11.24.25 Spotlight: Warehouse Clubs / Scam Prevention Team Work

Summary

The Clark Howard Podcast – Episode Summary

Episode: 11.24.25 – Spotlight: Warehouse Clubs / Scam Prevention Team Work
Date: November 24, 2025
Host: Clark Howard

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Episode Overview

In this Thanksgiving week episode, Clark Howard delves into his lifelong fascination with warehouse clubs like Costco, Sam’s Club, and BJ’s Wholesale, explaining their business models and why they've become dominant forces in American retail. Later, he shares practical tips for preventing family-targeted scams, especially in an era where AI-powered voice scams are on the rise. Throughout, Clark and his producer answer listener questions on topics like warehouse club memberships, home equity lines of credit, cosigning leases, building credit for teens, and even the economics of dumpster diving at Aldi.

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Spotlight: Warehouse Clubs

The Rise and Value Proposition of Warehouse Clubs

[00:35–06:05]

• History and Success:

  • Clark details his decades-long obsession with warehouse clubs, beginning with the original Price Club in San Diego during the 1970s.
  • The top three (Costco, Sam's Club, BJ's Wholesale) have increased sales by 50% in the last five years.
    “Part of that's inflation, but most of it is pulling market share from others because people are getting a better deal.” – Clark [02:07]
  • Costco is on track to become the second-largest grocery seller in the U.S. and is already the world's largest wine seller.

• Business Model:

  • Warehouse clubs operate on thin markups (Costco's maximum: 14%, Kirkland Signature: 15%) versus traditional retail’s much higher rates (e.g., 100% markup on furniture).
  • High volume and low overhead (except for labor) keep prices low for consumers.

• Membership Fees & Employee Treatment:

  • Clark praises Costco’s fair employee pay and benefits, highlighting the ethical aspect of shopping there.
    “Nobody’s being exploited, working there for you and me to save money.” – Clark [05:30]

• Comparison of Clubs:

  • BJ’s Wholesale offers greater variety in each category, making it closer to a one-stop shop, but is usually less price-competitive than Costco or Sam’s.

• Personal Touch:

  • Clark affectionately names his dogs “Costco Wholesale” and “Kirkland Signature,” illustrating his dedication to the value proposition.

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Warehouse Club Q&A & Consumer Frustrations

Sam’s Club Renewal Policy

[06:53–08:44]

• Listener Complaint (Wanda, Florida):
  • Frustration at Sam’s Club’s policy of backdating membership renewals to the original expiration, rather than granting a fresh 12 months.
  • Clark acknowledges the widespread practice and offers a workaround:
    “You can then start over as a member over again and get the full year's benefit...” – Clark [07:56]

Scan & Go Shopping at Sam's Club

[08:44–10:20]

• Listener Question (Steve, Michigan):
  • Uncertainty about whether Sam’s Club shopping now requires their Scan & Go app.
  • Clark confirms Sam’s is expanding checkoutless stores, eventually aiming for all shopping to go through the app:
    “Their intention is... the only way you can shop at any Sam's Club in America eventually is with the Scan and Go app...” – Clark [09:31]

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Credit, Loans & Automatic Payments

Locked Home Equity Line from Missed Payment

[10:20–12:51]

• Listener Question (Malkia, Georgia):

  • Single missed credit card payment locked her home equity line, jeopardizing a major home project.
  • Clark recommends appealing in person to local managers, or switching to a credit union for a new line if denied:
    “That shows how a single late pay on your credit report can have so many ramifications beyond that one credit card…” – Clark [10:54]
  • Stresses the importance of setting up automatic minimum payments to avoid inadvertent credit damage.

• Automatic Payments Policy Problem:

  • Producer points out some big banks still don’t allow automatic credit card payments, drawing Clark's incredulity:
    “I don’t know anybody else who doesn’t let you set up an automatic payment.” – Clark [14:03]
  • Clark advises “vote with your feet” by moving one’s business elsewhere.

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Scam Prevention Teamwork

Using Family Code Words Against AI Voice Scams

[16:38–20:32]

• Rising Threat:
  • AI can now duplicate loved ones’ voices for convincing “grandparent scams.”
• Clark's Practical Solution:
  • Establish a unique family code word, not obvious to outsiders, to verify any emergency call. “You say, ‘What’s the word?’... and that’s what the crook isn’t going to know.” – Clark [18:24]
  • The same code word can be used for years, offering a low-tech defense against high-tech criminal tactics.
  • If you receive a distress call, hang up and call the relative back on their known number to verify—it’s almost always a con.

