Powered by Value
With consumer sentiment near record lows and gas prices squeezing household budgets, wholesale clubs had plenty to offer value-conscious shoppers in Q3 2026. Costco, Sam's Club, and BJ's all enjoyed year-over-year (YoY) visit growth, while their gas stations continued attracting more drivers seeking cheaper fuel.
But the surge in pump traffic didn't translate into the same level of club engagement at every chain – highlighting differences in how the three retailers use discounted fuel to attract and retain shoppers.
Costco Grows in Two Gears
Costco’s Q3 growth was supported by both expansion and price cuts. The chain, which aims to open around 30 net new warehouses annually, saw overall visits rise 5.6% YoY, outpacing the 4.1% increase at existing locations.
Over the summer, Costco also used tariff refunds to lower prices on everyday items, which management said helped lift unit sales. And with October holding close to the quarter’s pace, Costco appears set to carry its momentum into the holiday season.
Sam’s Club Stays on Course
Sam’s Club also continued to grow visits, despite the economic pressures facing its core audience of lower-income households, whose consumer sentiment fell more sharply than that of any other income group.
Like Costco, Sam’s Club put tariff refunds toward price reductions, cutting prices on more than 250 snack, grilling, and entertaining items – and visits rose 2.7% YoY in Q3, nearly all of it at existing locations. The results suggest that lower-income shoppers are still making room for warehouse club trips, even as they face greater financial pressure.
BJ’s Accelerates Into October
BJ’s also entered Q3 with lower prices funded by tariff refunds. Visits rose 2.3% YoY during the quarter, with much of the growth driven by new clubs as the chain continued expanding beyond its East Coast base, including in Texas.
But existing clubs also saw traffic gains throughout most of the period, with October seeing the most pronounced growth. Overall visits jumped 9.4% YoY that month, likely helped by two major promotions: BJ’s 42nd birthday sale, which offered 42% off dozens of everyday items, and an early Black Friday event that began October 23.
At the Pump, Gas Prices Set the Pace
The clubs’ value pitch extended to their gas stations, where soaring prices sent more drivers in search of cheaper fuel. Pump visits at Costco Gas, Sam’s Club Fuel, and BJ’s Gas have been in step with prices all year – climbing through the spring, easing over the summer as the national average dipped below $4, and rising again in September and October as prices returned above $4.30.
Pump visits rose YoY in every month of Q3 at all three chains, with BJ’s Gas growing fastest, up 21.2% in October, compared with 15.0% at Sam’s Club Fuel and 7.7% at Costco Gas.
The Pump-to-Club Connection
But growing pump traffic didn't necessarily mean greater overlap with club shoppers at every warehouse. Among Q3 2026 gas station visitors, the share who also visited the affiliated warehouse rose at Costco but declined at Sam's Club and BJ's – a difference that may reflect how each chain approaches fuel access.
Costco maintained the strongest connection between its gas stations and clubs, with the share of Q3 gas station visitors who also visited its clubs climbing from 83.7% in 2025 to 85.5% in 2026. Costco’s pumps are reserved exclusively for members, making discounted fuel another benefit of membership and potentially encouraging greater engagement with the chain.
Sam's Club, by contrast, extends member fuel prices to Walmart+ subscribers, who can fill up without shopping at the warehouse. This broader access may help explain its lower cross-shopping share, which slipped from 71.1% to 70.2% over the past year.
At BJ’s, meanwhile, gas doubles as a recruiting tool. Management has said gas engagement is a strong indicator that members will renew, and the chain has tested acquisition offers built on gas discounts that have drawn an “outsized” response. Those offers bring in drivers who start at the pump and may not yet shop at the club, which may help explain why BJ’s share fell even as its pump traffic grew fastest.
Holidays Ahead
All three clubs kept growing through Q3, and high gas prices brought more drivers to their pumps – with Costco’s pump visitors the most likely to also visit its clubs. As the holidays approach and budgets look set to stay stretched, the warehouse club offer, inside the clubs and at the pump, may matter even more.
For more data-driven retail insights, visit Placer.ai/anchor.
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