BJ’s Wholesale Club

Recently found a deal on Living Social for a 1 year membership to BJ’s for only 19.99. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m pretty much a sucker for bulk shopping, so this was right up my alley. So a few days back I went in to go through the process of signing up, and went for a stroll around the store.
I stopped by the food area to pick up a slice of pizza, and a soda. It was here where I noticed the first difference between BJ’s and its 2 main competitors. The pizza they sold by the slice was $ 1.99 same as Costco or Sams Club, but only it was smaller and not as good, which ended up being the best description I could come up with for this location overall.
If you closed your eyes and walked through the doors of this place, you would swear you were at Costco. Even the signage is the same. It has the same exact feel as Costco. That is until you start shopping. I have had a valid membership at Costco since 2004, and Sams Club since 2007, and over time I have been able to spot small differences in them both. Those differences typically offset, because they both tend to have a few items that the other doesn’t. Sometimes they both have the same type of item, but you prefer one over the other.
I was actually eager to shop here once I got my card, but ended up being disappointed by the selections that they offered, and that really became more apparent after I got to the meat section. I mean I might as well had been at Food Lion, everything just looked so regular. (Note: The next day I went to Costco, and purchased 9 lbs or pork loin for $ 16.and some change and 8 lbs of country style ribs for 14.93). My lady pointed out that they have a deli there which was really the only bright spot for me, besides the price on canned tuna and chicken, which isn’t enough to keep me coming back.
Overall: Im hoping that this isn’t a reflection of BJ’s as a whole. There is another location in Columbia, and before I just say no to BJ’s I will go check out whats going on over there. I may do some non food related shopping here, but I just didn’t see anything here that was better then what I’ve been getting at Costco or Sams.

We’ve been a member of BJs, Costco, and most recently Sam’s. I’ll write one review, moving the featured store to the top.
BJs
Positives
*Gas prices
*Coupons
*Tires, propane, and many other services
Negatives
*Long lines at checkout. Unless we were incredibly lucky, we always waited behind at least 3 other people. Average was probably 5 to 6 which would take nearly 15 minutes or more. No way do you want to stop in and only grab one item.
*Long lines at the gas station– Filling up is always an ordeal. And it doesn’t help that there is no room for long lines, so things start getting messy really quickly.
* Having them fill your propane tank is a hassle. I had it done once. After talking to someone at the main store I was told to go to the auto center. The desk worker needed to close up shop and meet me at their tank. He then filled my tank, but their auto center was totally closed.
* Good luck finding a cart. I made it a habit to grab one from the parking lot before entering the store. Most of the time, none were available.
*The best thing about this store was the store brand diapers and cat litter. By the time we left, the diapers were discontinued and the litter price was raised.
Costco
Positives
*Gas prices
*Lots of extras– cruises, roofing, remodeling, etc.
*Faster checkout than BJs
Negatives
*Location– Not really near any other supermarkets. We typically go to the wholesale club after shopping for our normal groceries. Other than Walmart, which we don’t shop at normally, there is nothing nearby.
*
Sam’s
Positives
*Location– closest to our house.
*Separate gas station
*Short checkout lines, especially self check out
*Gas prices
*Very competitive prices on milk and fruit
*Good amount of samples on weekends
Negatives
*Customer service is horrible. We joined because of a living social deal. My wife wasn’t with me when I redeemed our membership. The first customer rep told me she could come in at any time and only needed her license. She went in a couple weeks later and talked to the same person. She was told I needed to be there. A week later we both went back and after waiting almost 20 minutes with no one in front of us, she finally had her card. Strange that the customer service is probably the worst part about this store. Expect to wait at least 20 minutes, even if there is only one person in front of you.
*Groups standing outside– it seems like there is ALWAYS someone waiting outside asking for money. I’d be broke if I gave a dollar to every organization who had something set up when I entered or exited.
*By shopping here, you are supporting the Walmart empire.
*Not as many extra services as other club memberships. This is a minor thing, as we rarely if ever use these extras.
*No coupons, although they do have some sales.
*Exiting– Some of the people who compare your receipt to your order take their job WAY too seriously. I was in there today. The person in front of me had nearly 40 items in her cart. The person checking her receipt literally went through each and every item to make sure it appeared on the receipt. It took over 5 minutes for her to completely review the person’s order. All the while, a substantial line was building behind us. I understand the importance of theft prevention, but good grief!
*The food line can back up as well. I feel really sorry for the staff as they are clearly overwhelmed any time a rush hits. They do move food products out quickly, but are limited in what they can do with only 1 or 2 people.
Best experience so far goes to Sam’s. It is still early in our membership, so that may have something to do with it.

We were BJs Club Members here for about 10 years or so before the 2008 recession hit and we had to depart due to unavoidable financial cut backs.
We temporarily rejoined on and off for a few years, but there was nothing BJs offered that drew us to be rejoin. The real kicker was when they closed their pharmacy at that really discouraged us.
We decided to rejoin in 2012 after they seemed to improve their overall inventory and offered higher quality food products. We are also COSTCO and SAMS Club members and we feel we benefit shopping at all three due the diversity in inventory. The bottom line with BJs is their produce is much better that the other two clubs (not to mention) they are the closest club to our home.
They are still lacking in other areas compared to the others. BJs overall retail presentation and staff falls in last compared to the other two. Their clothing and apparel inventory just plain stinks not to mention the prices are the highest. The seasonal products seem to be second rate also. The parking lot is just plain crude and uninviting. We really loathe parking here. Very tight spaces and drive aisles, poorly lit at night and the cart park units are horrible and a total nuisance. Regardless, we enjoy their produce and perishables which are much improved.
In general, we hope they keep heading in the «right direction» so we don’t have to consider canceling our membership again.

Friendly staff.
Excellent prices.
Coupons … they allow double stacking with bj and manufacturer coupons. I saved $ 100 doing this.
Good assortment.
Accepts VISA cc… costco and sams do not

Do not buy tires here! They have great prices, but the install service is probably the worst I have ever seen.
Granted, you get lifetime road hazard, balancing and other goodies along with your purchase. The down side is that there is usually only one person working in the tire area and it will take ALL DAY to get your tires mounted.
Heaven forbid, you come back to get the free rotation and balancing. They have a sign posted telling you it will be 1.5 hours for service, no matter what you need done.
I went in this morning, got there at 9:05 and there were four people ahead of me. We were all standing there, no sign of anyone working. Then one guy comes in and you can tell by the look on his face that he isn’t in a good mood. He then starts with the first customer, the guy has a flat. Ten minutes later, he is still with the first guy.
At some point, you have to ask yourself, «what is my time worth?».

Haven’t really shopped here in awhile. I do however frequent their gas station. They seem to always have the lowest price even compare to Costco.

Love this Bj’s great experience every time lines aren’t too long. They have self checkout. Everything I need is always fully stocked. What I love the best is the booklet of coupons they send you every month and they take the manufacturer coupons from the Sunday paper

I have been a BJ’s member on and off. Last year, I was but this year, it’s Sam’s. I’m not a wholesale buyer. I used to think that BJ’s gas prices is low, but Sam’s and Costco offer the same. Being a member is worth the value if you are a bulk buyer.