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More Listener Q&A

Co-signing on a Lease

[20:32–22:35]

• Listener Question (Chris, Connecticut):
  • Risks of cosigning a lease for a son.
  • Clark warns it carries the same risk as cosigning a loan:
    “You have all the responsibility, none of the benefit...” – Clark [20:54]
  • Suggests setups for payment reminders and online account checks to avoid damaging one’s own credit if payments are missed.

Establishing Credit for Teens via Authorized User Status

[22:35–24:03]

• Listener Question (Jeff, North Carolina):
  • Not all cards report authorized user credit history, even with SSN.
  • Clark’s rule of thumb: no SSN, no reporting; even with SSN it’s not 100%, so monitor credit reports to verify.

Dumpster Diving at Aldi

[24:03–26:46]

• Listener Story (John, Oklahoma):
  • Aldi in Tulsa discards rather than donates unsold food, allowing for dumpster “rescues.”
  • Clark surprised:
    “That is an unusual thing at an Aldi because Aldi’s corporate policy... is to try to get to zero waste.” – Clark [25:11]
  • Encourages safe, free food recovery and notes this differs from Aldi’s reported overall policy.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “There’s a reason why I've named one dog Costco Wholesale and another dog Kirkland Signature.” [05:10]
• “Buy a used car or buy a Dyson... man.” [06:34]
• “That shows how a single late pay on your credit report can have so many ramifications…” [10:54]
• “You can defeat tech with a really low tech kind of thing.” [18:34]
• “Ignorance is not bliss. In this case, you need to know…” [21:16]
• “So, John, that is an unusual thing at an Aldi because ALDI is its corporate policy... to try to get to zero waste.” [25:11]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:35 – Clark’s warehouse club history and obsession
• 02:07 – Explosive growth and market impact of clubs
• 05:10 – Personal touch: naming dogs after warehouse clubs
• 06:53 – Sam’s Club membership renewal complaint
• 08:44 – Sam’s Club Scan & Go app future
• 10:20 – Credit impact: missed payment locks home equity line
• 12:51 – Automatic payment policy fail at a “monster” bank
• 16:38 – AI voice scam threat and code word solution
• 20:32 – Co-signing leases: dangers and precautions
• 22:35 – Establishing teen credit as an authorized user
• 24:03 – Listener on Aldi dumpster diving; Aldi’s zero waste aim

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Tone & Takeaways

Clark’s trademark warmth, humor, and practical sensibility shine throughout the episode. He blends deep enthusiasm for thrifty solutions with vigilant warnings about modern financial threats, all while fielding real-life questions with empathy and realism. The episode is both an informative explainer on warehouse shopping and a hands-on guide for staying financially savvy—and safe—this holiday season.

Clark’s Core Message: Save more, spend less, and don’t get scammed—especially at holiday time.

Transcript

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[Clark Howard Producer]

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[Clark Howard]

