Sam's Club
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Sam's Club is a membership-only warehouse club owned and operated by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.. The first Sam's Club opened in April 1983 in Midwest City, Oklahoma in the United States.
History
Sam's Club is named after the founder of Wal-Mart, Sam Walton. Sam's Club's focus is on serving small business customers. Their slogan is "We're in business for small business." To purchase items from Sam's Club one must purchase a membership or, on some special occasions, non-members can make purchases that are subject to a 10% additional fee. Sam's Club does not accept any credit card other than its own card and the Discover Card; debit cards are generally accepted. Image:Sam'sClubStore1.jpg 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. In 1993, Wal-Mart acquired Pace Warehouse Clubs and converted them into Sam's Clubs. Their current primary competitor is Costco. Sam's Club markets items under the private labels Member's Mark, Bakers & Chefs, and Sam's Club.
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See also