• Walmart is offering a new membership bundle that combines Walmart Plus and Sam's Club Plus.
• The new combo includes both memberships for less than the price of a Costco Executive membership.
• A key feature of each membership is their increasingly fast delivery services.

Walmart rolled out a perk for its Plus membership programs, taking a shot at rivals Amazon and Costco.

The retail giant said Tuesday that it is offering a membership bundle that includes Walmart Plus and Sam's Club Plus for $120 per year.

That means existing Sam's Club Plus members now effectively get Walmart Plus included, and Walmart Plus members can add the premium-level club membership for an additional $22.

CEO John Furner took a not-so-subtle jab at Amazon and Costco in a statement announcing the news.

"Consider what people may be paying today: $139 for a retail membership with delivery. $130 for a warehouse club," he said, referring to their respective fees.

Walmart has been taking sharp aim at both retail competitors, with membership perks that overlap in several areas, like streaming entertainment, pharmacy services, and deals from partner businesses.

The biggest perk for Plus members — whether at Walmart or Sam's Club — is an increasingly fast delivery operation that fulfills orders from stores and clubs in as little as 30 minutes. Some orders have arrived in fewer than 10 minutes.

"The bundled offering screens as another signal of WMT pushing more value into its overall ecosystem, and highlighting its rapid delivery capabilities," Mizuho analyst David Bellinger said in a note.

Walmart doesn't disclose membership counts or fee revenue, but Mizuho estimates the chains have about 25 million Walmart Plus members and 30 million Sam's Club members. The bank also estimates an overlap of about 10% between Walmart and Sam's Club members.

Globally, Costco reported more than 150 million membership cardholders, and Amazon is estimated to have more than 220 million Prime members.

• I'm a diehard Costco fan who's had an executive membership for 11 years.
• My family swears by the store's freezer section for easy breakfasts, quick appetizers, and snacks.
• Some of our favorite products include Kirkland Signature frozen fruit and Bibigio spring rolls.

With a busy schedule and a hungry family, I'd be a mess if it weren't for Costco's extensive frozen options.

I've been an executive member for 11 years, and I feed my family of four — my husband, my son, my mother-in-law, and myself — almost exclusively with Costco products.

We're diehard loyalists, thanks to the value, the store's wide selection, and our general trust in the products Costco stocks. We consider the store's freezers our cheat code to fast, balanced, and easy breakfasts, snacks, and dinner appetizers.

These are the staples we always have in the house and swear by.

Our days start with waffles.

By far the most cherished meal of the day in our family is breakfast. In fact, I've somehow turned it into a DIY multi-course meal.

While I'm making a fruit smoothie — more on that soon — I toss Eggo's homestyle waffles in the toaster. They're a crowd-pleaser for kids and adults alike, and at Costco, I can buy a pack of 60 for about $11.

Frozen berries make smoothies an easy staple.

I love making smoothies with frozen fruit — and thankfully, Costco has tons of options.

I'm obsessed with Kirkland Signature's frozen organic blueberries. A bag costs $9.59, which works out to about $3.20 a pound. Blueberries have always felt like a luxury to me, so the fact that I can get them at such a great price will never not be exciting.

The frozen blueberries pair perfectly with Kirkland Signature's frozen organic strawberries. At my local store, these are even cheaper than the blueberries at $11.99 for a 4-pound bag, which works out to $3 a pound.

Fresh strawberries can fluctuate dramatically in price and availability in my area, so it's so reassuring to have consistent, delicious frozen options year-round.

I swear by frozen mangoes, too.

This is our final frozen fruit fixation.

Our local Costco has been stocking organic frozen mangoes from Nature's Touch lately. I love that they're peeled and pitted, which takes so much of the work off my plate.

At $10.39 per bag, the mangoes work out to about $2.07 a pound. They're by far our cheapest frozen fruit in the freezer, and the most delightfully tropical.

We spice up the mornings with Annie's cinnamon rolls, usually as a weekend treat.

We discovered Annie's frozen cinnamon rolls when our two-year-old tried a free sample at our local store. His face lit up far too adorably for me to say no.

Now, whenever we feel like enjoying a fancier breakfast, I'll pull out a tube. Each tube comes with five reasonably-sized rolls, plus just the right amount of icing.

Our Costco sells packs of three tubes for $14.89, meaning each roll is under $1. Another free-sample success story!

