Sam's Club vs. Costco: Which is better?

Is Sam's Club cheaper than Costco? Ashley at Wide Open Wallet wanted to know, so she did a price comparison of 33 items.

The result? The items, in total, would have cost $399.47 at Sam's Club and $406.41 at Costco. About a dozen of the items were cheaper or the same price at Costco. Otherwise, Sam's Club ruled. She also notes that Sam's Club has a cheaper membership fee and a clearance section. (Her Costco does not.)

Regardless, she still prefers Costco. Here's why:

She loves the coupons that Costco mails out. Also, Costco is closer to home and, quite frankly, she doesn't like Wal-Mart, which owns Sam's Club. She adds, "And the longer I live, the less time I want to spend at Wal-Mart." Other bloggers say Costco has better selection, particularly for produce, meat and clothes.

Not everyone has the opportunity (we're among those folks) -- or storage space -- to benefit from warehouse clubs. But for those who do, Sam's Club vs. Costco is a popular topic. For instance:

• Melissa at Food, Fires and Fitness offers a "Sam's Club vs. Costco showdown." (She's leaning toward Sam's Club.)
• Peter at For Peter's Sake thinks Sam's Club is better. He cited lower membership and product prices, better signage and also made this observation about the snack bar: "Sam's Club has cheaper pizzas, and they have those delicious soft pretzels that I love so much. Costco has no pretzels, which makes me sad." He gave Costco points for the berry smoothie.
• Grocery Mama is curious about what her readers think because she has a free one-day pass to Sam's Club from Allstate (.pdf file) that's good on March 31.

How does Costco compare with regular grocery stores? Ashley has also done a price comparison between Costco and Wal-Mart. She had lots of Costco coupons, and Costco won hands down. (Another post comparing Costco and three supermarkets, including a Wal-Mart, can be found at the Addicted to Costco! blog.)

What's important to you when you're selecting a warehouse membership store? Of these two biggies, which one is better?

Related reading:

• Costco: The ‘anti-Wal-Mart'
• 5 best -- and worst -- Costco deals