The Best of Warehouse Clubs

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BJ's vs. Costco vs. Sam's Club

Carefully navigating the warehouse-club scene will allow you to separate the deals from the unnecessary bait in no time. Here's a quick primer on the 'Big 3': BJ's, Costco and Sam's Club.

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The Best of Ware... Carefully navigating the warehouse-club scene will allow you to separate the deals from the unnecessary bait in no time. Here's a quick primer on the 'Big 3': BJ's, Costco and Sam's Club.
BJ’s Membership ... The basic Inner Circle membership at BJ's will set you back $45 every 12 months. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Costco Membershi... Costco charges its Gold Star members $50 annually. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)
Sam’s Club Membe... Advantage membership at Sam's Club is the cheapest among the 'Big 3' at $40 per year. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)
BJ’s Atmosphere/... BJ's is the only warehouse club to accept manufacturers' coupons. But BJ's tacks on the highest surcharge for nonmembers at 15 percent. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Costco Atmospher... Costco offers the lowest surcharge to nonmembers, at 5 percent. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
Sam’s Club Atmos... In a recent SmartMoney.com comparison, Sam's Club's prices were consistently among the best of the bunch. In that way and many others, Sam's is very much related to its corporate parent, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (AP Photo/April L. Brown)
Save on Milk and... One gallon of skim milk is cheapest at Sam's Club ($1.88) and most expensive at Costco ($2.29). One half-dozen of eggs, however, are cheapest at Costco: $1.50, which is 46 percent cheaper than supermarket prices. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Save on Fresh Pr... Strawberries are less expensive at Sam's Club. Two pounds run around $3.48.
Save on Alcohol Wine, beer and liquor prices at all warehouse clubs can go as much as 35 percent lower than the supermarket.
Save on Electron... It's almost a given that electronics deals are much more plentiful at warehouse clubs than department stores and even online retailers like Amazon.com. According to SmartMoney.com, warehouse clubs' return policies are also better. You can save around $6 on digital cameras and hundreds on laptops at BJ's and Costco. Meanwhile, Costco's return policy lasts up to 90 days, three times longer than Best Buy's. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot)
Save on Jewelry You can save up to 60 percent off jewelers' prices by shopping at Costco.
Save on Gas When gas prices are falling, gas deals at warehouse clubs are great. But when prices rise, be careful and comparison-shop before you pump, warns SmartMoney.com. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Save on Baby Ite... You'll find the best savings on diapers at Sam's Club. Huggies Step 4 diapers, 176 count, are only $36.43 at Sam's Club, a savings of 49 percent compared to the supermarket's price of $71.11.
Share Your Stori... Are warehouse clubs all they're cracked up to be, or just a big rip-off? Which of the 'Big 3' do you prefer? Tell us.