How Costco Rewrote Myrtle Beach Shopping Habits: Gas hours, membership math, and where it fits in the Grand Strand map

Ask ten Myrtle Beach families what day they plan their big errands and at least a few will say the day they can hit Costco before the beach traffic stacks on U.S. 17. The warehouse at 1021 Oak Forest Ln opened in 2004, tucked just west of Coastal Grand Mall, and it quietly set the weekly rhythm for a lot of locals: fuel first, staples next, tires if needed, then a quick pass by Seaboard Street or Mr. Joe White for the rest. If you shop on price and time, Costco’s schedule and the competing clubs around it matter as much as any coupon.

Inside the city, you also feel it at the register. Retail purchases in the City of Myrtle Beach ring at a combined sales tax of 9%, while most of Horry County outside the city limits is 8%. That one-point gap is small per item, but it stacks on bulk runs and helps explain why some households decide which side of the city line to shop for discretionary items even when gas or groceries pull them another way.

Where Costco sits on the Myrtle Beach retail map

Costco’s Myrtle Beach warehouse anchors a cluster of national chains around the US‑17 Bypass/US‑501 interchange. You can move from the warehouse to Coastal Grand Mall in a couple of minutes, then pivot to Walmart on Seaboard Street or jump back to 10th Avenue North for Sam’s Club. That half‑mile triangle keeps a lot of residents from driving long distances to string errands together. The Costco gas canopy opens at 6:00 a.m. Monday through Sunday, which lets pre‑shift workers and early risers top off before the day’s first southbound wave on the Bypass.

Warehouse hours are built to match work routines. At the Myrtle Beach location, Executive members can enter at 9:00 a.m. on weekdays, while Gold Star and Business members start at 10:00 a.m. on those days. Saturday starts earlier for everyone at 9:30 a.m., and Sundays run a shorter window to 6:00 p.m. If you plan a mixed-errand trip, the Pharmacy here posts Monday–Friday 9:00 a.m.–8:30 p.m., Saturday 9:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m., closed Sunday, so you cannot assume a weekend prescription pickup after church will work without checking the day.

One more practical layout detail: the Tire Center accepts walk‑ins as space allows but specifically recommends appointments. The desk keeps the same general window as the warehouse, which makes it easier to stack an oil‑free tire rotation with a pantry refill and a food court stop without crossing town in between. On the fuel side, Costco’s pump payments are limited by network. Credit transactions run on Visa only at U.S. warehouses and fuel stations, while most PIN debit cards and Costco Shop Cards also work at the pump. If your primary card rides a different network, plan to use a debit card or Shop Card for fuel.

The time equation: gas and gate times that steer where people actually go

If you bought a house anywhere from Carolina Forest to Market Common, your week probably includes one warehouse run. At Costco’s Myrtle Beach fuel station, the posted hours run to 10:00 p.m. Monday–Friday, 8:30 p.m. Saturday, and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. That weekday 10 p.m. close is late enough to refuel after evening practices or a service shift, which matters during tourism season when daytime fueling can stack into long lanes. It also explains part of Costco’s pull: open earlier than the big-box grocers and later than many standalone stations, with consistent pricing and one‑way traffic flow that keeps cars moving.

Now put that against Sam’s Club on the other side of the airport. The Myrtle Beach Sam’s at 1946 10th Ave N posts 9:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. daily for general entry with Plus early hours 8:00–9:00 a.m. every day. Its fuel station is scheduled until 10:00 p.m. too, so households that route to Mr. Joe White can line up comparable late-evening fills. BJ’s Wholesale Club entered the market in 2025 at 136 Las Palmas Dr, and it opens the club from 8:00 a.m. daily, with the fuel station generally running 6:30 a.m.–10:00 p.m. Monday–Saturday and to 9:00 p.m. on Sunday. Those posted windows make all three clubs realistic for pre‑work or post‑dinner fueling and a quick in‑and‑out shop if you keep a short list.

