‘Costco, Hold My Beer’: New Wholesale Club Saunters into Forney with $2 Gas (for 1 Day Only)

You’ve likely seen signs from the new giant retailer, BJ’s Wholesale Club, opening its first location in North Texas. It’s here to take on Costco and Sam’s Club with its exclusive club membership and giant vats of everything.

Today, the Marlborough, Mass.-based retailer dropped a press release that could cause more waves than the Strait of Hormuz. BJ’s Wholesale Club will celebrate its grand opening on Friday, April 24. Its gas station, however, opens today, April 17. And, boy, do they have a timely deal. From the press release:

“To celebrate the milestone, the new BJ’s Gas location, at 11150 E US Highway 80 in Forney, will offer members gas at $2 per gallon for one day only on Wednesday, April 22, from 6:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The promotional price applies to regular gas and has a 30-gallon limit.”

That’s Obama-Administration prices.

Not a member of BJ’s? No problem, you can sign up at BJs.com/Forney. Limited-time membership offers start at just $20 for a year and include 10 cents off per gallon on BJ’s gas for the first 6 months after the store opens.

BJ’s is a wholesale club with a warehouse-style set-up. The company says shoppers can try BJ’s risk-free. They also claim shoppers save 25% on groceries.

The company has plans to open three more North Texas locations over the coming weeks in Waxahachie, southwest Fort Worth and Grand Prairie.

This Forney store is on the far Eastern edge of the “Metroplex.” H-E-B recently opened a new store in Forney — it’s less than a mile away from BJ’s.

What Does BJ’s Sell and Do?

The wholesale club seems to sell everything, from patio furniture and grills to ketchup. There’s fresh produce, a bakery, a deli, a meat counter and pantry items. This store does not have a pharmacy. Other pertinent amenities include:

• Tire center
• Gas station
• Curbside pick-up, in-club pickup, same-day delivery
• ExpressPay allows customers to pay through an app and skip the checkout line

In terms of $1.50 hot dogs (like Costco) and such, BJ’s has what is described as a “snack bar” on Reddit, with a pretzel being mentioned.

There’s a bakery with bread, rolls, breakfast pastries, tortillas, pies, cookies, cakes and muffins.

The deli meat gets a few mentions on another Reddit thread. The bakery stuff is good, “not great but better than most grocery stores.” Several people mentioned buying their paper products there.

Is It Better Than Costco?

BJ’s offers discounts like Costco. But I’ve been to neither (yes, I’m serious), so I had to ask U.S. News and World Report.

The main difference is that BJ’s offers smaller sizes and a broader assortment of items. It has regular-sized options for those who can’t handle a five-gallon vat of cheese balls before they expire (handle that).

In comparison, you can get a Costco membership online for $45 today. Normally, a Gold Star Costco card is $65 a year.

A BJ’s Club-Plus is $70 a year and includes 2% rewards and a 5-cent discount on gas, plus two free same-day deliveries and free curbside pickup. There are many annotations in the price schedule, so check the details.

BJ’s Club (sans the plus) is $20 a year and gets you in the door, plus a few perks like same-day delivery starting at $9.99.

BJ’s also takes manufacturer coupons.

BJ’s will open on April 24 at 11150 E US Highway 80 in Forney.