BJ’s Wholesale Club

To be honest, a one-​and-​a-​half stars would be more accurate. I do like the selection of items, but the «likes» stop there. The place is dark-​ish and dreary, and always appears to be not-quite-clean…which could be the lighting. The staff, for the most part, is atrocious, they still have coupons that you have to clip (I asked a manager, and they do not recycle all that wasted paper), and should you, Heaven forbid, misplace a receipt, the way in which the return/​refund process works is antiquated and painfully slow. Costco is a much better choice, and a more pleasant shopping experience. I joined when there was a $ 25 membership offer; I can’t imagine that I will renew when it expires.

I’ve been coming here for over 20 years and it’s always been reliable. There are a bunch of food deals for those wholesale lovers and options ranging from fruit, bakery, chicken, meats, snacks, and more. Prices are reasonable for the amount you get. There are plenty of parking and carts to use. There is a mini food court for those wanting fast food. Many electronics and black friday deals as well. This is a good alternative to Costco and provides more or less similar items. Only thing missing is a BJ gas station.

A bit torn. There is a lot of good about it, but too much junk food (everything either too salty or too sweet), too much produce trucked or shipped in from 3000 miles or more, too much disposable crap that could easily be made more environmentally friendly if they took the lead (like paper towels made of recycled paper, for example).
AND THE LINES ARE I-​GIVE-​UP-​LONG. I’m afraid it is because, unlike competitor Costco down the road, the workers are not paid living wages. This can establish a kind of sloppy and disrespectful norm. (Including not showing up for work, which I suspect is the issue here, even though the checkout lines are consistently too long to the point that I avoid the store.) I suggest BJ’s managers check out the professionalism of Costco worker norms. I feel especially bad for the 25% — 50% or so of BJs workers who are obviously ambitious, friendly and professional people who were brought up so well. I hope their lesser colleagues don’t bring them down.
Prices (for food or garden) better than any competitor including the local Stop N Shop. They do have sales — on all the stuff I don’t need (today I noticed people stocking up on$ 60 casket sized coolers. Shiver me timbers!!).
All that said, I prefer BJs to Costco bc they have (slightly) more fresh organic produce, and it is smaller, which I prefer. I want BJs to improve in the ways I mentioned above, and I have told management to no avail (including «corporate»), which is why I bothered to write this. I think they are out of touch with the «new» healthier, more «environmentally aware» America.

Great location. I always find what I’m looking for and wind up picking up an extra few items that I didn’t come in to buy. The service is friendly and helpful. Fresh food!

Really not a great shopping experience at all; last week waited 50 minutes at the deli counter, one person was tending to customers and one person was cleaning machines and prepping for closing; mind you, it was 8pm and they are open until 10pm; customer service and attitude of employees is terrible, the front area near the registers looks like a slum, with carts and flats loaded with return items; thank goodness we recently got a Costco, only 5 minutes west on Rt 22 so we have more options.

Sure they have good deals here, thus why I always come, but the long lines at the cash registers are really slow! There’s never enough open cash registers to accommodate all the people with their carts packed to the brim with groceries, and the employees there are slow as well.
Like today, I was stuck in a long line with my cart filled with some groceries. Ahead of me were three people with their carts filled to the brim with groceries in a self-​checkout line. Those people didn’t know what they were doing, especially when it came to scanning coupons, and it took a while for an employee to come by and help. After 45 minutes later of waiting in line, I went through, and quickly as well. A lady behind me complimented my speed on checking out. Yeah, thanks lady.
Unbelievable.

One of the worst BJ’s locations I’ve seen. Displays are a mess, employees move at the snail speed and look and act completely disinterested. Except for the those cashiers who just chit chat with each other and their manager without any regard for customers. On a Saturday night only three registers were open and lines were huge and moved slowly. I will try to avoid this particular location at all costs

Not sure why there are so many low reviews. Hubby and I received a gift membership for Christmas and decided to activate it last week. We are former Costco members at the Union location and because of AWFUL experiences there (not costco fault but the other Costco members) decided to defect to BJs.
The first striking difference is how NICE the customer service desk is here. Our rep gave us coupons, a welcome bag with candy and water, and explained how they take accept credit cards as well as manufacturers coupons (which Costco does not).
Place is huge and offers pretty much the same products as Costco for comparable prices. There is also a deli counter in the back. They also just added a wine/​beer section — woohoo!
Happy I made the switch.

We are BJ’s shoppers… we usually go other BJ’s locations, but we wandered into this one and loved it just the same. We usually go there for bulk items such as paper goods, detergents, and non-​perishable items (cereal, peanut butter) and it does save you money in the long run.
Yes, there is a membership fee, but you will definitely make up in the price of the fee if you are a regular. This location recently opened a Wine Store within the store and it was great! The staff was great and they suggested some great wines — we loved their suggestions!
When we are in the area, we will definitely come back. We truly enjoyed our experience here!

I divide this review into two sections: one comparing this particular BJs to other membership stores (i.e., other BJs as well as Sam’s Club/Costco’s in NJ), and one comparing this particular BJs to potential substitutes for customers, such as WalMart or grocery supermarkets.
1) Compared to other membership stores in the area, this BJs is below average.
–While the product aisles are generally pretty clean, the checkout and custom service areas are a mess — it’s like they just let weeks of returned/​discarded products pile up.
–We always have to wait at least 10 minutes in line for the customer service reps, and when we finally get there, they’re pretty surly and terse. I know dealing with a constant stream of angry customers is a tough job, but your attitude isn’t helping matters.
–Sometimes, I wonder why this BJ’s even bothers with setting out those free sample stations. Sure, some customers are happy to snack on anything, but giving away soon-​to-​expire teddie graham crackers isn’t encouraging anyone to buy them (or anything else for that matter).
2) Compared to the local supermakets, BJs provides some decent value for some items, especially if you really use them in bulk.
–We’ve found that the cereal and cooking oil prices here are much cheaper per unit here than anywhere else.
–But, for other items, such as pasta, canned goods, and yes, even the meat, it’s still cheaper to buy them on sale/​as loss leaders at the local supermarkets. If you’re planning to store these items for a long time anyway, then you can afford to wait for them to go on sale. There’s no need to have a BJ’s membership and the «opportunity to buy in bulk» all the time.

This store is slightly better than some other BJ’s in the area, but I’m still not impressed. It’s typically pretty packed so checking out can always be an adventure. This particular BJ’s carries all the same stuff that others do and you can find some great deals. I find that vitamins and granola bars are always a great deal here.
I always kind of dread going to this particular because it can be a pain to get to while driving down 22. No real fault to this place, but it makes me less inclined to go to this one. It’s a decent place where you can find some good deals if you buy in bulk, but I’m not the biggest fan of this particular location.

We’ve been BJ’s members since they opened, and make the trek here fairly frequently. The selection varies, as brand names come and go from their shelves. Prices are not automatically lower because they’re in a BJ’s, but the Berkeley & Jensen private label is often very good. Facial tissue, whole bean coffee and nuts are three items where we prefer the B&J brand. Parking isn’t difficult here, but shoppers are absolutely oblivious to the world around them– pretty sad. We have a list of regular BJ’s items but always find more. There is a new beer and liquor cage in this store; nothing to warrant a separate trip here.

If you have a baby, and use a brand that they carry, the savings will easily overcome the «membership fee». I’m not a fan of their meats as I prefer a real butcher, but for staple items, some things certainly are cheaper. But you really must be aware of the prices of things in a normal supermarket before buying — many times, things as simple as toilet paper may seem like a bargain, but a lot of grocery stores will run sales that kill their prices.
Also, keep an eye on those coupons you get in the mail and check the in-​store coupon pages as well.
Biggest tip — if you use an iPhone/​iPad or have any reason to purchase stuff in iTunes or the App store, you can buy iTunes gift cards at reduced prices! Typically $ 3 less than face value!

Love this place. Good deals. Still have the New York/​New Jersey attitude when it comes to customer service. Usually go there for bulk items (mostly groceries) although they can have good deals on electronics sometimes. We like to by a huge side of beef then butcher it into steaks and vacuum seal, and put them in the freezer for later meals. It saves you a ton of money if you have room in your freezer (or an extra one).
You have to be a member to shop there (or go with someone who is). You will get your money back in savings if you go there regularly for your groceries.
Try the self-​checkout also, it’s usually faster.