Sam’s Club, the warehouse division of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., posted its worst first-quarter sales in years, a sign it’s falling further behind Costco Wholesale Corp. in winning the hearts of America’s bulk shoppers. After dropping 3 percent last quarter, Sam’s Club revenue is now at its lowest level in three years. While same-store sales inched up 0.4 percent when fuel is excluded, that missed analysts’ estimates for a 1.6 percent increase. Costco, meanwhile, saw growth of 8 percent on that basis in its most recent results. Wal-Mart is struggling to attract customers to the warehouse chain, in part because of a less appealing assortment of products, said Brian Yarbrough, an analyst at Edward Jones in St. Louis. Sam’s Club also has lower-income clientele. Even though Costco built its reputation on cheap prices, it draws plenty of upscale shoppers and small-business owners. “It’s a stunning difference between Sam’s and Costco,” Yarbrough said in an interview.

The retail economy’s stop-and-go recovery has put more of a spotlight on the discrepancies between the two chains. Costco shoppers have continued to spend, while Sam’s less affluent customers are holding back, said Yarbrough, who has a neutral rating on the shares of both companies. Net sales at Sam’s Club fell to $13.5 billion last quarter, with operating income declining 11 percent, Bentonville, Arkansas-based Wal-Mart said Tuesday. Costco’s sales grew 4.4 percent to $27.5 billion in the period ended Feb. 15. New Moen Shower Valve LeaksThe Issaquah, Washington-based company reports its latest quarterly numbers next week.Miniature Dachshund Puppies For Sale In Southern Illinois Kirkland ProductsCostco has built a following for its Kirkland Signature private-label products -- everything from handbags to hearing aids -- and they account for about 20 percent of the items sold by the chain. Labrador Pups For Sale In Wa

Sam’s has failed to generate the same level of interest with its store brands, Yarbrough said. Rosalind Brewer, the head of Sam’s Club, said Tuesday that improving merchandise assortment was a key focus for the chain. That includes adding more organic-food offerings this year. “Our merchant teams continue to work on bringing newness and trend-right merchandise into the clubs,” Brewer said. “We still have opportunities for improvement.”Consumer News, Costco, Sam's Club There’s no arguing the fact that warehouse clubs can help you save money on certain items. But your savings comes at a price, namely an annual membership fee that allows you in the door. Costco charges $55 a year, while Walmart owned Sam’s Club charges $10 less at $45 annually. So this begs the question, which club will save you more money on the items on your shopping list? To help answer this question, below is a handy price breakdown of nine popular items at both places so you can decide which club will help you save the most.

When it comes to name-brand HDTV’s, Sam’s Club is typically 10-20% cheaper than Costco. Examples of this savings include the Samsung 40” Smart LCD TV, you’ll find it for $280 at Sam’s and the same exact model will cost you $349.99 at Costco. You’ll also find similar savings on more expensive models like the Vizio 58” 4K; $828 at Sam’s and $999.99 at Costco. The bottom-line is that when comparing prices, always check out the prices at Sam’s. I was actually unable to find any HDTV cheaper at Costco compared to Sam’s Club. When it comes to name brand diapers, you’ll save more at Costco. Specifically, Huggies “Little Movers, Size 3” comes out to $0.21 per diaper at Costco, while you’ll pay $0.24 each for a similar sized box at Sam’s. Three cents less per diaper might not seem like much, but it’s significant savings over the course of an entire year. But when shopping the store brand, Sam’s Member’s Mark, easily beats Costco’s Kirkland brand in price.

Sticking with the size-3 example, you can get a 252 count box at Sam’s for $34.94 ($0.14 ea.) while you’ll pay almost $0.20 per diaper for Costco’s store brand. Toilet Paper (Winner: Sam’s Club) You’ll clearly save more money on toilet paper with a Sam’s Club membership. For example, at Sam’s you can get a 30-ct package of Quilted Northern Ultra Plush for $0.66 per roll, while you’ll pay $0.83 per roll for the same product at Costco. Even when comparing the store brands of both warehouse clubs, Sam’s wins fairly easily with a per roll cost of $0.40. The Costco Kirkland brand is only slightly cheaper than the premium Quilted Northern brand at $0.77 per roll. Frozen Chicken Breasts (Winner: Sam’s Club) Both warehouse clubs carry their own line of frozen chicken breasts and the Sam’s Club brand, Daily Chef, easily under-cuts the Kirkland brand in price. Daily Chef Chicken comes in a 6-pound bag and costs $11.98 ($2.00/lb), while the Kirkland bag weighs 6.5 pounds and sells for $17.99 ($2.77/lb).

If you’re like my family, and stock up on frozen chicken breasts and store them in the freezer, Sam’s will save you significant money over the course of a year. When comparing the generic brand of facial tissues at both stores, Sam’s Club came in at over 50% cheaper per tissue. The Sam’s brand, Member’s Mark, sells in a package of 12 separate boxes (169-ct each) and retails for $11.98. Costco Kirkland, on the other hand, also sells a package of 12 boxes (only 90-ct each), but sells for a whopping $18.99. Both products are 2-ply tissues, but one is a lot more expensive than the other. In this case, shop at Sam’s and save big on tissues. Shredded Cheese (Winner: Sam’s Club) Both clubs sell their store-branded shredded cheese in five pound bags. Costco Kirkland sells for $15.79 per bag, while Sam’s Member’s Mark sells for 6% less at $14.57. Not a huge price difference, but if you’re buying for a large family, and go through a bag per month, that’s a savings of close to $15 over the course of a year.

Both warehouse clubs sell Lysol Disinfecting Wipes in bulk sizes. Sam’s sells a 4-pack (80 wipes per pack), for $12.98, while Costco sells a 6-pack, also 80 wipes each, for only $14.99. So by purchasing Lysol wipes from Costco, you’re essentially getting 50% more wipes for an extra $2. Pain Reliever (Winner: Sam’s Club… While the price of Advil pain reliever is very similar at both warehouse clubs, Sam’s wins this challenge based on their low-price of the popular Aleve Liquid Gels. They sell a 160-count bottle for $18.48, while Costco sells the same size for $19.49. For those keeping score at home, that’s a savings close to 15% by shopping at Sam’s.  Also, staying with the liquid-gel theme, Sam’s sells Advil Liqui-Gel for 15% less than Costco too. The current gold-standard, in terms of wearable technology, is the Fitbit Charge HR Activity Tracker Bundle and it’s significantly cheaper at Costco. Specifically, you can get it for $138.69, compared to $149.88 at Sam’s Club.