Sam's Club or Costco?

I have relatives who have very strong feelings about this topic.

The Bagleys and Lofgrans all have Sam's Club memberships, and are extremely loyal.

The Rails have been going to Costco since it was Price Club, and Andrew loves Costco like he loves Disneyland.

I got my first Costco membership while living in Taiwan.  It took a whole day to make the journey with a 4 hour train ride, walking and taking taxis with our hiking backpacks (to haul our bounty back).

When we moved to Washington D.C. I found that instead of visiting the Smithsonian, we would waste our Saturdays at Costco.  It was like a drug.  We had no reason to go.  We would just look around, try the samples, have Andrew's traditional hotdog, buy some bread and milk, and go home.  You think that we might have spent more time at the Smithsonian, but no, Costco was always high on our list, despite the impossible parking and long lines.

When we moved to Salt Lake, we received a gift card from Sam's Club from my parents.  Our Costco membership was a month from expiring, so I thought that we would use the gift card to buy a Sam's membership.  I wanted to compare.  I told a saddened Drew that we would try it for a year.  I just wanted to see the difference.

This is what I have discovered so far:

1. Sam's has better food samples.  They are bigger, they often have chefs creating things, and the sample people are super nice and helpful.  They often give us more samples than we can possibly eat.  There are no crowds, so no one is lined up to try the samples, and there are always plenty.

2. Sam's has no lines.  Or very few.  Nearly every Costco that we have visited around the world is crowded, except maybe one in an obscure town in Virginia.  Andrew and I, in our more frugal days would only buy milk and bread, yet wait in endless lines to check out.

3. Since there are very few people shopping at Sam's, the people who work there are extremely helpful. 

4. Costco's food court has frozen yogurt (instead of icecream), and better pizzas (says Andrew).  He will not touch the Sam's Club food court, but would rarely leave Costco without the traditional hot dog.  In fact, people often go to Costco just to eat.  I do not think that this is the case with Sam's Club.

5. Costco's food is more gourmet.  I felt that Costco had bulk prices on upscale food.  Sam's just has bulk prices on food you would get at Walmart.  In general, I think that Costco's food was better.

6. Costco seems to have a 'brighter atmosphere' says Drew.  He was just happy being there.  There were always interesting and well manufactured things there that you wanted to buy, books to read, etc.

7. Costco has a more upscale clientel.  Sam's shoppers are definitely not upscale.  It was one of the first things that I noticed.

8. They both have great prices on milk, eggs, gas, etc.

In the end, it was about sixes.  Sam's is more convenient and less crowded.  Costco has better food and is more crowded.  Oh, yes, you can buy caskets at Costco.

Anyway, we just went to Sam's today, and I wondered if anyone else had thoughts or feelings about Sam's Club or Costco, or whether it was even worth being a member of a price club.