It's great to have you here on the Clark Howard Show. You know, our mission is to serve you with advice and information that empowers you to make better financial decisions in your life. And we're starting out this holiday week talking about one of my great work gloves in my life, Warehouse clubs, how the big three are dominating retail sales in the United States. And later, I got a step you should consider. I, I read this twice recently. I thought and the first time I was like, you know, I should talk about that. And I forgot. The second time I was like, well, second time's charm. I'm going to talk about what you should be doing to help each other and your family avoid scams which are booming right now where people impersonate you, a family member, whatever simple step for you to follow. All right. Warehouse clubs. Yeah, I'm obsessed. I've been obsessed since the 1970s when the first warehouse club opened in San Diego on Moreno Boulevard called Price Club. And through the period of the 80s when people copied the format all over the place. I was a member of so many warehouse clubs it was just not logical. But now it's something that is just so much a part of culture. So you have with Costco, Sam's and BJ's Wholesale over the last five years, by Barron's estimate, their sales are up roughly 50% over that time period. Part of that's inflation, but most of it is pulling market share from others because people are getting a better deal. Costco soon will be the second largest seller of groceries in the United States. Right now they're in third place behind Walmart and the many, many brands that are owned by Kroger. But they're going to pass Kroger soon and be the second largest seller of groceries in the U.S. already the largest seller of wine in the world. A lot of categories in the store, they're the biggest seller. Hearing aids, largest seller. And what it's all about is the, the structure of the original Price Club forward of lowering every bit of overhead cost they could except labor selling huge volume per building means the formula works for you. And I know there are people say, well, I. I went to your beloved Costco or Sam's Club or whatever, and I didn't see where I was saving any money. Let me tell you, day after day, you are. And Costco is the only one that'll tell publicly what their markup is. The maximum markup is 14, except on Kirkland Signature 15. That is not how retail normally works. That's why, if you're not aware about this, Costco has been eating up market share in furniture because Costco's selling huge amounts of furniture now at a markup of 14 in an industry that normally marks up 100%. So, I mean, there's a huge amount of business that Sam's and Costco and BJ's Wholesale can grab because structurally, the way they're designed gives you an overall lower price day after day, week after week. And the number of Americans that now shop this way, larger and larger. And so there's a reason why I've named one dog Costco Wholesale and another dog Kirkland Signature, because I believe in this is such a great business model where Costco in particular pays its employees extremely well, gives them great benefits, so nobody's being exploited, working there for you and me to save money. I think that's absolutely great. As to which is best of the three, they're completely different one from another. They each have their own things that they're better at than the other two. If you're not familiar with BJ's wholesale that steadily been moving from their east coast stronghold steadily westward, BJ's wholesale is very different than the other two, with far more items available in a category where Sam's and Costco both stick to having a very small selection in each category. BJ's wholesale not as cheap to shop at, but they have a lot more variety. So BJ's wholesale can replace a lot of fill in shopping that Costco and Sam's members have to do at other stores. Is the membership fee worth it? Well, I sure think so. All right, what's my next dog's name going to be?

[Clark Howard Producer]

Oh, I know what Lane wants it to be. What do you want it to be?

[Clark Howard]

What does she. Oh, she said what?

[Clark Howard Producer]

Dyson.

[Clark Howard]

Oh, that's right. She's obsessed with Dyson products. Absolutely obsessed with the Dyson vacuum cleaner that shows you the dust with, like, these little green sparkles.

[Clark Howard Producer]

Yeah, I don't have that one. I have a much older model I got at Costco on a deal and is awesome.

[Clark Howard]

I mean, it hurts me to spend that money. And then she's got this hair thing, the air wrap. Yeah. That fortunately is on sale right now, but the sale price is still like a fortune. Buy a used car or buy a dice there, man.

[Clark Howard Producer]

All right, we'll go to questions about warehouse clubs for you. First one's kind of a complaint from Wanda in Florida. What does Clark think about the Sam's Club renewal scam? My membership expired on September 1. I went in to renew on November 1. I paid for a full year, and they insisted my membership would expire on September 1st of next year. I asked if they would change the expiration to November 1st next year so I wouldn't get. I would get a full 12 months. And they said they couldn't do that. Then I asked for a prorated amount to be charged instead of the full year fee. Since I would only have 10 months to use my membership. They couldn't do that either. I asked for a refund and left a full cart of merchandise.

[Clark Howard]

So, Wanda, this is something that has frustrated me for a long, long time with how the membership renewals work. So people's membership will expire and they'll be at the register and they'll say, oh, your membership cards expired. Would you like to renew it now? And you got that shopping cart full of stuff. Because the warehouse club shopping carts are like the size of. Speaking of a car. Like the size of a car. Anyway, they retroactively renew you back to the expiration date. If that infuriates you, as it obviously did, you abandon your cart. Right thing to do. You can then start over as a member over again and get the full year's benefit. Since you didn't use it the last two months and they're going to charge you for it. I understand that that's kind of cuckoo, that when you do renew that they shortchange the membership cycle. And that, to my knowledge, is a common practice in the warehouse club business, not just at Sam's.

[Clark Howard Producer]

Another Sam's question from Steve in Michigan. You said you can shop at Sam's Club without the app. I understood that Sam's Club now requires you to use scan and go at many of their locations. Can you still shop there without the app? Thanks for all your helpful advice.

