Sam's Club
| File:Sams Club logo.svg Logo used since 2006 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail (warehouse club) |
| Founded | April 7, 1983 in Midwest City, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Founder | Sam Walton |
| Headquarters | Bentonville, Arkansas , United States |
Area served | United States (44 states plus Puerto Rico), Mexico, China, Brazil (via licensing) |
Key people | Christopher Nicholas (CEO) |
| Products | Bulk goods including jewelry, electronics, clothing, groceries, meats; services such as Pharmacy, Tire and Battery centers, Bakery, Optical, Café, Floral sections, car washes |
| Owner | Walmart |
Number of employees | 600 stores in US + international locations (exact employee count not specified) |
| Website | samsclub |
Sam's West, Inc. operates as Sam's Club, a U.S.-based warehouse club chain that requires membership and is owned by Walmart. Established in 1983 by Walmart's founder Sam Walton under the name Sam's Wholesale Club, it holds the position of second-largest warehouse club by sales, generating $90.2 billion in revenue as of 2025. This places it behind Costco but ahead of BJ's Wholesale Club.
As of May 2025, Sam's Club maintains 600 stores across 44 states plus Puerto Rico, with no presence in Alaska, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington State, or Vermont. The company also provides services such as car washes at gas stations in 41 of its locations.
Globally, Sam's Club manages 173 outlets in Mexico and 48 in China. In Brazil, Grupo Big (previously Walmart Brazil and now part of Carrefour) operates 58 Sam's Club stores through a brand licensing arrangement. Store footprints vary from 32,000 to 168,000 square feet, averaging approximately 134,000 square feet per location. The brand had a brief Canadian operation from 2006 until its departure in 2009.
History
Sam Walton opened the inaugural Sam's Wholesale Club on April 7, 1983, in Midwest City, Oklahoma, two decades after launching Walmart. In 1987, Walmart expanded the chain by purchasing SuperSaver Wholesale Warehouse Club, adding 24 new sites. The Northeast market was entered in 1989 with a store in New Jersey, marking Walmart’s initial expansion into that region. By 1990, the "Wholesale" portion was removed from the name, coinciding with the opening of the first Pennsylvania club.
In 1993, Walmart acquired PACE Membership Warehouse from Kmart and converted most of those stores into Sam's Club locations. The Canadian market was entered in 2003 with a focus on Southern Ontario but exited by 2009 due to competitive challenges and a strategic pivot toward supercentres.
The largest Sam's Club location is situated in Pineville, North Carolina, boasting 185,000 square feet of retail space. A redesigned logo featuring an updated serif font was introduced in 2006. Although there were rumors of a spinoff in 2007, these plans did not come to fruition.
In January 2010, Sam's Club shut down ten stores and laid off about 11,200 employees as part of restructuring efforts that included outsourcing product sampling and redefining membership roles. Rosalind Brewer became CEO in February 2012, marking the first time a woman held this leadership role.
By January 2014, Walmart had eliminated 2,300 positions at underperforming Sam's Club locations. In 2016, the company launched a mobile application that allowed customers to scan items for faster checkout; this functionality was later integrated into the primary app by 2019.
John Furner succeeded Brewer as CEO in February 2017. In January 2018, Walmart announced plans to close 63 Sam’s Club stores impacting over 11,000 employees; ten of these were repurposed as e-commerce fulfillment centers. On the same day, Walmart increased starting wages and enhanced employee benefits following tax reform legislation.
Kathryn McLay took over as CEO in November 2019 and revealed intentions in 2023 to open around thirty new stores within five years. Later that year she transitioned to lead Walmart International and was replaced by Christopher Nicholas.
By January 2024, Sam’s Club began deploying AI-driven receipt verification technology at select locations with ambitions for nationwide implementation before year-end. This AI-powered system was fully rolled out across all 600 U.S. clubs by April 2025 to improve operational efficiency and enhance customer service.
Design
Sam's Club operates large-scale warehouse outlets where the majority of products are sold in bulk, often displayed directly on pallets or housed within metal bins. Their inventory spans categories such as jewelry, high-end designer items, electronics, clothing, groceries, and meats. Numerous stores also provide additional services including Pharmacy, Tire and Battery centers, Bakery, Optical, Café, and Floral sections; however, Photo services were largely phased out by late 2019.
In 2017, the company unified its private label offerings under the Member's Mark brand to distinguish them from Walmart’s Sam's Choice and Great Value product lines.
Other retail formats
In August 2009, Sam's Club introduced Más Club in Houston as a separate membership warehouse aimed at serving the Hispanic community. This format was discontinued starting December 2013 and completely closed by February 2014.
October 2018 saw the debut of Sam's Club Now in Dallas, a "mobile-first" store concept that leverages an app for scanning items and completing purchases, paired with same-day curbside pickup. This initiative highlights the brand’s commitment to advancing retail technology and enhancing customer convenience.
Controversy / Incidents
A stabbing incident occurred in March 2020 at a Sam's Club located in Midland, Texas, where three members of an Asian family, including two children, were injured. The 19-year-old assailant allegedly targeted them based on mistaken beliefs associating the Chinese community with the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, Sam's Club encountered a boycott in China after it removed products originating from Xinjiang from its shelves. This action prompted some Chinese customers to cancel or temporarily halt their memberships.