Frozen appetizers like vegetable spring rolls are the fastest way to make our at-home dinners feel fancy.

I swear we eat meals other than breakfast. Bibigo's vegetable spring rolls are one of our favorite additions to any dinner. A box of 50 (yes, 50!) is $9.49 at my local store.

Appetizers have always felt like an indulgence in my family, so there's nothing better than pulling out a dozen spring rolls to snack on as we make dinner. Don't skip the sweet soy-ginger dipping sauce, either.

We also love Sukhi's Irresistible Indian Cuisine samosas.

Samosas are delicious, but a food item I won't even try to make on my own. Luckily, I discovered Sukhi's Irresistible Indian Cuisine samosas at Costco. A box of 16 costs $15.99 at my nearest store.

These are a true crowd pleaser, especially when vegetarian family members are in town.

The potato-and-peas flavor, combined with the provided cilantro chutney, is truly divine.

Nothing's better than a Kirkland Signature ice-cream bar.

Now I must wax poetic about my all-time favorite Costco freezer staple.

With creamy vanilla ice cream, milk chocolate, and a sprinkle of crushed almonds, Kirkland Signature's ice-cream bars are the perfect dessert, especially in the middle of California's perpetual summer heat wave.

I genuinely prefer these ice-cream bars over name-brand competitors. They're so coveted in our house that we have to take "Kirkland bar" shifts where each parent hides in the garage and enjoys their ice cream — or else we end up with an over-sugared, sticky toddler.

These usually cost $10.59 for 18 bars at my Costco, but they go on sale regularly. We always stock up.

Curious to know what other shoppers put in their carts? Check out our other Costco diaries here.

• As a sommelier, wine is my job — and sparkling wine is my favorite. Costco's a good place to get it.
• Costco has solid prosecco and cava, plus fancy vintage Champagne like Henriot
• There are also great sparkling wines from brands like Roederer Estate and Moët & Chandon.

I wasn't sure if my husband and I would be able to get the full value out of our Costco membership, but I was wrong.

Although not every location sells alcohol, our local Costco does — and I've found this bulk retailer has some of the best wine prices.

This comes in handy because, as a certified sommelier, I buy a lot of wine for tastings, events, and even my own collection. And every time I go to Costco, I seem to discover something new, whether it's a unique variety or an especially great deal.

Here are some of the best sparkling wines I've found at Costco so far.

Editor's Note: Prices and availability may vary.

The Kirkland Signature Prosecco feels like a steal.

Typically around $10 a bottle, Kirkland Signature's prosecco is one of the most affordable sparkling wines I've seen at Costco.

Don't let the price fool you, though. This wine is from the "Superiore" area of the Italian prosecco region, meaning the winemaking standards are higher.

The Kirkland Signature bottle is on the sweet side, and it's perfect for brunch mimosas.

Moët sells millions of bottles of its Champagne every year.

Moët & Chandon Champagne is probably the most iconic wine on this list.

As a sommelier, people often ask for a glass of Champagne whenever they want something fizzy. However, true Champagne has to be made in the Champagne region of France — trust me, it actually makes a difference.

The flavors are much more complex and layered than a standard sparkling wine. There's also something special and luxurious about Champagne.

This bottle is amazing on its own, but also shines with salty snacks such as potato chips, mixed nuts, and popcorn.

Kirkland Signature's Champagne is also hype-worthy.

You may not expect much from the Kirkland Signature brut Champagne, but it's hard to find another bottle like it.

It's true Champagne that I've typically seen for about $21 — it's rare to find a large bottle of the stuff at such a low price.

This variety is a little lighter and fresher than some Champagnes, but if that doesn't bother you, it's a total winner.

Roederer Estate makes a stunning $20 sparkler.

If regions don't matter to you, try this pick from Roederer Estate.

Some big Champagne brands purchase land and make Champagne-style sparkling wines worldwide. In this case, Louis Roederer bought property in Northern California's Anderson Valley.

Its sparkling brut is a delight and I've seen it for $20 to $30 a bottle. In comparison, the brand's true French Champagne goes for closer to $60 to $80.

I like the Californian Roederer Estate stuff so much that I served it at my own wedding.

If you've got Champagne taste on a beer budget, try cava.

Choosing cava is a great way to save money on sparkling wine.

The Spanish sparkler uses the same production method as Champagne but rarely costs more than $20 a bottle. Costco even has one from Blanchard Perez that I've seen for under $10.

