Sams Club vs Costco Tires
The modern economy has graced us with endless options when it comes to where to buy tires. We can go online and buy tires and we can do it the old-fashioned way by going to the shops. However, all of these shops, centers, and tire facilities are trying to one-up each other with various promotions, discounts, and package deals which makes it all just a little bit more confusing for everyone.
In this article, we are going to compare Sams Club vs Costco Tires and tell you which one of these you should consider for all your tire-related goodies and services.
What Is Sams Club?
Sam’s Club is a large American warehouse club wholesaler company that deals in all sorts of goods and services. It was founded back in 1983 by a man called Sam Walton, the same man who founded its parent company, Walmart. Sam’s Club is the second largest and most successful warehouse club as it managed to rack up $57.839 billion in sales back in 2019.
As of 2022, Sam’s Club operates more than six hundred different clubs in 44 US states including Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. However, Sam’s Club also expanded internationally because they own 160+ warehouses in Mexico, 40+ in China, and 6 in Canada. However, the past few years have seen Sam’s Club warehouses closing across the US as the company aims to focus on online retailing to better compete with another giant, Amazon.
Sam’s Club also offers a whole host of tire-related products and services which include tires for passenger cars, trucks, RVs, commercial vehicles, UTVs, ATVs, and trailers. They also offer tire installation, tire maintenance, tire disposal, tire warranties, and numerous other tire services.
What Is Costco?
At the beginning of this article, we said that Sam’s Club was the second largest and most successful warehouse club, well Costco Wholesale was the only one that beat it. Costco was also founded back in 1983 and it currently operates more than 840 warehouse clubs across the US, Canada, China, France, Iceland, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Mexico, UK, Taiwan, Puerto Rico, and Spain.
The first Costco warehouse opened in Seattle in 1983 and has since continued to grow exponentially. Costco employs more than 304,000 full-time and part-time employees in the entire world. As of 2022, Costco has almost 120 million members which means twice the amount with Sam’s Club. Back in 2019, the company managed to rack up $152.703 billion in sales which is almost three times as much as Sam’s Club.
Costco’s tire division is really similar to the one with Sam’s Club. This means that Costco offers tires for all types of vehicles while also offering a bunch of tire services as well.
What Are The Differences Between Sams Club and Costco?
- Price
- Benefits
- Customer Experience
- Membership and Financing
- Product Line-up
- Return Policies
What Are The Tire Price Differences Between Sams Club and Costco?
Price-wise, it seems like Sam’s Club has the upper edge as the median tire price cost at Sam’s Club is approximately $143 while Costco’s median tire price is around $168. However, these prices tend to vary depending on the time of the year, various sales, special deals, and exclusive discounts.
All in all, Costco is always going to be a little bit more expensive, but if you manage to get a good deal at Costco, these price differences aren’t going to be as important as other differences we are going to mention next.
What Are The Tire Benefits Differences Between Sams Club and Costco?
Sometimes the biggest difference between two companies is what they do after you make that purchase. As such, Costco will offer you a special deal for Costco-sourced tires if you decide to install them there. This will give you something called Lifetime Tire Maintenance which includes all sorts of goodies such as lifetime tire rotations, balancing, pressure checks, new valve stems, tire disposal, and a hefty warranty.
On the other hand, you will not be able to get such a good package, but the one at Sam’s Club does include everything except the fact that Costco’s warranty is one year longer and that Sam’s Club does not offer free tire disposal.
What Is The Customer Experience Difference Between Sams Club and Costco?
This is often an overlooked factor when comparing two companies that deal with people, but can sometimes make all the possible difference. Between these two, Consumer Reports rates Costco a bit higher than Sam’s Club, but Sam’s Club does make up for not being as busy as Costco. This means that your trips to Sam’s Club should last a bit shorter.
All in all, it seems like the differences here are highly dependent on personal experience which is why deciding a winner is difficult. Either way, we give a slight advantage to Sam’s Club as fewer people mean things get done easier.
What Are The Membership and Financing Differences Between Sam’s Club and Costco?
