Sam's West, Inc. (doing business as Sam's Club) is a chain of membership-only warehouse club retail stores in the United States owned by Walmart. It was founded in 1983 and named after Walmart founder Sam Walton as Sam's Wholesale Club.[4] As of January 31, 2025[update], Sam's Club ranks second in sales volume among warehouse clubs with $90.2 billion in sales, ahead of BJ's Wholesale Club but behind its main rival Costco.[5]
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 Sam's Club in Onalaska, Wisconsin | |
| Sam's Club | |
| Formerly | Sam's Wholesale Club (1983-1990) |
| Company type | Division |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | April 7, 1983, in Midwest City, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Founder | Sam Walton |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Number of locations | 600 U.S. (as of May 18, 2025[update])[1] |
Areas served | United States Mexico China Brazil (Legally independent) |
Key people | Chris Nicholas (CEO) |
| Products | |
| Brands |
|
| Members |  69 million[2] (2022) |
Number of employees | 100,000[3] (2024) |
| Parent | Walmart |
| Website | www |
As of May 18, 2025[update], Sam's Club operates 600 membership warehouse clubs in the United States across 44 states and Puerto Rico, with no locations in Alaska, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington State, and Vermont.[6] Sam's Club offers car wash services at gas stations in 41 locations.[7]
Sam's Club also operates 173 locations in Mexico and 48 locations in China.[8] Grupo Big, formerly Walmart Brazil, which was de-consolidated from Walmart in August 2018 and since then is part of Carrefour Group, also operates 58 Sam's Club locations in Brazil and to operate them pay a fee for the use of the brand. Locations generally range in size from 32,000–168,000 sq ft (3,000–15,600 m2), with an average club size of approximately 134,000 sq ft (12,400 m2).[9] Sam's Club had six locations in Canada from 2006 to 2009.
History
edit
Sam Walton opened the first Sam's Wholesale Club on April 7, 1983, in Midwest City, Oklahoma, 21 years after he founded Walmart.[10]
In 1987, Wal-Mart Stores purchased West Monroe, Louisiana-based SuperSaver Wholesale Warehouse Club; the purchase expanded the Sam's Wholesale Club chain by 24 locations. Prior to the acquisition, the stores were owned by Alton Hardy Howard and his son John.[11]
In 1989, Sam's Wholesale Club opened its first club in New Jersey in a former Two Guys/Jefferson Ward store located in Delran. This was Walmart's first expansion into the Northeast.[12]
In 1990, Sam's Wholesale Club was renamed Sam's Club, dropping off "Wholesale". The same year, the first Sam's Club opened in Pennsylvania.[13]
In 1993, Walmart acquired PACE Membership Warehouse from K-mart and converted a majority of PACE locations into Sam's Club stores.[14]
Sam's Club entered the Canadian market in Southern Ontario (all but one in the Greater Toronto Area/Golden Horseshoe) in 2003.[15]
The latest flagship club opening as of September 13, 2007[update], was in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The largest Sam's Club store is located in Pineville, North Carolina, with 185,000 sq ft (17,200 m2) of retail space that was formerly an Incredible Universe.
On September 24, 2006, Sam's Club unveiled a new logo with an updated serif font.[16]
Starting in April 2007, there was speculation of a possible sale or spinoff of Sam's Club from parent company Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.[17][18]
On February 26, 2009, Walmart Canada announced that it would be closing all six of its Canadian Sam's Club locations.[19][20][21] This was part of Walmart Canada's decision to shift focus towards supercentres, but some industry observers suggested that the operation was struggling in competition with Costco and the non-membership The Real Canadian Superstore (known as Maxi & Cie in Quebec), that had a well-established history in the country. Sam's Club also rebranded the two as yet unopened locations as new Walmart Supercentres.[22] In January 2010, it was announced that ten clubs would be closing, including four in California. At the same time, Sam's opened six new clubs at various locations in the United States.[23]
On January 24, 2010, it was announced that approximately 11,200 Sam's Club employees would be laid off. The layoffs resulted from the decision to outsource product sampling duties to an outside company (Rogers, Arkansas-based Shopper Events, which already performs in-store product demonstrations for Walmart) and to eliminate New Business Membership Representative positions throughout the chain. Most of the laid-off employees were part-time and represented about 10% of the total Sam's Club workforce.[24]
Rosalind Brewer was named as the new CEO for Sam's Club, a change that came into effect on February 1, 2012.[25]
On January 24, 2014, it was announced that Walmart will cut 2,300 jobs at the underperforming Sam's Club locations.[26]
In 2016, Sam's Club rolled out a mobile application that allows users to scan items while they shop and pay for them, skipping the checkout line.[27] By December 2016, the app could be used at all locations in the United States. In 2019, the dedicated scanning app was deprecated, and its features were incorporated into the main Sam's Club app.[28]
On February 1, 2017, John Furner replaced Brewer as CEO of Sam's Club.[29]