[Clark Howard]

So, Steve, the story is that Sam's Club opened a Sam's of the future, and it was a suburb of Dallas where you could only shop with the app. No checkouts at all.

[Clark Howard Producer]

Kind of like that Amazon stores where.

[Clark Howard]

You Just walk out you.

[Clark Howard Producer]

Yeah.

[Clark Howard]

And it works so well for them at that store. They've now done it. A store in Arizona, they've done a store. I forget what other state. They've done it at another store. And their intention is to make it. The only way you can shop at any Sam's Club in America eventually is with the Scan and Go app, that you'll have to use the app to ring up your own purchases, pay on your phone, and walk out the door. Now, there are people who hate this kind of thing. I hate lines. I mean, I think Scan and Go has been the most improved thing that's happened at any warehouse club. And BJ's wholesale has a version like this as well, where I never have to worry about a line. I was in Sam's yesterday and the lines were really long. I mean, we're in the Christmas season and I just rang myself up, paid on the app, and walked right out the door.

[Clark Howard Producer]

Okay. Malkia in Georgia says my home equity line of credit was locked because I missed one payment from my credit card, which I didn't realize I had missed. I have had perfect credit for five years and was about to do a major reconstruction on my home. How can I fix this? I am desperate.

[Clark Howard]

Oh, I understand. And you are with a fairly large bank, but not with one of the four giant monster megas. Make an appointment with the branch manager or the chief loan officer at your branch of this bank and see if they can help you get this home equity line of credit unlocked that is now locked. That shows how a single late pay on your credit report can have so many ramifications beyond that one credit card I see here, that credit card was not even with the same financial institution that you have, your heloc. And if they will not yield on this, if they will not allow you to use this home equity line of credit, go into a local credit union near where you live and tell them what happened and see if you can establish a replacement HELOC with that credit, join that credit union and set up a replacement HELOC to replace the one that you no longer are able to use, that was going to be used for the renovations at your home. I'm really, really sorry this happened. All right, so now I'm going to say something that was a big change in my philosophy that I changed about two years ago. And that is because a single forgotten payment, you know, not where you don't have the money, but where you just overlooked it and forgot to make a payment on a credit card or Something like that, to set up at least paying the minimum payment due automatically with your cards every month. Very easy to do at the website of your credit card. And that way life happens, things slip through the cracks and you will eliminate the possibility of a missed payment really causing you big hassles, usually for about. Somewhere about 18 months is about where that could really harm you.

[Clark Howard Producer]

So my Kia's credit card with a giant monster megabank that. That GMMB does not allow you to do that. I know this because my father has a card with them, and I set up all of his credit cards to do that. They don't allow it. So you'd have to set up an automatic payment from your bank for some amount that you know would be. Wait a minute, the minimum. They don't.

[Clark Howard]

They don't allow an automatic payment?

[Clark Howard Producer]

No. It is so crazy. Yeah, they don't allow it. Even though he has bank accounts with them, like he has his savings, everything, and then he's got this credit card. And I tried and I called. I couldn't believe it.

[Clark Howard]

So it's funny because the CEO of this bank just had to face Wall street. And this bank has frightfully underperformed for years and years and years. And he got grilled about, why are you doing so much worse than the other big banks? And he just got pounded again and again and again. And I think it's because of things like this where you're just tone deaf to the marketplace. People who follow the financial industry, well, will know what bank this was we're talking about, but that's kind of dumb. I don't have. No.

[Clark Howard Producer]

I don't get it.

[Clark Howard]

I don't know anybody else who doesn't let you set up an automatic payment.

[Clark Howard Producer]

Nor do I. It's so strange. I know.

[Clark Howard]

Vote with your feet. That's what your dad.

[Clark Howard Producer]

I am moving him. Yeah, we're moving him to. Okay, he's going to bank there.

[Clark Howard]

All right. So speaking of parents and kids and stuff like that, there's a suggestion I've seen twice recently that I'm like, wow, that's really smart. I want to talk about. That's a simple precaution people should take in families.

