July 28 Warehouse Club Scorecard: Costco’s New Book, Sam’s Clear Prices, BJ’s Gas Edge
This week’s scorecard finds Costco ahead on two observed pantry price lanes, Sam’s stronger on transparent net prices, and BJ’s the practical fuel stop, while refusing to rank product categories that the public evidence cannot support.
The July 27–August 2 warehouse scorecard: Costco has the cleanest new book, Sam’s has the clearest pantry prices, and BJ’s still owns the pump
This is the first week of Costco’s new U.S. Member-Only Savings book, valid July 27–August 23. Sam’s Club’s current Instant Savings Book runs July 22–August 16. BJ’s public deal page was not readable enough to verify a current item coupon book, so this week’s three-way product verdict is narrower than the usual promise. 1 2 3
The useful answer is not "which club is always cheapest?" Costco has the broadest fully readable new-book coverage, Sam’s has more complete current net prices on pantry and household items, and BJ’s is the fuel stop if it is already on your route. There are two defensible same-format price edges, several comparable sale lanes that do not support a winner, and no honest basis for inventing BJ’s product rows.
Five decisions before you leave the house
- Peanut butter: Costco, on a local price snapshot. Costco’s current savings page lists Jif or Skippy two-count peanut butter at $3.30 off through August 2. A July 28 warehouse-price snapshot found Jif Extra Crunchy, 48 oz, two-count at $7.69 in two Costco warehouses. Sam’s lists Jif Creamy, 48 oz, two-count at $8.98 after $2 off through August 16. That puts the Costco snapshot $1.29 lower, or about 1.3 cents less per ounce. The flavors differ, and Costco prices vary by club, so treat this as a local edge rather than a national guarantee. 1 2 4
- Canned meat: Costco, narrowly, but only where the shelf snapshot matches. Costco’s 12 oz, eight-count SPAM Classic page shows $19.39 at two Washington warehouses on July 28 and identifies the item as an Instant Savings product. Sam’s has SPAM Classic, 12 oz, eight-count at $19.98 after $5.58 off through August 16. The 59-cent Costco edge is real at those two observed clubs, not a national chain average. If your Costco rings a different price, use the Sam’s net price as the clean benchmark instead of driving across town. 2 5
- Frozen dessert: Sam’s is the only fully priced decision. Both clubs list 24-count Oreo mini frozen dessert sandwiches as a current sale item. Sam’s gives the complete answer: $7.66 after $2 off an advertised $9.66 price, ending August 16. Costco’s new book confirms $3 off, valid July 27–August 23, but the public warehouse-savings row does not expose a matching net price. Sam’s wins on price certainty, not necessarily on the lowest shelf price. Check Costco’s register price before switching routes. 1 2
- Laundry and paper goods: do not declare a winner from coupon dollars. Costco has Charmin Ultra Soft, 30 packs of 197 sheets, at $23.99 after $6 off, plus Tide Free & Gentle PODS, 152 count, $6 off. Sam’s has Quilted Northern, 32 rolls and 824 square feet, at $20.98 after $3.50 off, and Kleenex, 12 boxes of 160 tissues, at $14.44 after $3.50 off. These are useful sale prices, but the brands, counts, and measurement bases do not line up cleanly. Buy the item you already use; the biggest coupon is not automatically the lowest unit cost. 1 2
- Gas: BJ’s is the practical winner, with a route warning. BJ’s current U.S. regular-gas average is $3.850 per gallon across 202 stations, collected July 28. AAA’s national regular average is $4.099, so the BJ’s benchmark is 24.9 cents lower before local variation. Club+ members receive an additional 5 cents per gallon according to the current BJ’s gas tracker. Costco and Sam’s do not provide a comparable national member-price feed in the current public listings, so this is a BJ’s-versus-benchmark call, not proof that BJ’s is cheaper at every local pump. 6 7
Category comparison
The table below shows sale or Instant Savings items active during July 27–August 2. Where at least two chains expose comparable details, the lane is ranked; a category marked "No winner" means the public details are not complete enough to rank it honestly.
