Sam’s Club is known from coast-to-coast as a low-price leader, following — and sometimes beating, but not always — the pricing set forth by its slightly better known parent company Walmart.
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But, are there any stores which might beat Sam’s Club prices on everyday essentials? That’s the question examined in the following brief comparisons — and Walmart is up first.
Walmart Sometimes Outdoes Sam’s Club, Even Though It’s Not a Warehouse Club
The blue-and-yellow brand, despite being attached more to its supercenters than to any resemblance to a traditional warehouse club, does sometimes eke out a price win over Sam’s Club.
On whole milk, fortified with Vitamin D, Walmart comes in at $3.27 per gallon, while Sam’s Club rests at a slightly higher sticker price of $3.32. H-E-B rings up for $3.12 a gallon on its Hill Country Fare label.
Concerning eggs, which have finally started to dip in price, Sam’s Club sells a 24-pack for $4.54 (or 2.27 per dozen), while Walmart swoops in with a price of $1.94 per dozen under its Great Value private label brand.
And while it’s not exactly like-for-like to compare tablets versus soft gels, Walmart’s Equate-branded 200–mg Ibuprofen tablets come in at 1.6 cents per unit, while Sam’s Club 200-mg Ibuprofen soft gels nearly double the price, at 3 cents per unit. Target, on the other hand, coasts down the middle, selling its up&up brand of Ibuprofen tablets at 2 cents pet unit.
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H-E-B Scores a Win Over Sam’s Club on Bread, as Does Kroger
H-E-B also notched a win over Sam’s Club when it comes to another grocery must-have: White bread.
H-E-B managed an impressive $1.20 for a 20-ounce loaf of thin-sliced white bread (also from Hill Country Fare), while Sam’s Club sells a two-pack of the better-known Wonder Bread for $5.12, or about $2.56 per 20-ounce loaf — more than double the price. Kroger also beats Sam’s Club on white bread, with its own private label priced at $1.79 per 20-ounce loaf.
Sam’s Club Still Generally Perceived as a Cheaper Warehouse Club Option Than Costco
Despite the beats managed by several private label offerings over Sam’s Club’s equivalents (often name-brand items, but not always), Sam’s Club does remain a cheaper alternative than Costco — as evidenced by commentary and breakdowns provided by The Kitchn, as well as by Mashed.
Mashed’s Avery Tomaso concluded the following after a comparison between the two, as well as BJ’s:
“While one store doesn’t win out in every category, it seems that Sam’s Club largely comes out on top. It flaunts the cheapest membership price, and alongside less expensive household items and pantry staples, Sam’s offers customers the overall best value,” Tomaso wrote.
Editor’s note: Prices are accurate as of Dec. 1, 2025. Prices and availability may vary by location.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Stores With Lower Prices Than Sam’s Club
