The Sam's Club Perk That Costco Shoppers Envy

Elliott Cowand Jr/Shutterstock

Shoppers looking for low prices (and who don't mind usually buying in bulk) have long had their choice between two titans of the warehouse club industry: Costco and Sam's Club. While there's no doubt that there are things Costco does better than Sam's Club, the reverse is also true in some cases. One of the most notable perks that Costco shoppers likely find themselves envying isn't anything on the shelves. Instead, it's the way you take your purchases home by using Sam's Club's Scan and Go feature.

The way the service works is relatively simple. Shoppers sign in to the Sam's Club app on their smartphone, then use their phone's camera to scan the barcodes of their purchases as they shop. Like a typical shopping experience, they're able to easily remove items from their cart if they decide not to buy them, and it's easy to keep an eye on a running total of how much they're spending. When they're ready to go, they can check out directly in the app, avoiding any time spent waiting in line.

In contrast, complaints about excessively long lines and checkout times are nothing new for Costco, with some online discussion labeling the lines the worst part of shopping at the chain. With many warehouse club trips already serving as a multi-hour excursion, the ability to save time at checkout could be a significant benefit to Sam's Club in luring potential members. To its credit, Costco has begun tests of a similar self-scanning technology, though, there's no word on when it might roll out.

Andres Serna Pulido/Shutterstock

To be sure, not everyone is universally on board with services like these or similar self-checkout options. Criticisms of shoppers ringing up their own purchases run the gamut from frustration with scanners and other technology to the higher potential for theft. Still others object to transferring the labor of checkout from paid employees to unpaid shoppers, either for workers' rights reasons or simply because they'd prefer someone else do it for them.

Although Costco has no doubt earned its legions of fans, Sam's Club has its share of devotees, too, largely thanks to the notable things Sam's Club does better than Costco. For example, many find Sam's Club easier to shop online, it stocks brands familiar to everyday Walmart shoppers, and it even often offers lower prices than Costco in many cases.

Scan and Go may not be the best-known or most exciting feature of a warehouse club membership. But for busy shoppers grabbing some of the new foods that Sam's Club has dropped in 2025 without the slowdown of waiting in line, it's easy to see why Sam's Club has made even ultra-loyal Costco members a little bit jealous for now.