On January 11, 2018, Walmart announced that 63 Sam's Club locations in cities including Memphis, Houston, Seattle, and others would be closing.[30] Some of the stores had already liquidated, without notifying employees, some employees learned by a company-wide email delivered January 11. All of the 63 stores were gone from the Sam's Club website as of the morning of January 11, 2018. Walmart said that ten of the stores will become e-commerce distribution centers and employees can reapply to work at those locations. Business Insider magazine calculated that over 11,000 workers will be affected.[31][32] On the same day, Walmart announced that as a result of the new tax law, it would be raising Walmart starting wages, distributing bonuses, expanding its leave policies and contributing toward the cost of employees' adoptions. Doug McMillon, Walmart's CEO, said, "We are early in the stages of assessing the opportunities tax reform creates for us to invest in our customers and associates and to further strengthen our business, all of which should benefit our shareholders."[33]
On November 15, 2019, Kathryn McLay succeeded Furner as CEO of Sam's Club.[34] McClay announced plans in 2023 for the company to build 30 stores.[35] She became CEO of Walmart International in 2023 and was succeeded as Sam's Club CEO by Christopher Nicholas.[36]
As of January 2024, Sam's Club used an artificial intelligence-based receipt-checking technology at 10 stores that required customers to move through a portal to verify purchases. The company announced plans to put the technology in all of its stores by the end of 2024.[37][38]
In April 2025, Sam's Club announced the nationwide implementation of its AI-powered receipt verification technology across all 600 U.S. locations.[39]
Design
editLike other warehouse clubs, Sam's Club sells most of its merchandise in bulk and directly off pallets. The clubs are arranged like warehouses, with merchandise stocked in steel bins. Products sold include jewelry, designer goods, sunglasses, crystal, and collectibles, electronics, floral, apparel, food, and meats. Most locations have Pharmacy, Tire and Battery, Photo (as of late 2019, photo was cut from most clubs), Bakery, Optical, Café, and Floral departments.[40]
Sam's Club consolidated its private labels under the Member's Mark brand in 2017.[41] Sam's Club does not sell the Sam's Choice or Great Value brands that are available in Walmart stores.
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A Sam's Club store in Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States -
Entrance of a Sam's Club store in Beijing, China -
A Sam's Club gas station at a store in Santa Clarita, California, United States -
Shelves at a Sam's Club store in Beijing, China -
Aerial view of a Sam's Club store in Onalaska, Wisconsin, United States -
A mitigation advisor speaks to a woman at a Sam's Club store in Bismarck, North Dakota, United States
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Other retail formats
editIn Houston, Sam's Club opened Más Club in August 2009,[42] a club geared towards the Hispanic population. Membership in Más Club was separate from membership in Sam's Club. The store eventually began a liquidation sale in December 2013, and was closed in February 2014.[43]
In October 2018, Sam's Club opened[44] Sam's Club Now, a "mobile-first" retail store where customers use the Sam's Club Now mobile app to scan and pay for merchandise. Customers can also order items ahead of time with same-day curbside pickup at the store. The Sam's Club Now store is located in Dallas, TX.[45]
Controversy / Incidents
editIn March 2020, a Sam's Club store in Midland, Texas was the site of a violent stabbing that wounded three Asian family members, including two young children. The suspect, a 19-year-old, allegedly believed the Chinese were responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.[46]
In 2021, Sam's Club faced a boycott from some Chinese consumers due to taking Xinjiang-produced goods off the shelves. A number of Chinese consumers cancelled or suspended their membership cards.[47]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Retail As warehouse clubs boom, Walmart-owned Sam's Club plans to open 15 stores per year > Financials". cnbc.com. April 9, 2025.
- ^ "Sam's Club to Add Locations to Boost Omnichannel". www.pymnts.com. January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
- ^ "Sam's Club will raise pay to catch up with Costco". www.cnn.com. September 17, 2024.
- ^ "Sam's Wholesale Club | American company | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
- ^ Repko, Melissa (April 9, 2025). "As warehouse clubs boom, Walmart-owned Sam's Club plans to open 15 stores per year". CNBC. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ Repko, Melissa (April 9, 2025). "As warehouse clubs boom, Walmart-owned Sam's Club plans to open 15 stores per year". CNBC. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ "Sam's Club Fuel Center Details". samsclub.com. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
- ^ "As China embraces membership stores, Sam's Club expansion gathers pace". Reuters. Archived from the original on November 7, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ "Walmart FY 2022 Annual Report" (PDF). Walmart.
- ^ "Sam's Club celebrates 25th anniversary with nationwide open house" (Press release). Sam's Club. April 10, 2007. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
- ^ "Sam's Club History". fundinguniverse.com.