| Category | Costco | Sam’s Club | BJ’s | Verdict for this week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food | Jif or Skippy peanut butter, two-count, $3.30 off through Aug. 2. A July 28 snapshot put Jif Extra Crunchy 48 oz, two-count at $7.69. SPAM Classic 12 oz, eight-count was observed at $19.39 at two warehouses. 1 4 5 | Jif 48 oz, two-count, $8.98 after $2 off; SPAM Classic 12 oz, eight-count, $19.98 after $5.58 off. Both expire Aug. 16. 2 | No readable item-level current coupon rows this run. 3 | Costco on the observed Jif and SPAM snapshots. Verify the register price locally; Sam’s has the cleaner published net price. |
| Household | Charmin Ultra Soft, 30/197 sheets, $23.99 after $6 off; Tide Free & Gentle PODS, 152 count, save $6; Ziploc Sandwich, 480 count, save $2.20. Valid July 27–Aug. 23. 1 | Quilted Northern, 32 rolls/824 sq. ft., $20.98 after $3.50 off; Kleenex, 12 boxes/160 tissues, $14.44 after $3.50 off; Dawn Powerwash, 64.5 oz, $9.98 after $3 off. Valid through Aug. 16. 2 | Current product coupon table not readable. | No winner. Brand and pack-size differences prevent a clean unit-price ranking. |
| Electronics | Bose Solo Soundbar Series II, $139.99 after $40 off; Samsung U8000H TVs, 43/50/70-inch classes, $229.99–$399.99, with a three-year manufacturer warranty. Valid July 27–Aug. 23. 1 | The current book is active through Aug. 16, but the Sam’s catalog and product pages did not expose a complete comparable TV or laptop row. 2 | Current product coupon table not readable. | Costco for a documented electronics stop, not a three-way price winner. |
| Tires | Bridgestone tires: save $80 on any set of four, including installation, July 27–Aug. 23. 1 | No comparable current national tire row was readable. | BJ’s tire page returned a non-readable shell, so qualifying brand, installed total, and expiration could not be verified. 8 | No winner. Get an installed quote for the exact tire size before treating a generic "up to" offer as a deal. |
| Travel | No current Costco travel-voucher row cleared the same-product comparison test. | No current Sam’s travel-voucher row cleared the same-product comparison test. | BJ’s current public travel page did not expose enough booking terms for a comparison. | No winner. Do not turn a cruise or hotel landing page into a coupon comparison without booking terms and a deadline. |
| Gas | No comparable national member-price feed found. | No comparable national member-price feed found. | U.S. regular average $3.850/gal on July 28 across 202 stations; Club+ adds 5 cents/gal according to the tracker. 6 | BJ’s if it is already on the route. The national comparison is only a benchmark, not a local guarantee. |
The cherry-picker’s route
Stop one: Costco, but shop the new book rather than the whole warehouse. The highest-confidence grabs are the Jif or Skippy two-count if your club matches the observed price, the SPAM eight-pack at a local price near the snapshot, the Oreo dessert sandwiches only after checking the register, and the Charmin or Tide item you are actually close to running out of. The new book runs through August 23, so there is no reason to build a four-week stockpile on day one.
Stop two: Sam’s for transparent pantry and household net prices. The best small-cart candidates are the $8.98 Jif two-pack, $7.66 Oreo 24-count, $19.98 SPAM eight-pack, $20.98 Quilted Northern, and $9.98 Dawn Powerwash. Plus members get free shipping on eligible orders over $50 on the listed deal pages, but that is a convenience benefit, not a reason to add a second case of something you cannot store. 2
Stop three: BJ’s for fuel, then pause. The public BJ’s deal page did not expose enough current item detail to justify a product cart. Clip a coupon in the BJ’s app only when you can see the item, savings amount, and end date. Otherwise, buy gas while you are already there and skip the ordinary-price detour. 3
For a one- or two-person household, the danger items this week are the 30-roll paper bundle, 480-count bags, 152-count detergent pods, eight-pack SPAM, 24-count frozen desserts, and any 28- or 50-count snack case. The right test is consumption speed plus storage, not the headline discount. If you cannot finish it before quality drops or you do not have a dry place for it, the cheapest unit is still wasted money.
Membership math
| Tier | Fee used for this week’s math | Rewards break-even |
|---|---|---|
| Costco Executive | $130 total annual fee; the upgrade over Gold Star is $65. Executive earns 2% on qualified Costco, Costco.com, and Costco Travel purchases, but not gasoline. 9 | About $3,250 in eligible annual spend to recover the $65 upgrade. |
| Sam’s Plus | $120 regular annual fee; the live join page shows a $55 first-year Plus offer and $25 Club offer for new members through July 31. Plus includes 2% Sam’s Cash, free shipping over $50, and early shopping hours. 10 | At the regular fee spread versus Club, $60 divided by 2% is about $3,000 in qualifying spend. During the $55 first-year offer, the $30 Plus spread is about $1,500. |
| BJ’s Club+ / Perks Plus | $120 standard annual fee used as the working benchmark; BJ’s current public membership page did not expose the fee details. The standing channel terms are 2% back on most in-club purchases and 5 cents per gallon at BJ’s Gas. | About $6,000 in eligible spend on rewards alone. Fuel can lower the practical break-even, but only if the station is convenient. |
The Sam’s promotion is the time-sensitive membership play: July 31 is the deadline shown on the live join page. The discount applies to new members and can be changed or terminated under the posted terms. It is a good entry price for a shopper who already has a Sam’s route; it is not a license to buy bulk food just to justify the card. 10
Next-week preview
Costco’s new book is already in place through August 23, and Sam’s Instant Savings continues through August 16. The first immediate cliff is Sam’s new-member offer on July 31, followed by the normal weekly shopping question: which Costco prices are genuinely lower at your local register, and which Sam’s net prices survive after delivery or pickup terms?
BJ’s is the unresolved variable. Its public deal, tire, and travel pages do not currently expose enough item-level detail to verify a product coupon set. The next scorecard should recheck BJ’s coupon rows first, then add them only if the product, price, member condition, and expiration are all visible.
The short version: Costco is the targeted pantry and electronics stop, Sam’s is the price-transparent pantry stop, and BJ’s is the pump stop. The new data does not support the idea that one club wins every category, and it does not support a made-up three-way BJ’s product table either.
Prices and availability can vary by warehouse, region, and inventory. Confirm the displayed price and expiration at checkout before making a special trip.
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