Costco and the like aren't found in the South. Sam's Club is all we got. It would be nice to go to Sam's without the moral burden of it being a Walmart company, though.

I've never seen a Costco, myself, but there's always been a Sam's Club near every city in which I've lived. We generally make a trip there at least once a month for the things it makes sense to buy in bulk: paper products, soda, cereal, diapers (thank God for those huge boxes), cleaning products, etc.

I don't shop at Wal-Mart anymore for various reasons (not boycotting, just not convenient), so Sam's is the last contact I have with that company now.

I have to shop at sams, the costo is too far away :(

here in the Central Plains, Sam's is the only wholesale club -- From what I've read, once Costco is an alternative, it beats the heck out of Sam's, but here, there is no Costco.

Same here in STL, Costco is too far away, but there are several close Sam's nearby.

@medalian1:
@lawnmowerdeth:

How far away is "too far away"?

I've been to a few Costco's. They're much better than a Sam's Club (this has been discussed on here before). If it's an extra 10 or 15 miles, I'd drive that far to avoid supporting America's asshole.

Here in the Central Suburbs of Minnesota, there are Costco's and Sam Club's practically next to each other. I'd say they are on average no greater than 10 miles apart.

I figure Costco is running things like the Burger King / McDonalds theory, when one goes up, the other is sure to follow.

I've shopped at Sam's Club once, but I find something entirely wrong with having to pay a membership to go shopping. Aren't we paying them by just being in the store purchasing items?

Project Red, AKA "Project Douche-Bag":

WM's half-assed use of long-haired hippies (Mike Krempasky) to infiltrate the Consumerist by wooing editors with free drinks at Junior's.

AKA "ghosting."

I've never seen a Costco either. I think there was one about an hour from me when I lived in western MA, but here in Florida I don't think they even exist. Sam's Club is here, though, as is one Wal-Mart Supercenter for every three square miles, I swear. Heh...

Oh, Costco's in Florida...I live in Orlando and I've got 3 within 12 miles of my humble abode...

@Mr. Gunn: In the smaller cities, you're right for the most part, but Atlanta, Charlotte, and most of the larger cities in Florida have Sam's, Costco, and BJ's, and Nashville has Sam's and Costco. When BJ's came to town, I dumped Sam's like a hot potato... (I've had a Costco membership for years.)

@mopar_man: How far away is "too far away"?

When I tell Costco to tell me the closest location to where I live, their search radius only goes up to 50 miles, and it comes up empty. The closest Costco appears to be Charlotte, which, depending on who's driving and which side of Charlotte, is two to three hours away.

I suppose we COULD go to Tennessee to shop for bulk goods. But would that really be worth the savings?

For the record, we don't shop at Sam's Club, either. But there's one of those about eleven miles from our apartment.

I can't be the only one in this situation.

Sam's Clubs are international as well, in Mexico for example.

Unless you consider Mexico to be the South of the South. In which case you're a real jerk.

Sam's and Costco are just about the same thing. Even the price tags are alike. They tend to carry the same brands and prices.

In SC, we only have Sam's, but my parents in Orlando have access to Costco and BJ's as well.

@Mr. Gunn: There are Costcos in the South, just not as many as there are Sam's Clubs. I drive further to get to our Costco, but it's worth it to me. My parents don't live too far from me (maybe 10 miles) and they have 3 Sam's Clubs within a 10 mile radius, 1 of which is in walking distance. They don't share my hatred for Wal-Mart, so they don't bother with Costco. It's "too far" for them to drive. It would be nice to have more than 2 Costcos in the entire city of Houston though. And I'm sure they're harder to find in less populated parts of the South.