Sam's Club
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| Company type | Subsidiary of Wal-Mart |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail (warehouse club) |
| Founded | 1983 (Midwest City, Oklahoma) |
| Headquarters | Bentonville, Arkansas |
| Products | Produce, meat, seafood, fresh baked goods, flowers, clothing, books, software, home electronics, clothing jewelry, art, optical and furniture |
| Website | http://www.samsclub.com |
Sam's Club is a membership-only warehouse club owned and operated by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
History
The first Sam's Club opened in April 1983 in Midwest City, Oklahoma in the United States. [1]
Sam's Club is named after the founder of Wal-Mart, Sam Walton. To purchase items from Sam's Club, one must purchase a membership. Many Sam's Club customers are small businesses (such as bowling alleys) that wish to offer customers a limited selection of food without the expense of having it delivered.
In 1993, Wal-Mart acquired PACE Membership Warehouse and converted them into Sam's Clubs.
Membership is required to purchase at Sam's Club; however, a one time day pass may be obtained from Sam's Club.com or many Wal-Mart newspaper ads. A 10% surcharge is added to the prices for non-members. No membership (with no surcharge) is required for Optical, Pharmacy, or Cafe (as available per club), or to purchase alcohol.
The latest flagship store opening as of September 28, 2006 was in Bentonville, Arkansas. It is the second largest Sam's Club store; its largest is located in Utica, Michigan, with over 145,000 sq. ft. of retail space.
Design
Like other warehouse clubs, most merchandise sold at Sam's Club is sold in bulk and directly off pallets. Clubs are arranged much like a warehouse, with merchandise stocked in warehouse-style steel bins. There are currently 551 Sam's Clubs in the United States. Each club averages 128,000 square feet (3 acres) (12,000 m²) (1.2 ha). The Sam's Club division of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. had total sales revenue of USD$37.1 billion for fiscal year ending January 31, 2005. There are also clubs operated internationally under the International Division of Wal-Mart Stores in Brazil, Canada, China, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. Their current primary competitor is Costco. Sam's Club markets items under the private labels Member's Mark, Bakers & Chefs, and Sam's Club.
A new Sam's Club opened in Columbus, Georgia on 18 January 2007.
See also
- Costco - Primary competitor
- BJ's Wholesale Club - Another competitor
References
External links
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