Where Costco still wins time for a lot of locals is the weekday 9:00 a.m. Executive entry. It is a single hour, but on midweek mornings that hour can mean a full loop through bakery, meat, snacks, and paper without a cart jam. If you don’t carry the upgrade, plan for the 10:00 a.m. opening and expect the first hour to be the calmest. For fuel, the Myrtle Beach canopy’s 6:00 a.m. open is the clearest off‑peak answer. If you aim for mid‑afternoon on Saturdays in summer, you will usually wait.

Membership math in 2026: how fees and hours balance out for Costco, Sam’s, and BJ’s

In 2024 Costco raised its membership rates for the first time in seven years. The current U.S. annual fees are $65 for Gold Star and $130 for Executive. That Executive tier layers a 2% annual reward on qualifying purchases and, locally, the earlier weekday entry window at 9:00 a.m. Sam’s Club and BJ’s price their base tiers in a similar band, but the way hours and perks stack is what actually pushes a Myrtle Beach household one way or another. Sam’s gives Plus members daily 8:00 a.m. entry. BJ’s opens the entire club at 8:00 a.m. for all members, which effectively gives early‑bird access without an added tier.

Fuel and payment rules also separate the clubs. At Costco, you need a card that runs on Visa for credit purchases in the warehouse and at the fuel station, while debit with PIN is fine at the pump. At Sam’s and BJ’s, credit acceptance is broader at the checkout and their pump networks don’t mirror Costco’s Visa‑only rule. If you live on a non‑Visa rewards card and do not want to rotate to debit or a Shop Card for fuel, that rules decision may tilt you toward Mr. Joe White or Las Palmas Drive.

Groceries, tires, pharmacy: which club covers which errand in one stop

Costco’s Myrtle Beach departments include Bakery, Fresh Meat, Optical, Hearing Aids, and a Pharmacy, plus a food court and a staffed Tire Center that will rotate and balance after an install at no added labor charge. If you run tires here, keep the Tire Center phone handy at (843) 839‑6611 to confirm bay availability the day you plan to shop. On the healthcare side, the Pharmacy line is (843) 839‑6606 and posts the Sunday closed rule; it’s the one department that will trip up a weekend errand if you forget how it differs from the rest of the floor.

BJ’s rolled into Carolina Forest with a full grocery offer, on‑site Tire Center, and fuel hours aligned with commuters. The BJ’s Tire Center posts Mon–Sat 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m., Sun 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. and the optical desk runs a standard retail window Mon–Fri 10:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m., Sat 9:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m., Sun 12:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. If you’re driving from River Oaks or International Drive, Las Palmas is the shortest hop of the three clubs for a quick puncture repair or a propane swap.

Sam’s in Myrtle Beach keeps the warehouse on a 9:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. daily schedule with an Auto & Tires desk that typically runs to the early evening. Its fuel station stays open to 10:00 p.m., which pairs well with a last‑minute grocery pickup or a Scan & Go snack run after a late tournament at Pepper Geddings. All three clubs pair their pump hours with staffed indoor service counters that run slightly shorter days, so if you need human help at pharmacy, optical, or member services, plan those parts of the visit inside the earlier windows.

If your “one stop” week includes a conventional supermarket top‑off or a curbside pickup, the surrounding grid keeps that short. The Walmart Supercenter at 541 Seaboard St runs typical big‑box hours and sits two minutes from Costco’s parking lot. Farther north, the Walmart Supercenter at 550 Highway 17 N, North Myrtle Beach runs 6:00 a.m.–11:00 p.m. daily, which gives the Cherry Grove and Windy Hill crowd a late window even if they skipped the clubs entirely that week.

How Costco competes with the mall and Walmarts around it

Coastal Grand Mall is still the region’s traditional anchor cluster with Belk, Dillard’s, and JCPenney, but the warehouse clubs shape different trips. The mall’s draw is apparel and soft goods, while Costco’s draw is fuel, groceries, seasonal hardlines, and a pharmacy stop that’s open late on Saturdays. The Costco food court and bakery may handle a game‑day run, but it’s the 6:00 a.m. fuel start and the weekday 9:00 a.m. Executive entry that reset how early locals can check off essentials before kids, guests, or traffic move the rest of the day.

Taxes influence that picture at the edges. If you buy a TV at Costco within city limits, the combined rate is 9%. If you decide to shift a discretionary purchase to a store outside the city but keep fuel and staples at Oak Forest for convenience, that’s a common split. Many households simply keep both a warehouse card and a general big‑box option and route each errand where the hours and payment rules fit: Visa at the Costco pump, any major card at Sam’s and BJ’s pumps, and a catch‑all at Seaboard or North Myrtle Beach for late night or non‑member guests.

One more nuance people forget until they’re at the checkout: Costco’s membership fees can be set to auto‑renew, and the current fee tier is $65 for standard Gold Star or Business and $130 for Executive. If your household’s warehouse habit is mostly fuel and a short monthly list, staying at the base tier and using the posted gas hours still nets the time savings. If you prefer quieter aisles or you often split the shop across weekdays, that single extra hour in the mornings is where the Executive upgrade pulls its weight for Myrtle Beach schedules.

Key things to know before you plan the run

• Fuel first, early: Costco’s Myrtle Beach pumps open at 6:00 a.m. every day, with posted closes of 10:00 p.m. Mon–Fri, 8:30 p.m. Sat, and 7:30 p.m. Sun. That’s your lowest‑wait window on workdays.
• Weekday head start: Executive members can enter the warehouse at 9:00 a.m. Monday–Friday. Gold Star and Business members start at 10:00 a.m. on those days.
• Payment rules matter: Costco fuel and in‑warehouse credit purchases run on Visa. Use a PIN debit card or Costco Shop Card if your primary card rides a different network.
• Pharmacy hours differ: Costco Pharmacy runs Mon–Fri 9:00 a.m.–8:30 p.m., Sat 9:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m., closed Sun. Don’t plan a Sunday pickup here.
• City tax is higher: Inside Myrtle Beach city limits, general retail totals 9%. In most of Horry County outside the city it’s 8%. Big-ticket splits sometimes follow that line.
• Competitors are close: Sam’s Club sits at 1946 10th Ave N with daily 9:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. hours and a fuel close of 10:00 p.m.. BJ’s at 136 Las Palmas Dr opens the club at 8:00 a.m. and fuels 6:30 a.m.–10:00 p.m. Mon–Sat.
• Tires are schedulable: The Costco Tire Center recommends appointments and answers at (843) 839‑6611. Pair rotations with a short list to keep the visit tight.

Reader Q&A

When is the quickest time to fuel at Costco Myrtle Beach?

The station opens at 6:00 a.m. daily and stays open to 10:00 p.m. on weekdays. Early morning is consistently the lowest‑wait window, and weekday evenings work if you miss the dawn slot. Saturday afternoons see the heaviest lines during peak season.

Do I need a Visa card to buy gas at Costco?

For credit transactions in the U.S., Costco accepts Visa only in the warehouse and at the fuel station. Most PIN debit cards and Costco Shop Cards also work at the pump, so if your main card isn’t on the Visa network, use debit or a Shop Card.

What are Costco’s pharmacy hours in Myrtle Beach?

The pharmacy posts Monday–Friday 9:00 a.m.–8:30 p.m., Saturday 9:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m., and is closed on Sunday. That schedule is different from the warehouse itself, so plan prescription pickups midweek or Saturday.

How do Sam’s and BJ’s hours compare if I’m trying to avoid crowds?

Sam’s Club opens the floor 9:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. daily, with 8:00–9:00 a.m. early entry for Plus members. BJ’s opens to all members at 8:00 a.m., and its fuel runs 6:30 a.m.–10:00 p.m. Monday–Saturday. If you want an earlier shopping gate without a premium tier, BJ’s is the earliest door.

For most Myrtle Beach households, the choice comes down to your earliest free hour and the card in your wallet. If you can shop before 10 and you run Visa, Costco’s schedule and fuel setup are hard to beat. If you anchor your week closer to 10th Avenue North or Carolina Forest, Sam’s or BJ’s may line up better with your route without giving up the early fuel window.

Published: September 9, 2026