Sams Club gone ??????

[BBQ_MAFIA]

I agree with James.

You should get the name of he District manager or Regional manager and give him a call. They will usually do whatever it takes to make a customer happy.

To be clear, I'm not saying that they are really doing it to make you happy. They do it so the Corp does not Kick their heads in because they received a complaint. ( Just my 2 cents). Give it a try, you have nothing to lose.

Originally Posted by JamesB

There ain't no reason that the meat dept. could'nt order you a case of briskets and then you would be set for a while...

A year or two ago when Costco stopped carrying bone in butts, and my Sam's memebership had lapsed, I asked them to order be a case of bone-ins and they had it on the next truck... Should be no different with Sam's Club.

James.

[Pig Headed]

Went to BJ's yesterday to pick up 2 butts for the weekend. They had 3 single packed butts that didn't look so good, so I asked one of the meat dept workers if they didn't come cryovaced in 2 packs. She said yes and went in the back and brought out 2 to choose from. She also said that it's cheaper to by the 2 pack, $1.39@lb as opposed to $1.69@lb for the ones they packaged individually. So I saved $.30@lb for the 15.4 lb cryo. The brisket flats were puny, so I went to Costco. They actually had some decent flats ranging from 4lbs to 6.5lbs. I also noticed that they only carried boneless shoulders, so I asked and they said, they didn't carry bone in butts.

[SP]

Costco does not carry bone in butts or whole briskets. At least here in KC. I get most of my Q meat from Sams.

[Kung Fu BBQ]

Originally Posted by Sledneck

Up here in NY we have Sams, Costco and BJ's, none of them have brisket and butts at any time of the year

I'm scratching NY off my list of places to move.

[bbqbull]

Just sent an email to Sams Club. Explained that briskets and butts can be done in the oven even in inclement weather. Wait and see what happens here but heck I guess this is a nationwide problem of carrying stock in the big chain stores. Especially food items.

Mike

[Ron_L]

I hear ya, Mike! My Sam's doesn't carry briskets at any time of the year! They always have butts, but the butcher told me that they don't sell enough briskets to carry them. The local Walmart Supercenter always has briskets. Go figure.

I noticed on the Walmart site that there is a Supercenter in St. John's, Michigan. It looks like that;s about 15 miles from you, but it may be worth a shot. I drive about 20 miles to the closest Supercenter and buy 6-8 briskets at a time and keep them in the freezer.

[bbqbull]

Thanks for checking on Super Wallys RonL. Yes St.Johns store is about 25 miles one way from here. The next one is in Charlotte, bout same distance. We are converting one to SuperCenter about 12 miles from here. Wont be ready till next spring sometime. Nearest butcher shop that carry them most of the time is abt 35 miles one way from here. Itsin Mason Mi. Thats where we got the meat for P.Kirks classes a few years back. There is a new Costco about 40 miles from here in G.Rapids.
I guess my frustration lies in the fact that some store manager who has never eaten some brisketor even has a clue that bbq is gaining in popularity in leaps and bounds around the country daily. My plan was to do the briskets/butts in CShack last nite and today. Cooler them and into truck for deer camp tomorrow morning early. Yes I did have a case of brisket flats in my freezer but they somehow got consumed. Shoulda bought another case last month. Go figure. Found a new packing house about 10 miles north of St.Johns, emailed them to availibility of pork bellies. I have to buy a case at $2.90 per pound. Cases run from 85-90 pounds. Gosh thats a lot of money to make a little bacon. I get more frustrated by the day here.

[Bossmanbbq]

Originally Posted by JamesB

There ain't no reason that the meat dept. could'nt order you a case of briskets and then you would be set for a while...

A year or two ago when Costco stopped carrying bone in butts, and my Sam's memebership had lapsed, I asked them to order be a case of bone-ins and they had it on the next truck... Should be no different with Sam's Club.

James.

I agree James, Sams club can order the brisket by the case, Lord knows that Swift and Excel are still packing Briskets

[JohnMcD348]

I've had a somewhat similar experience with my local Sam's. I went in looking for a brisket and all they had was one small flat. I asked the guy behind the counter about Briskets and that's what he handed me. I asked him where the rest of it was and he looked at me like I was an idiot. He said, That's a brisket, the only other thin is corned beef. I then asked him if he'd ever seen or cut meat off a real animal of any kind in his life and he just walked away and went into the back room. I've never seen him since when I go back. Luckily, there's a few meat markets in my area that stay pretty well stocked with Brisket.

[Wayne]

I usually shop at stores that have a lot of minority customers. If I want to fix Mexican food I go to a little Mexican grocery for the specialty things and a Dillon's near by for the other stuff. If I want to fix BBQ then I go to a Homeland store that has a lot of Black customers. In fact I think the Homeland Market has IMHO the best meat in town and their clerks are by far the nicest and most efficient. If I want Asian food I do the same in an area of town that has lots of Asian customers. By the way I had Kim Chee for supper last night and boy was it good. I am even thinking abut smoking a small pork loin marinated in orange juice for supper to serve with rice and Kim Chee. Yummmmmm.

[JimT]

Mike,

The Sams here in Battle Creek is about the same. They only get them in occasionally, usualy around holidays. They told me their Portage (Kalamazoo) store has them all the time. Go figure!

Have you tried a (meat) locker service in your area? I was pleasantly surprised to find one near me (Galesburg) that seemed very accomodating. Said they'd sell me whatever I wanted, from a partial flat to a full packer. A little pricey, but quality meat.

Good Luck!

[Yakfishingfool]

My local sams seems to have stopped handling spares...only can get BB's...yuk! I;ve asked them to get some in on a regular basis...not holding my breath. Scott

[willkat98]

Originally Posted by JimT

Mike,

The Sams here in Battle Creek is about the same. They only get them in occasionally, usualy around holidays.

Jim (and Mike)

If you cast aside the fact that Sam's is the Devil (different thread) Jim is spot on with the holiday talk.

But what holidays?

Get yourself a Jewish calendar. (not a slam ramark, hear me out. Wife is Jewish).

Braised brisket is a traditional jewish meal on holidays. So if you find yourself near Yom Kippur, Rosh Hoshhannah, or any other festive jewish holiday, check (not just Sam's) your local grocer for briskets.

I have noticed that they are more prevelent here at these times of year. Large jewish populations will have a better chance of scoring them. I plan to take a ride to Skokie IL to see if I can score some briskets in the near (holiday) future.

Do any Florida Brethren where some communities are "known" winter havens for Jewish Yankees see this happen when it is cold up north? Just curious.

[The_Kapn]

"Do any Florida Brethren where some communities are "known" winter havens for Jewish Yankees see this happen when it is cold up north? Just curious"

Bill,
We have good supplies all year round for almost any meat.
"Regional" differences though.
Here in the Panhandle, I can get some quality stuff at great prices all the time. Other things, like baby backs are sky high!
Dave, down in Clearwater, has more variety and better prices on some good stuff.

But, other than turkeys and hams, not much "holiday" difference I can see other that a bit of "stocking up".

Stuff is there year round if it is there at all

TIM

[chad]

We have a good sized Jewish community (year 'round and seasonal) here in Pinellas Co. The Sam's I use most has small flats - and hardly ever carries packers...I asked a couple of years ago and it's the Jewish community that drives brisket sales around here and so that means tiny, lean, flats.

Not a problem though, I just go over to GFS and order what I need...they also, nearly always have a couple of packer in the display.