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[Clark Howard]

So it's Thanksgiving week. A lot of us get to be with our families. For some of us that's the greatest thing. For others, maybe more a mixed thing. Let's hope for you it's a great thing to have the time with family. And there's something that I saw in a tech blog months ago, thought great idea, I'm going to talk about that. Forgot until I saw the same suggestion in an article in the Wall Street Journal. And that is as I've discussed in the past, it is so creepy how easy it is for AI to take just a few words of any of our voices and dupe them to make anybody think they're talking to you on the phone. I mean, crazy stuff where somebody can totally have the identical voice playing into your phone calling you and saying hey mom, it's whatever, I got a problem, I need your help. I'm broken down by the side of the road, I don't have any money, I got to get the car towed and fixed or whatever the tall tale is that a grandchild supposedly will be calling A grandparent or any relative doing that. Because now what used to be known as the grandparent scam was somebody pretending in their voice to be the voice of your grandkid. Now it is an exact pattern duplicate. It is the same voice you're hearing from the con artist that is that of your relative. Much more likely to be really worried that your grandkids in jail or in trouble in some way are being held for ransom or whatever tall tale is told. Well, there's a simple low tech thing that you should consider doing this Thanksgiving week with your family and that is having a family code word. It should be something that is not obvious to anyone outside the family. It could be a long time beloved family dog's name or a cute nickname somebody in the family has had, whatever it is. And everybody in the family, if there's ever any kind of weird phone call, you get an urgent phone call, you say, what's the word? And that's what the crook isn't going to know. They're not going to know the family secret code word. And it is such a. I mean, could you have a more low tech way to ferret out when there's a scamster pretending there's an urgent crisis involving a family member than to just say to the scamster, what's the word? And they're like, what? What? And the code word can be the same word for years and years and years and years. So it's easy to remember. So you can defeat tech with a really low tech kind of thing. By the way, you ever get a call you think is real about distress with a family member, say, okay, I got to go. And then you call them right back at the number, you know that is their number. And they're like, there's nothing wrong. I'm right here, I'm watching TV or whatever. So often it's just completely a con that's designed to strike at your fear, your love and your wallet.

[Clark Howard Producer]

All right, Chris in Connecticut says we are holding firm to not co signing on any loan for one of my sons that's trying to pull himself up financially. Should the same hold true for co signing a lease? Does that hold the same risk or is that an okay option when and if needed? And I assume this is a lease on a place to live, or it.

[Clark Howard]

Could be a car, could be a.

[Clark Howard Producer]

Car, but I think it's any kind of lease.

[Clark Howard]

So co signing on a lease is the same risk. You have all the responsibility, none of the benefit of whatever. So you have to know that you are fully on hook. And if your son doesn't pay the payment on the lease, your credit is impacted in a really ugly way. So if you do decide to co sign on a lease, you want to make sure you're signed up for automatic notices of when payments are due or if a payment has not been made on time. You know how you got reminders? Because see, I'm somebody you're signing a lease with for a vehicle or an apartment or whatever. They want to get their money, right? And so they're usually happy to set up online reminders. Ignorance is not bliss. In this case, if you do decide to co sign a lease, you need to know maybe just having online access and you check once a month at the date that the payments due if it's a car lease or first of the month for apartment lease, that you check to make sure that payment has been made. And no matter how angry you might be with your son for not making the payment, you make it because you've got to get that payment done or else the consequences for you are really, really bad.

[Clark Howard Producer]

And if it's lease on a car, maybe try to convince him not to.

[Clark Howard]

Get lease on a car, to lease.

[Clark Howard Producer]

A car, get a beater car. Jeff in North Carolina says Clark, I want to get my 16 year old a credit card as an authorized user on my account that will help establish a credit history for her. But when I did this for an older sibling, I was surprised to later find out that the credit card company wasn't reporting the utilization and payment history for the authorized user card. Is there any way to know if a card will or will not be reporting it other than checking credit reports a couple of months in? Does the company taking the second user Social Security number mean they definitely will report the cards? Customer service people don't seem to know.

[Clark Howard]

The answer and they don't know the answer. But. But I'll tell you how it plays. So you can add an authorized user with a number of issuers without giving their Social Security number. But if you don't give the Social Security number, that's an automatic tip off that it's not going to be reported on their credit report. If you do supply the Social Security number though, that's not 100% that it will be reported, but usually it will be and that will establish the credit history you're trying to establish. So your question is the answer. You want to make sure you have to supply the Social Security number and second, you want to monitor their credit report or they need to monitor their credit report to make sure that it is showing up as intended on their credit report.

