Saving at Sam's Club

Sam's Club Membership costs $50 per year for Club membership and $110 per year for Plus membership. The Plus membership gives you 2% rewards on your purchases, access to early shopping hours, free shipping, free pickup, and special discounts in the Sam's Optical and pharmacy departments.

But you don’t need a membership to shop at Sam’s Club in 100% of cases. You can try out a free 90-day trial membership. Or, you can shop online. Just know that if you’re not a member, you’ll pay a 10% markup on SamsClub.com.

The Sam's Club return policy is pretty incredible: it gives you literally forever to return most items. There are some exceptions. For example, you have 90 days to return electronics, 30 days to return motorsports and commercial heavy equipment, and 14 days to return cell phones.

But for almost everything else, there’s no pressure. You can make returns whenever.

Sam’s hours are pretty uniform across locations, but it’s still a good idea to check your local store to see if their hours vary.

Here's the general schedule for Sam’s Club hours:

• Monday - Friday 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. (also 8 a.m. - 10 a.m. for Plus members)

• Saturday 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. (also 8 a.m. - 9 a.m. for Plus members)

• Sunday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. (for all members)

Sam’s Club Fuel Centers are generally open with these hours:

• Monday - Saturday 6 a.m. - 9 p.m.

• Sunday 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.

The Sam's Club Cafe hours vary slightly from the Club hours on most days. Here is the general schedule for Sam's Cafe:

• Monday - Saturday 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.

• Sunday 10 a.m .- 6 p.m.

TIP: Sam's Club is closed on New Year's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

Yes, Sam’s Club delivers groceries and household products. You can order through Instacart’s Sam's Club Delivery whether or not you are a Sam’s Club member.

If you are a member, Sam’s Club has started rolling out an in-house delivery service in select markets. This service costs $8 for Plus members and $12 for Club members. You might want to try running your order through Instacart, too, to see which service is currently cheaper in your market.

Yes, Sam’s Club offers curbside through the Sam's Club Pickup service. It costs $4 for Club members, but it’s free for Plus members.

While your membership status is important, it doesn’t really matter who picks up the order. You can use the Sam’s Club app to enter info for an alternate person if you’re too busy to pick up the order yourself.

Yes, Sam’s Club is worth the membership fee as long as you shop there enough. First of all, it’s cheaper to join Sam's Club vs. Costco. Plus, the discounted Sam’s Club prices you get throughout the year are likely to outweigh your initial investment.

But if that initial membership fee feels too high, there are ways to slash it down even further. For example, we often see 50% off membership deals where you can join as a new member for as little as $25 for your first year. They also offer a Sam's Club teacher discount during the back-to-school season, where you can join for $20 if you're a teacher or educator.

Sam’s Club Black Friday hours are the same as any other day. That means they open at 10 a.m. for all members, but you can get in at 8 a.m. if you’re a Plus member.

Be sure to check out this year’s Black Friday ad so you can plan your trip ahead of time.

It’s cheaper to join Sam’s Club than Costco. And when you’re comparing Sam’s Club vs. Costco, a lot of times, Sam’s Club has the better deals.