What's the deal with pork butts at Sam's Club?

Okay so I've been a Sam's Club member for a little over two years now. All during this time I've been able to buy pork butts. They were always in stock, great quality for my tastes, and the best price around. They had them right up until just after Christmas of last year, and since then I haven't seen them at all. I shop there at least two times a month, and more often than not every week. What's the deal with this?

We've got a Costco out a ways away, but it's not 'that far' now that I've been shopping at Sprouts out in Katy, it's still a ways from my house, but since I'm heading in that direction anyway, and it's only about another 12 miles or so from Sprouts I'm starting to get mighty tempted to just throw my Sam's Club membership out the window at this point. The other thing is I've always heard Costco only sells boneless butts, but if they at least have the damn things all the time, and at a better price than Fiesta I'd tie the damn things down whenever I'm smoking them.

Do you guys have this same issue with butts at your Sam's? I must admit I haven't bothered to ask the butcher about this, but I'm going to the next time I go. I NEED my butts man. I gotta have them. Use them for a slew of things, and now that I'm making all my own sausages they've become that much more important. I can't even find farking chuck roasts at the two Sam's that are within reasonable driving distance to my house. It's starting to really irritate me.

Okay thanks. I figure I'm causing more harm to myself by not asking them. I'll give it a go, and see if maybe they'll order me some specifically at the very least. I'd happily buy a case of the suckers if that's what it took. Their price is hard to beat around these parts. They typically sell for about 1.20, and sometimes cheaper, but everywhere else sells them for 1.78 or more. Irritating.

Yeah I don't know what it is in the end. Kroger almost never has any around here. Wal-Mart has them, but they're the Tyson ones and they don't really impress me most of the time, and I also hate shopping at Wal-Mart. Fiesta has them, but they're more expensive than I like to pay. I'm going to have to check out the local meat market around here that just opened up, and also as was suggested I'm gonna start harassing the butchers in Sam's Club to see if I can get them to cave on this whole thing.

At least brisket is everywhere.

Haveuseen1? said:

We go to sams every week, and I can never remember them being out of butts. They always have the 2 packs. Occasionally they run out of packer briskets, but usually they have them within a few days. Last weekend they had about 40 of the 2-pack butts on display, and only one packer brisket ( 16lbs ). If I remember correctly the butts here are the Smithfield bone in butts. The packers are always EXCEL brand.

One more thing our sams always has is chuck roasts. You can usually get 2 nice roasts for about 18.00.

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Man I haven't seen chuck roasts for squat either. Really irritates the crap out of me too. I'm going to be harassing these butchers like mad now. Politely of course, but HARASSING ALL THE SAME!

landarc said:

I think the butcher is telling Jazzy that he is chunking up and doesn't need more butt

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One of my wife's mocking names for me is actually, "No butt." I'm apparently a Hank Hill in my own way. Don't need any weird butt pads though... yet.

So I would actually argue I am in DESPERATE need for butts. Padding, smoking, and sausage making wise. I'm running low on my damn Italian Sausage, and I'm out of breakfast sausage, and I want to make up some ground pork just to have laying around for some cabbage rolls too. It's very disheartening. I got hooked on those two packs, and then they go and yank them off their shelves.

sandy1975 said:

In my opinion Costco beats Sam's hands down. They have better quality meats and better quality food. They have prime meats there and organic beef also. Seafood is better also. They have a lot more organic selections than Sams Club and many times it is cheaper than Sams Club Non-organic competing product. I have both memberships but only keep Sams because it is very close to my home for last minute items.

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Yeah I like Costco's policies a whole lot more, but it's still a drive. I get most of my produce from Sprouts these days though, their prices cannot be beaten. Just insane how good their sales are. I love that farking place. Seafood I get from Viet Hoa and 99 Ranch most of the time. If I suck it up and drive into 'actual' Houston I'll also go to Bubba's because I used to live around there, and I like the owner.

My briskets, pork butts, ribs, and all chicken types I typically get from Sam's. I used to get my ground beef there too, but now I grind my own proteins because it's so much fun, and I can control the spices, etcetera.