate track — it stacks with your regular cashback on in-club purchases.
The Penny Hoarder's May 2026 analysis put Sam's Club as the overall cheapest option, crediting it with the lowest membership fees, cheapest grocery prices, and the most savings opportunities across tiers 14. That finding predates Sam's $10 fee increase and is worth recalculating if you're at the renewal decision point.
Next-week preview
May 31 is a double cliff. Sam's ISB (~25 products across grocery, household, personal care, and appliances) and BJ's Red Hot Summer monthly coupon cycle both expire the same day. Neither set of deals will be active for next Tuesday.
What carries into June:
- Sam's Memorial Day Sale runs through June 3 — the kitchen and outdoor items (KitchenAid pans, Bentgo containers, patio furniture) stay available.
- BJ's TV + free gas tank promo extends to June 14 12.
- BJ's Tire Center promos have no announced end date 5.
- Costco Michelin $80-off tires runs through June 7 4.
- Sam's June ISB will likely launch around June 1–4 (Sam's runs roughly 8 ISB cycles per year). Check Hip2Save or KrazyCouponLady for first-reveal coverage — they typically post within hours of the new cycle going live.
BJ's June coupon book should drop on or around June 1. The BJ/WF store brand coupons ($2 off Berkley Jensen, $3 off Wellsley Farms) have been advertised through at least June 1 16 — look for them to roll into the June book.
Cover image: AI-generated illustration.
References
- 1Shop Sam's Club Memorial Day Sale
hip2save.com
- 2Costco May 26th 2026 Weekly Insider Deals
costcoinsider.com
- 3BJ's Red Hot Summer Event — Red Hot Summer Deals
facebook.com
- 4Costco Warehouse Savings — May 2026
costco.com
- 5BJ's Tire Center
tires.bjs.com
- 6Sam's Club Instant Savings — May 2026
hip2save.com
- 7
- 8
- 9US gas prices: 2018 to May 2026
finder.com
- 10BJ's, Sam's, Costco have solution to gas price woes
thestreet.com
- 11
- 12Reddit: BJ's TV/gas deal
reddit.com
- 137 Can't-Miss Sam's Club Deals This Month
allrecipes.com
- 14Costco, Sam's Club or BJ's: Which is Actually Cheapest?
thepennyhoarder.com
- 15Best Membership Deals (May 2026)
thekrazycouponlady.com
- 16
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