Costco vs. Sam’s Club: Unveiling Shoppers’ Incomes, Spending Habits, and Frequency

• At first glance, Costco and Sam's Club share many similarities.
• Taking a closer inspection uncovers significant distinctions in the customer demographics of these two brands.
• For instance, according to Numerator data, affluent city dwellers are more prone to being part of Costco rather than Sam's Club.

At first glance, Costco and Sam's Club appear quite similar.

Each one serves as a large warehouse filled with stacked displays offering products at discounted rates. They both require an annual membership for customers to avail themselves of these savings. Both were direct competitors. inspired by the forward-thinking entrepreneur Sol Price 's original club stores.

Yet, upon examining consumer data more closely, significant distinctions emerge regarding the demographic characteristics of customers for these two brands.

To begin with, the average Costco customer spends almost double what they would at Sam's Club annually and goes shopping over 50% more often, as reported for the year 2024. data as reported by the data analysis company Numerator.

A usual Costco customer goes shopping approximately 32 times annually and spends around $3,086 in total, whereas a standard Sam's Club shopper frequents the store roughly 20 times per year with an annual expenditure of about $1,583, as reported by the data. Numerator.

When considering their total retail spending, Costco customers allocate approximately one-eighth of their money towards warehouse shopping. This figure stands out as being nearly 65% above the national average for the U.S.

The wallet share tends to be slightly smaller for an average Sam's Club member, as they allocate roughly one dollar out of every twelve spent at wholesale clubs—this figure remains above the U.S. national average by approximately 13 percentage points.

Customers at Costco typically boast higher earnings, with an average household income exceeding $125,000 per year, whereas patrons at Sam's Club generally fall into the middle-income bracket, ranging from about $40,000 to $125,000 annually. Despite this, Numerator reports that Sam's Club members are somewhat more prone to owning homes compared to Costco members.

While both stores are expectedly favored in suburban areas, Sam's Club attracts more rural households, whereas Costco holds greater appeal among urban residents, as reported by Numerator.

The information shows that both stores are similarly preferred by customers identifying as white. However, Walmart’s Sam's Club has a slight edge with consumers who identify as Black or Hispanic/Latino.

At the same time, Costco has gained remarkable popularity with Asian-identifying families, who are approximately two times more inclined to shop there compared to an average retail store.

Shoppers at Costco show significantly greater interest in organic products compared to those who shop at Sam's Club.

Regarding age demographics, customers at Sam's Club tend to be somewhat older compared to those at Costco, although members from Generation X equally favor both retailers.

Gina Logan, an analyst from Kantar Retail, informed Business Insider that Generation Z and Alpha consumers are progressively finding the allure of the warehouse store concept appealing, potentially lowering the typical age of customers for these chains.

In 2024, Sam's Club made significant strides with the introduction of new AI-driven checkout systems and further advancements. launch of its inaugural new store in seven years .

Sam's Club also succeeded in taking away the lead. highest position for consumer contentment in the retail sector from longtime winner Costco earlier this year.

Lastly, both chains are seeing a solid beginning to 2025 , showing an increase of over 7% compared to the previous year — twice as much as the growth rates for Walmart and Target — based on foot traffic statistics provided by Placer.ai .

According to Numerator’s data, almost half of all U.S. households have shopped at either Costco or Sam's Club within the last year, highlighting that many American consumers frequent these stores. Enjoy discovering a great bargain. .

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