Cava is generally dry, with little to no sweetness. I love serving it with appetizers and tapas.

I've also found solid sparkling rosés at Costco.

The only thing more on trend than sparkling wine is sparkling rosé, and Scharffenberger Cellars has a bottle for around $20 at Costco.

The affordable Californian wine is made from grapes grown in Mendocino County and has a cheerful effervescence.

It pairs well with light dishes such as salads, shrimp cocktail, and smoked salmon dips.

For when only fancy vintage Champagne will do, turn to Henriot.

I wanted to include one special, pricier wine on the list, and that spot went to the $150 bottle of Henriot I found at Costco.

It's a vintage Champagne, which means all the grapes were harvested in the same year.

Henriot has been around for over 200 years, and it's one of the few larger brands that's still independent and family-owned. For me, this Champagne hits all the marks for complexity, flavor, acid, and finish.

This story was originally published on February 19, 2025, and most recently updated on October 19, 2026.

• Business Insider has been tracking 45 items at Costco to see how energy costs affect retail prices.
• President Trump's conflict with Iran has disrupted oil and transportation markets around the world.
• Most products have had minimal price changes, but some like motor oil and whey protein are way up.

Like the proverbial pot that's been watched but won't boil, the Costco prices I've tracked this year have remained remarkably calm amid an economy full of heat.

A basket of 45 items I'm following rose 3% since July, but that change is largely attributable to the recent surge in motor oil prices.

Overall, the numbers I see on my local warehouse shelves tell a very different story than what I would expect after following the tumultuous news from around the world. Costco prides itself on keeping shelf prices in its warehouses close to wholesale prices for its members, which makes it a useful early read on supply-cost pressures.

It's hardly a national price index, but it does reveal how global economic forces are showing up in an ordinary US community like Madison, Wisconsin.

My data show that grocery and merchandise prices remain steady, with small hikes and discounts mostly balancing out in the total basket. Meanwhile, some items like motor oil, protein powder, and aluminum foil are starting to show signs of pressure from their respective commodity markets. Costco did not respond to a request to comment for this story.

On a conference call last month, CEO Ron Vachris said the company works with vendors to deal with commodity price increases and keep prices in check. "It's a continual focus for all of our buyers in looking at how to reduce pricing," he said.

But first, it's worth taking a step back.

I've been keeping a close eye on prices over the past year and a half out of concern for the impact that President Donald Trump's trade war would have on everyday items that US households buy.

In January, I developed a list of commonly purchased items that highlight the value of shopping from a wholesale club. After the US and Israel launched their attack on Iran in February, I decided to keep going back to see how conflict in the Middle East would affect grocery bills in the Midwest.

So far, the effects have been surprisingly muted. The full basket rose 2.3% from $864.60 in January to $884.60 on October 13.

The basket rose slightly from January to April, largely because a two-pound bag of Starbucks coffee beans increased by $3.20. In May, the four-pound packs of organic ground beef were replaced with similar-sized packs of conventional beef for about the same price: $24.99. The move helped Costco manage the widely reported rise in beef prices, which has even had hamburger purveyors touting their chicken offerings to customers.

By June, the basket was about $10 below its April peak, as modest reductions across much of the list offset a $10 jump in whey protein, where shortages have continued to squeeze supply.

Bacon and berries got cheaper in July, while Kirkland motor oil rose by $4. Charmin cut 60 square feet of toilet paper from its 30-roll pack but also lowered the sticker price by $3, leaving shoppers with a slightly better unit value.

More recently, refining bottlenecks and attacks on oil infrastructure have sent diesel prices soaring, which is ramping up transportation costs.

In the warehouse, the most visible example of the oil supply problem is the Kirkland Signature motor oil, which shot up to $57.99 — a 60% increase over the price in June.

Meanwhile, blueberries more than doubled in price, from $3.99 in July to $8.99 in October. All fresh berry prices fluctuated by a few dollars throughout the year, so it isn't clear if that change is driven by seasonal availability, transportation costs, or a combination of factors.

Other commodities are facing supply and tariff pressure too: the price of aluminum foil increased from $29.99 in July to $32.69 in October— a 9% increase. It was $26.99 in May.

As tariff refunds near their completion and energy prices continue to climb, a number of food suppliers and grocers have warned that costs are rising. It could be about time for this watched pot to start boiling.