A Costco membership costs around $60 for the base price and an additional $60 if you want to upgrade to the highest level. On the other hand, Sam’s Club membership is around $50 per tire for the base fee, but you can also upgrade it to the premium level if you pay an additional $60 on top of that.
Both offer various payment methods which also include financing. However, Costco has a financing division in-house while Sam’s Club does not. This means that the overall costs are likely to be a bit higher with Sam’s Club. On the other hand, Costco only deals with Visa while Sam’s Club also accepts AmEx, Discover, and MasterCard.
What Are The Differences in Tire Stock Between Sams Club and Costco?
Costco only deals with premium-tire brands such as Michelin, Bridgestone, and BF Goodrich while Sam’s Club offers more than a dozen of different tire brands which also include these three, but many more affordable tire brands as well.
When it comes to sizing, these two are really similar, but you are likely going to find Michelin, Bridgestone, and BF Goodrich tires in most sizes at Costco.
What Are The Tire Return Policy Differences Between Costco and Sams Club?
Both clubs offer relatively generous tire return policies which means that this is also a close one. Both offer full refunds for products that aren’t up to scratch. As far as tires are concerned, there aren’t too many differences between the two as both Costco nor Sam’s Club didn’t include tires on their non-returnable items lists.
Which Tire Center Is The Best?
Chain | Installation Price | Installation Package & Optional Services |
BJ’s | $80 for 4 wheels ($20/tire)
TPMS kit fees may vary. | – New valve stems – Lifetime rotation and balancing – Flat repairs – Inflation checks – 3 yr. road hazard warranty |
Costco | $76 for 4 wheels ($18.99/tire)
TPMS kits: $3/wheel | – New valve stems – Lifetime rotation and balancing – Flat repairs – Inflation checks – 5 yr. road hazard warranty |
Discount Tire | $84 for 4 wheels ($21/tire)
TPMS kits included. | – New valve stems – Lifetime rotation and balancing – Flat repairs – Inspection and inflation checks |
NTB | $68 for 4 wheels ($17/tire)
TPMS kits: $8/wheel | – Lifetime rotation and balancing
Optional: |
Pep Boys | $118.40 for 4 wheels ($29.60/tire)
TPMS kits and tire disposal included. | – New valve stems – Balancing – Vehicle inspection – Treadwear mileage warranty – Free rotation w/ any service – 1 yr. roadside assistanceOptional: – Wheel alignment ($100 for 3 mo.) – Road hazard warranty (varies by tire) |
Sam’s Club | $80 for 4 wheels ($20/tire)
TPMS kit: $5/wheel | – TPMS reset – New valve stems – Lifetime rotation and balancing – Flat repairs – 4 yr. road hazard warranty – 3 yr. roadside assistance |
Walmart | $60 for 4 wheels ($15/tire; $25 for non-Walmart tires)
TPMS kits included. | – New valve stems – Lifetime rotation and balancing – 50-mile lug retorqueOptional: – Road hazard warranty ($10/wheel) |
Advantages Of Sams Club
- Slightly Lower Tire Prices
- Not As Crowded
- More Payment Methods
- A Lower Membership Fee
- More Tire Brands
Advantages Of Costco
- More Services
- Slightly Cheaper Service Costs
- More Locations
- Better Warranty
- Better Customer Service
Conclusion
Choosing between Sams Club vs Costco Tires is not easy as many factors are in play here. We can say that price-wise, these two are almost identical, but you can get tires for cheaper with Sam’s Club, and there are more tires to choose from too. If you aren’t interested in premium brands, Sam’s Club is the obvious choice. On the other hand, if you want Michelin, BFG, and Bridgestone, Costco is the one to go to.
We do need to mention that it costs less to install your tires at Costco while also benefiting from a much better benefits package which includes stuff like free tire disposal, something you don’t get with Sam’s Club. You also get a slightly better warranty with Costco as its warranty lasts a year longer.
All in all, it’s quite a tossup between these two giants. However, it all boils down to this – If you want non-premium tires and most premium tires, go for Sam’s Club. On the other hand, if you want BFG, Michelin, or Bridgestone tires, go to Costco as you will get better benefits, even if the prices are a bit higher, it’s worth it.