Sam’s Club vs. Costco: Who Has the Better Black Friday Deals?

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Warehouse stores are known for their deals. But who does Black Friday best? Take a look at deals from both chains. 

Black Friday is often considered a holiday for your finances, with deals as far as the eye can see. However, what was once discount chaos crammed into a single shopping day has now been spread out — and digitized.

For example, take popular warehouse stores Sam’s Club and Costco. Not only do both stores offer Black Friday discounts spread across multiple days — Sam’s Club deals run from the 23rd to the 26th, while most Costco deals are the 24th to the 27th — but the items in their preview ads are nearly all available online.

Of course, that still raises the question: Who has the better deals? As it turns out, there’s actually not that much overlap between the two retailers, giving you some great savings on a huge range of items. Here are some of the most interesting offers.

Electronics

You’ll find deals on everything from televisions and tablets to smart watches and earbuds.

Sam’s Club

$200 off: HP 17.3″ HD+ Touch, Intel i5, 8G 512GB SSD, Windows 11 Home$100 off: Apple iPad Pro 11″ – 2022 with Wi-Fi$50 off: Fitbit Versa 4 Fitness Smartwatch Bundle$40 off: JBL Tune Anc TWS Wireless Noise Canceling Earbuds

Costco

$300 off: ASUS UX3402 14″ OLED Zenbook Laptop 16GB Memory, 1TB SSD (online only)$120 off: Bose QuietComfort 45 SE Noise Canceling Headphones Bundle (online and in-warehouse)$60 off: JBL Charge 5 Wi-Fi Portable Wireless Speaker (online and in-warehouse)$50 off: GoPro HERO11 Black Action Camera Bundle (online and in-warehouse)

Home goods

You can get your hands on a lot of household appliances and gadgets for cheaper, to make everyday life a little bit better.

Sam’s Club

$150 off: iRobot Roomba i5+ Wi-Fi Connected Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum$70 off: Viking 13-Piece Tri-Ply Copper Cookware Set$70 off: FoodSaver Multi-Use Food Preservation System w/ Sealer$50 off: Chef iQ Smart Thermometer 3 Probe + Hub

Costco

$250 to $1,300 off: Select LG French Door Refrigerators (online only)$150 off: Vitamix Ascent 2300 Blender Super Bundle (online only)$60 off: Bissell ProHeat 2X Revolution Pet Pro Carpet Cleaner (online only)$15 off: Lasko ThermaSMART Ceramic Tower Heater (online only)

Furniture

We don’t always think about Black Friday when it comes to furniture (for some reason, I always think about President’s Day), but there are a handful of deals at both stores that might be worth considering. Note that a couple of Costco’s deals aren’t technically for Black Friday — they’re only available on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 23).

Sam’s Club

$1,000 off: Titan 3D Luxe Voice-Activated Zero Gravity Massage Chair$1,000 off: Dylan Stain-Resistant 6-Seater Sectional With Storage And Pullout Bed$400 off: Lincoln Fabric Reversible Storage Sectional with Pullout Bed$100 off: Member’s Mark Adjustable Base

Costco

$1,900 off: Osaki OS-4D Pro Maestro Massage Chair (online only; Nov. 23 only)$300 off: Thomasville Tisdale Fabric Sectional with Storage Ottoman (online only; Nov. 23 only)$150 off: Barcalounger Ridgefield Leather Pushback Recliner (online only)

Kids

Costco doesn’t have any kids’ items in their Black Friday previews, but Sam’s Club definitely has you covered. Here are some of the stand-out toy deals from the Sam’s Club Black Friday previews:

$500 off: Backyard Discovery Malibu Cedar Swing Set$60 off: Segway C15 Youth Electric Kick Scooter$40 off: 12V Honda Ride-On Motorcycle$8 off: Cocomelon Sing and Dance Time

Sam’s Club Plus early access

If you have a Sam’s Club Plus membership, you get early access to online deals. Specifically, you can start shopping two hours before regular Club members.

Membership and checkout

Sam’s Club and Costco don’t price match other retailers, but many other retailers will price match them. If you don’t have a membership at either retailer, and don’t want to join, you could see if another retailer will match a given sale price.

However, in some cases, a great discount may be more than enough to justify joining Sam’s Club or Costco despite the cost. For example, a $60 Costco membership fee in exchange for a $100 discount could be profitable math if you can’t find another deal elsewhere.

And don’t forget to consider your payment method. For instance, if you plan to buy big-ticket items, like electronics or furniture, consider using a credit card with extended warranty protection. You’ll be able to skip the expensive Sam’s Club or Costco warranty plan without forfeiting extra coverage.

You should also make sure you’re using the right rewards credit card to make your purchases. In-store Costco shoppers are limited to Visa credit cards. However, Costco.com shoppers can also choose to use a Masetercard credit card. And Sam’s Club shoppers can use any credit cards they like!

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The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Brittney Myers has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Apple, Costco Wholesale, and Visa. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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