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The Money Desk · Blog
Re:

Costco, BJ’s and Sam’s Club Fuel a Gas Price Battle in Albany

A Times Union snapshot on October 6, 2026, showed lower prices at Costco in Guilderland and BJ’s in Rotterdam than at nearby convenience stores, while Sam’s Club in Colonie was reported slightly cheaper still.
From TheFinanceBase Team3 min to read
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On Tuesday, October 6, 2026, Costco in Guilderland and BJ’s in Rotterdam were selling gas for $3.18 and $3.28 per gallon, respectively, according to the Times Union. Nearby Albany- and Rotterdam-area convenience stores were reported at $4.29 to $4.41 per gallon that morning. The figures are a dated snapshot, not current live prices; Sam’s Club in Colonie was described as slightly cheaper than Costco and BJ’s, but no exact price was reported.

What Albany-area drivers were paying on October 6

The Times Union’s Tuesday-morning report placed the warehouse-club prices below those at nearby convenience stores:

Location or comparison Reported price What the figure represents
Costco, Guilderland $3.18 per gallon Times Union report, October 6, 2026
BJ’s Wholesale Club, Rotterdam $3.28 per gallon Times Union report, October 6, 2026
Sam’s Club, Colonie Exact price not stated Reported as slightly cheaper than Costco and BJ’s that morning
Convenience stores in the Albany and Rotterdam areas $4.29–$4.41 per gallon Times Union report, Tuesday morning, October 6, 2026

Using the two exact warehouse prices and the reported convenience-store range, the difference was $1.01 to $1.23 per gallon at those locations and at that time. The Times Union also reported a New York state average of $4.47 per gallon that morning, more than 10 cents above the national average. These are all figures from the article, not independently verified live quotes.

Why the clubs are drawing drivers

A new BJ’s on Duanesburg Road in Rotterdam joined Costco in Guilderland and Sam’s Club in Colonie as a lower-priced option for area drivers. The Times Union described the warehouse retailers as using lower fuel prices to attract shoppers. BJ’s had sold gas for $2 per gallon when the Rotterdam location opened the previous month, but that was an opening-period price—not the October 6 price.

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For some customers, the price difference affected where or how often they filled up. Albany resident Kayli McTague told the Times Union that Costco’s gas had made her a more frequent visitor. Kathy Heinzl, from Schenectady, said fuel near her home cost a dollar more and that she came to Rotterdam to fill up. The report also described customers traveling from Schenectady or farther away, including people on Social Security or other fixed incomes. These are individual accounts, not survey findings or a measure of typical savings.

Is Costco gas worth the membership fee?

It depends on the price difference you can actually get, how much fuel you buy, how far you drive, and the membership terms that apply to you. One Colonie customer, Joe Curley, told the Times Union in October 2026 that he estimated saving $30 each time he filled up and said, “The gas is worth the $65 (membership fee).” Those are his personal estimates and the fee he cited; they do not establish typical savings or confirm current membership pricing.

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To assess your own case, compare the total cost of a realistic trip rather than treating the pump-price gap as pure savings:

  1. Check the price at the specific warehouse pump and a convenient alternative around the time you expect to fill up.
  2. Calculate the fuel-price difference per gallon and multiply it by the number of gallons you expect to buy.
  3. Account for extra driving distance and time to reach the warehouse; a longer detour can reduce or erase the price advantage.
  4. Include any membership fee you would incur and the retailer’s applicable membership and fuel-access terms. Do not count a fee as a fuel saving unless you would otherwise pay it solely for the fuel benefit.

The October 6 report does not calculate a travel-adjusted break-even point, so it cannot show that a membership will pay for itself for every driver.

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The wider fuel-price backdrop

The Times Union attributed the broader fuel-price surge to the war between the United States and Iran and conflict over control of the Strait of Hormuz. The article said the waterway carries about 25% of the world’s oil trade. That context helps explain the report’s attention to unusually costly fuel, but it does not make any individual station’s price permanent or predictable.

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