- ^ "Sam's Club History". Sam's Club History. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ "Sam's Club History Timeline". Sam's Club History Timeline. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ Strom, Stephanie (November 3, 1993). "COMPANY NEWS; Wal-Mart Stores to Buy PACE Warehouse Clubs". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
- ^ Shaw, Hollie. "Wal-Mart Canada to shut its Sam's Club wholesale unit". Archived from the original on February 6, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
- ^ "Sam's Club 'WOW' gifts: diamonds and jets". CNN Money. October 24, 2006. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
- ^ Otte, Timothy M. (May 7, 2007). "Spinoff in Bentonville Revisited". The Motley Fool. Retrieved November 27, 2009.
- ^ Otte, Timothy M. (April 17, 2007). "A Spinoff in Bentonville?". The Motley Fool. Retrieved November 27, 2009.
- ^ Georgiades, Andy (February 26, 2009). "Walmart Canada to Close Sam's Club Division". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ "Walmart Canada to close six Ontario Sam's Club locations to focus on supercenter expansion" (Press release). Walmart Canada. February 26, 2009. Archived from the original on January 15, 2016.
- ^ Flavelle, Dana (February 26, 2009). "Walmart to close all Canadian Sam's Club stores". Toronto Star. Retrieved February 26, 2009.
- ^ "Wal-Mart Canada closing all 6 Sam's Club locations". Reuters. February 26, 2009. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
- ^ "Sam's Club to close 10 stores, four in California". Los Angeles Times. January 12, 2010. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
- ^ Coleman, Korva (January 25, 2010). "Sam's Club Lays Off 11 Thousand Workers". NPR. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ "Walmart names Rosalind Brewer as Sam's Club CEO, first woman to hold CEO position". The Washington Post. January 20, 2012. Archived from the original on August 9, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2012.
- ^ "Wal-Mart to Lay Off 2,300 Sam's Club Employees". The Wall Street Journal. January 24, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
- ^ Sozzi, Brian (September 22, 2016). "Walmart's Sam's Club scan-and-go app may make cash registers obsolete". TheStreet. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
- ^ "DO MORE WITH THE SAM'S CLUB APP: Now Featuring Scan & Go! Get the power of two apps in one and experience a faster, more convenient way to shop". samsclub.com. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
- ^ "Sam's Club CEO Rosalind Brewer to retire Feb. 1". Archived from the original on September 14, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
- ^ "Walmart to shutter 63 Sam's Club locations". CNBC. January 11, 2018.
- ^ "Sam's Club stores close around the country". Cleveland 19 News. January 11, 2018. Archived from the original on January 12, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
- ^ Peterson, Hayley (January 11, 2018). "Walmart is abruptly closing 63 Sam's Club stores and laying off thousands of workers". Business Insider. Archived from the original on December 26, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
- ^ Peterson, Hayley (January 11, 2018). "Walmart is giving its workers a pay raise and a cash bonus of up to $1,000". Business Insider. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
- ^ "Walmart Inc" (PDF). Securities and exchanges commission. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
- ^ Repko, Melissa (January 26, 2023). "Walmart-owned Sam's Club plans to open about 30 new stores over next five years". CNBC. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ Cavale, Siddharth; Rajesh, Ananya Mariam (August 17, 2023). "Walmart promotes CEO of Sam's Club to head International division". Reuters. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ Deb, Sopan (January 14, 2024). "At Sam's Club, a Human Will No Longer Check Your Receipt at the Door". The New York Times. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
- ^ Chin, Kimberly (January 10, 2024). "Walmart-owned Sam's Club takes store exit tech to next gear". Axios. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
- ^ Schmelzer, Ron. "Sam's Club Bets On AI To Eliminate Receipt Checks And Enhance Retail". Forbes. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ "Club Services - Sam's Club". Sam's Club. Archived from the original on April 25, 2025. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ Moran, Catherine Douglas (April 19, 2022). "Sam's Club outlines new sustainability efforts for its Member's Mark line". Grocery Dive. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
- ^ "Más Club Opens August 6 in Houston" (Press release). Sam's Club. July 21, 2009. Archived from the original on December 24, 2009.
- ^ "Sam's to Offer Hispanics 'Más' with New Club - RetailWire". October 29, 2008. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ Iannone, Jamie (October 29, 2018). "Sam's Club Now – Reimagining the Future of Retail". Sam's Club. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
- ^ Peterson, Hayley. "Sam's Club is opening its own version of Amazon Go with no cashiers or registers". Business Insider. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ "Texas Sam's Club attack: Man sentenced to 25 years in hate crime against Asian family". FOX News. August 2022.
- ^ Lin, Liza (December 27, 2021). "Walmart Sparks Public Outcry in China Over Products From Xinjiang". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
External links
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