Community Chat

[Blahblahvampemer]

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@151949 wrote:

I never could understand paying a fee for the "privledge" of shopping somewhere.

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Why?  Because you save a bleepin' fortune.  I pay for the fee with two trips, and I don't always fill the cart for the two of us.  From supplements to Springtime water, I'd say we saved about $800 in the last year, and we don't go that often.  

[Blahblahvampemer]

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@Moonchilde wrote:

They’ve never had a huge presence in CA compared to Costco. Probably 4-5 Costcos for every Sam’s.  I’ve never joined a Sam’s because there are Costcos everywhere and the Sam’s have been a 45 minute drive at the least. Currently my drive to a Sam’s would be 90+ minutes.  Trying to be not near any Costcos is difficult for them.

I have been in a Sam’s a few times; they seemed “okay”, but kind of a second-rate, leaner version of Costco. Even if they were closer, I’d never pay for two memberships so Sam’s would lose; I suspect that’s just what has happened - they can’t compete with all the Costco branches. 

My area has many Costcos and many Walmarts - they don’t need a second-rate version of both of them combined as well.

But of course, as with any such announcement, I feel for the employees. How could anyone who’s been a working person not feel badly for them?

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It depends on where you are.  We used to have memberships to both, but I knew I had to drop Costco when they couldn't begin to compete with a camera deal at Sam's.  Both have their advantages (better cheese at Sam's, better kitchen items at Costco for ex.), but I found better deals at Sam's given our shopping habits, and Costco is over twice the distance.  Like I said, it all depends.  

[lovescats]

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@Sooner wrote:

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@lovescats wrote:

8801 Old Seward Hwy, Anchorage, AK 99515
1074 N Muldoon Rd, Anchorage, AK 99504
48 College Rd, Fairbanks, AK 99701
3900 Grants Mill Rd, Irondale, AL 35210
2425 E Florence Blvd, Casa Grande, AZ 85194
5757 E State Route 69, