What happened BJ's Wholesale (NYSE: BJ) shares dramatically outperformed a weak market last month by gaining 32% compared to a 12.5% drop in the S&P 500, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence. The increase helped make the regional wholesale retailer a standout this year, with the stock up 13% so far in 2020 compared to a 23% slump in the broader market. Image source: Getty Images. So what Investors were happy with elements of BJ's fourth-quarter earnings report, which paired modest sales growth with faster membership fee income. Yet the bigger factor pushing the stock higher was the spread of COVID-19 containment measures and the related spike in demand for groceries and other home essentials. BJ's, along with peers like Costco and Walmart, saw historically high sales volumes through most of March. Now what The warehouse retailer's clubs are deemed essential, and so they continue to operate even through various shelter-in-place orders currently impacting its sales footprint. There's no way to predict how long social distancing efforts will last or how quickly the economy will recover after the virus threat has passed. But BJ's is likely to see a significant, if short-term, sales lift as it delivers consumer staples products through the duration of the pandemic. 10 stocks we like better than BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc.When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of March 18, 2020 Demitrios Kalogeropoulos owns shares of Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Source