Why Ordering A Cake At Sam's Club Is So Much Easier Than At Costco

Custom ordering is a piece of cake at Sam's Club. Members who want to order a custom cake now have the option to place an order online or via the Sam's Club app rather than having to stop at the bakery in-person. This quick and convenient luxury is just one of the many things Sam's Club does better than its warehouse club rivalry, Costco. At the time of this writing, Costco still requires custom cake orders to be made in-person at the bakery 24 to 48 hours in advance.

It's worth noting that custom cakes ordered online through Sam's Club still have to be picked up in-person at the Sam's Club bakery. However, it's easy, especially since Sam's Club allows members to order cakes up to 30 days ahead of time. And last-minute procrastinators can take advantage of online orders, too. Next-day pickup is available as long as custom cake orders are placed by 2 p.m. the day before. With so many customizable cakes to choose from, Sam's Club makes ordering online sweet and simple.

Although Sam's Club has the upper hand with ordering, Reddit users say they aren't winning the best taste debate. Costco's bakery has two signature flavors: vanilla cake, which is white cake with vanilla cheesecake mousse filling (of which customers can't get enough) and vanilla buttercream frosting, and chocolate cake (chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling and chocolate buttercream frosting. Sam's Club's round and tiered cakes can be made with white or chocolate cake (and you can mix or match layers), while half-sheet and full-sheet cakes can be made with white, chocolate, or marble cake. However, Sam's Club wins the icing contest — the bakery offers buttercream in a variety of colors, plus whipped icing in either white or chocolate. 

And in terms of cake size and prices. Sam's Club is slightly cheaper. The 10" round cake at Sam's Club ($17.28) and feeds 12-16 guests, while Costco's 10" round cake ($19.99) feeds 12-16 guests. Sam's Club's half-sheet cake ($19.98) feeds 36-48 people, while Costco's equivalent ($24.99) feeds up to 48 people. 

However, Sam's Club full-sheet cake costs $40.98 to feed 72-96 people while Costco's full-sheet cake is $39.99 and feeds up to 96 people. And Costco has an 8" round cake ($15.99) that serves 8-16 guests. Sam's Club doesn't have this option but does have a custom two-tier cake $57.98) that serves about 58 guests. Ultimately, warehouse members must decide if they prefer value pricing and digital shopping, or are willing to pay for premium flavors in-person.