Sam's Club facts for kids
 |
|
Sam's Club in Onalaska, Wisconsin
|
|
|
Trade name
|
Sam's Club |
|---|---|
|
Formerly
|
Sam's Wholesale Club (1983-1990) |
| Division | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | April 7, 1983, in Midwest City, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Founder | Sam Walton |
| Headquarters |
,
U.S.
|
|
Number of locations
|
599 U.S. (as of October 31, 2023[update]) |
|
Areas served
|
United States Mexico China Brazil (Legally independent) |
|
Key people
|
Chris Nicholas (CEO) |
| Products |
|
| Brands |
|
| Members |  69 million (2022) |
|
Number of employees
|
2,300,000 (2023) |
| Parent | Walmart Inc. |
Sam's Club is a large chain of stores in America. It's a "membership-only" store, which means you need to buy a membership to shop there. It's like a special club for shoppers! Sam's Club sells things in bulk, meaning you can buy large amounts of items at once. This often helps people save money.
The company is owned by Walmart Inc.. It was started in 1983 and is named after Walmart's founder, Sam Walton. Sam's Club is one of the biggest warehouse clubs, right after Costco Wholesale.
As of late 2023, Sam's Club has 599 stores in the United States, including Puerto Rico. You can find them in 45 states. They also have stores in other countries like Mexico (168 locations) and China (45 locations). Some stores even have gas stations where you can wash your car!
Sam's Club stores are usually very big, like a warehouse. They are about 134,000 square feet on average. This is about the size of two football fields! In 2018, Sam's Club closed some of its stores. This was part of Walmart's plan to focus more on online shopping to compete with companies like Amazon. Some of the closed stores were even turned into centers for shipping online orders.
The Story of Sam's Club
The very first Sam's Club opened on April 7, 1983. It was in Midwest City, Oklahoma. The founder, Sam Walton, had already started Walmart 21 years earlier.
In 1987, Walmart bought another store chain called SuperSaver Wholesale Warehouse Club. This added 24 more stores to the Sam's Club family. In 1990, the name changed from "Sam's Wholesale Club" to just "Sam's Club."
A big change happened in 1993. Walmart bought many stores from Kmart that were called PACE Membership Warehouse. Most of these PACE stores became Sam's Club locations.
Sam's Club tried opening stores in Canada in 2003. However, by 2009, all six Canadian Sam's Club stores were closed. Walmart Canada decided to focus on its "supercentres" instead.
The largest Sam's Club store is in Pineville, North Carolina. It's a huge store with 185,000 square feet of space!
Over the years, Sam's Club has changed its slogan a few times. In 2007, it was "Enjoy the Possibilities." By 2009, it became "Savings Made Simple."
In 2012, Rosalind Brewer became the new CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of Sam's Club. Later, in 2017, John Furner took over as CEO. In 2019, Kathryn McLay became the CEO. She announced plans in 2023 to build 30 new Sam's Club stores. Christopher Nicholas became the CEO after her in 2023.
In 2016, Sam's Club launched a cool new feature: a mobile app! This app lets shoppers scan items as they go and pay right on their phone. This means they can skip the checkout lines! By 2019, this feature was part of the main Sam's Club app.
As of early 2024, Sam's Club is using a new technology at some stores. It uses artificial intelligence to check receipts as customers leave. The company plans to use this technology in all its stores by the end of 2024.
How Sam's Club Stores Look
Like other warehouse clubs, Sam's Club sells most of its items in large quantities. The products are often stacked on pallets, just like in a real warehouse. The stores are set up like warehouses too, with items stored in big steel bins.
You can find many different kinds of products at Sam's Club, such as:
- Jewelry and designer items
- Electronics
- Food and fresh meats
- Clothes
- Flowers
Most Sam's Club locations also have special departments. These include:
- A Pharmacy
- A Tire and Battery shop
- An Optical department for glasses
- A Bakery
- A Café where you can grab a bite to eat
Sam's Club has its own brands, like Member's Mark. You won't find Walmart's "Sam's Choice" or "Great Value" brands at Sam's Club.
-
A Sam's Club store in Maplewood, Missouri
-
A Sam's Club store in Ciudad Lerdo, Mexico
-
A Sam's Club store in Suzhou, China
-
Inside a Sam's Club store in California
-
A Sam's Club gas station in Santa Clarita, California
-
Shelves inside a Sam's Club store in Suzhou, China
Other Store Ideas
Sam's Club has tried out different types of stores over the years.
In 2008, they opened their first "Business Center" in Houston, Texas. This store was designed for businesses to buy supplies in bulk. However, it closed in 2010.
In 2009, Sam's Club opened a store called Más Club in Houston. This store was created to serve the Hispanic community. But it also closed down in 2014.
In 2018, Sam's Club opened "Sam's Club Now" in Dallas, Texas. This is a very modern store where you use a mobile app to scan and pay for everything. You can even order items ahead of time and pick them up at the store!
See also
- Más Club
- Warehouse club
