Key findings:
- Costco shoppers are more likely to be Millennials (30%), while Sam’s Club and BJ’s Wholesale shoppers are more likely to be Baby Boomers and older adults (36% and 38%, respectively).
- Greater product variety is the top desired improvement among Costco (36%), Sam's Club (36%) and BJ's Wholesale shoppers (33%).
- Crowding is the leading in-store shopping challenge among Costco (38%), Sam’s Club (34%) and BJ’s Wholesale (30%) shoppers, followed by stock availability (32%, 29% and 32%, respectively).
Costco, Sam's Club and BJ's Wholesale are investing in their U.S. operations. Costco plans to open 33 new warehouses in the U.S. in 2027, while Sam's Club has outlined plans to open 15 new locations annually and remodel its existing clubs. BJ's Wholesale, meanwhile, plans to open 12 new clubs by the end of 2026.
Groceries are a key part of the product assortment at all three warehouse clubs, making the in-store grocery shopping experience an important area of focus. New YouGov Profiles data shows that around nine in ten customers of Costco (90%), Sam's Club (88%) and BJ's Wholesale (89%) have purchased groceries in-store in the past 90 days.
As these retailers compete for customers, the analysis examines how their shoppers compare by demographics, the challenges they encounter when grocery shopping in-store and the improvements they would most like to see.
Who shops at Costco, Sam's Club and BJ's Wholesale?
The three warehouse clubs attract different generational mixes.
Costco's current customers are most likely to be Millennials (30%), followed by Baby Boomers and older adults (28%) and Gen X (25%).
Sam's Club and BJ's Wholesale customers, on the other hand, are most likely to be Baby Boomers and older adults, accounting for 36% and 38% of their respective customer bases. Gen X follows at both retailers (27% and 25%), while Millennials account for 26% of Sam's Club shoppers and 19% of BJ's Wholesale shoppers.
Across all three retailers, customers are most likely to belong to middle-income households, with shares ranging from 46% at BJ's Wholesale to 51% at Costco.
However, Sam's Club and BJ's Wholesale customers are more likely to belong to lower-income households (28% each) than Costco customers (18%). Costco customers are also more likely to belong to higher-income households (18%), compared with BJ's Wholesale (15%) and Sam's Club customers (12%).
Looking at family life stage, Costco customers are most likely to be pre-family adults aged 45 or younger without children (28%). Sam's Club and BJ's Wholesale customers, meanwhile, are most likely to be active empty nesters (31% and 29%, respectively).
Crowding and stock availability are the leading in-store challenges
The two most commonly reported in-store grocery shopping challenges are the same across all three brand’s customer groups: overcrowding and products being out of stock.
Crowding leads among Costco (38%), Sam's Club (34%) and BJ's Wholesale (30%) shoppers. Stock availability follows, cited by 32% of Costco and BJ's Wholesale shoppers and 29% of Sam's Club shoppers.
Beyond these shared concerns, the rankings diverge. Limited or no parking is the third most frequently reported challenge among Costco shoppers (16%), followed by not having enough time to shop (15%).
Among Sam's Club shoppers, limited product variety ranks third (15%), while BJ's Wholesale shoppers place it alongside checkout issues and poor customer service, each cited by 13%.
Costco shoppers are also more likely to report difficulties with parking and time constraints than customers of the other two retailers. Limited parking is cited by 11% of Sam's Club shoppers and 12% of BJ's Wholesale shoppers, while insufficient time to shop is reported by 10% and 9%, respectively.
What do consumers say would improve their in-store shopping experience?
Greater product variety and personalized offers are the two most commonly desired improvements across all three brand’s customer groups.
More than a third of Costco and Sam's Club shoppers (36% each) would like greater product variety, as would 33% of BJ's Wholesale shoppers. Personalized offers and promotions follow, selected by 30%, 33% and 29%, respectively.
The third most popular improvement differs. Among Costco shoppers, better store layouts and greater availability of specialty foods are tied at 25%. Among Sam's Club shoppers, self-checkouts or app-integrated checkouts rank third (25%). For BJ's Wholesale shoppers, greater availability of specialty foods takes third place (24%).
Costco shoppers also show relatively greater interest in expanded organic product ranges (19%) than BJ's Wholesale (16%) and Sam's Club shoppers (13%).
Beyond these priorities, interest in additional amenities is comparatively limited. Around one in ten shoppers across the three retailers would welcome more in-store dining options, while fewer than one in ten select children's play areas or robotic shopping assistants.
Methodology:
YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data through rolling surveys, rather than a single limited questionnaire. Figures are drawn from responses collected between October 2025 and October 2026, using a 52-week dataset updated weekly. Data is nationally representative of adults (18+) in the US and weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race.
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