Sam’s Club has begun offering its consumer Advantage Plus members access to early-shopping hours from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays, and 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Saturdays, in all of its U.S. locations. Plus Members pay $100 annually to shop at Sam’s Club and additionally can access personalized digital offers through its “eValues” program.
The warehouse club retailer instituted Gold Key early-shopping hours in the late 1980s exclusively for its business members. The extension of these hours to Plus members is to help busy families find optimal times to shop and increase Sam’s Club Plus members’ benefits receive, according to the chain.
According to Mike Turner, VP, membership, “We want to do all we can to help simplify their lives and know the demands on their time continue to grow.”
Sam’s Club received positive feedback after testing the new shopping hours for its Advantage Plus members earlier this month. The chain will maintain a flat bed lane during early hours for typically large business type purchases. Signage will be updated at all of the company’s 594 U.S. locations throughout the month.
As well as early-shopping hours for business and Plus members, Sam’s Club offers all of its members the option of advance ordering through its online “Click n‘ Pull” program. After a member completes his or her order by 5 p.m., associates pull and assemble the items for pickup at the location of the member’s choice the next day.
A division of Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Sam’s Club serves more than 47 million U.S. members with locations across the United States, as well as in Brazil, China, Mexico and Puerto Rico.