[Clark Howard Producer]

John in Oklahoma says, I recently watched your YouTube show where you talked about Aldi and Trader Joe's. This is a story, by the way, and I thought it was pretty good. Krista mentioned Trader Joe's donates their expired food to local food banks. Aldi doesn't do that when their unsold product expires, they just throw it out. Unlike other stores, at least in the Tulsa area, Aldi just has dumpsters. For me, that's a great thing because they toss lots of great product. If you get the timing down, it's easy to get plenty of freebies right after they're tossed. I'm not talking about eating trash. This is good, nutritious food, clean and wrapped, sitting at the top of the dumpster. I tend to avoid doing this during the summer months because I'm not wanting to deal with spoiled food. But I get some really good stuff during the fall and winter. I refer to this time of year as meat weather. It may not be for the squeamish, but we've gotten hundreds of pounds of dry foods, baked goods, produce, beef and. And chicken.

[Clark Howard]

Oh, man, that's a great story.

[Clark Howard Producer]

So you're more Clarky than Clark.

[Clark Howard]

Yeah, John.

[Clark Howard Producer]

Also known as dumpster diving to some.

[Clark Howard]

So, John, that is an unusual thing at an Aldi because ALDI is its corporate policy, I think in every country in the world they're in is to try to get to zero waste. And they work with a national food bank organization in the United States, and then where they're not, in theory, they work with local food banks. I have no idea what's going on in the Tulsa metro area that the stuff's just going in the dumpster because it's not their normal thing. In fact, I remember reading on the Aldi Insider, which is not run by Aldi. It's a. It's a blog that follows what's going on at Aldi and also Trader Joe's. And they had mentioned that Aldi was trying to get to zero waste in the United States. And what couldn't go to food banks, go to composting. I don't really understand how all that works. But anyway, go to zero waste. But if you're able to eat food that's still safe to eat and eat for free, that's a deal.

[Clark Howard Producer]

Sure.

[Clark Howard]

I still remember when I had to dumpster dive for the barcode on a box that my wife had thrown away that I needed for a rebate. And how many listeners and viewers were just outraged at me for doing that?

[Clark Howard Producer]

I think most people thought it was classic Clark. Pretty funny.

[Clark Howard]

But I've not gotten food out of a dumpster. No, that's not something I've done.

[Clark Howard Producer]

Okay. There's a first time for everything, John.

[Clark Howard]

I'll go scout at my Aldi and see if they're throwing food out in there.

[Clark Howard Producer]

I mean, if it's a canned good or whatever, the meat is where I have to draw the line personally.

[Clark Howard]

Well, because you're virtually a vegetable, Terry.

[Clark Howard Producer]

Even so. Okay. The can, you know, or dry goods. I get it.

[Clark Howard]

Yeah. Okay. Well, thank you. And. And I will check and report if I do find a lot of food dumped in the dumpster of mine.

[Clark Howard Producer]

Why is Clark Howard out there at our dumpster? Yeah.

[Clark Howard]

All right, well, how's that for a kickoff to Thanksgiving week? So, again, we are going to be with you on Wednesday, Thanksgiving eve, with a podcast. We haven't done this ever on Thanksgiving week.

[Clark Howard Producer]

Oh, my gosh. I'm never going to hear the end of this.

[Clark Howard]

That's okay. That's all right.

[Clark Howard Producer]

Anyway, think of how many more days a year you're getting off, though. Not doing podcasts on Tuesdays and Thursdays anymore.

[Clark Howard]

That's true. This is the first year I've not done five podcasts a week, so. Yeah, you're right. Anyway, know that this being Black Friday week, in the midst of Black Friday month, we are on the job for [e-mail] with the latest, greatest. We do all kinds of extra posts around the clock all Black Friday week to help you stretch every dollar on your Christmas shopping. And there's the Clark Deals newsletter, comes out free every day as well. I want you to be able to get the best deals on the things you're buying for yourself or for others this Christmas holiday season for your Hanukkah shopping as well. So just know everything we're about is you learning ways to save more, spend less, and avoid getting ripped off. And only on April Fool's Day is it the opposite. Save less, spend more, and make sure you get ripped off. But that's not today.

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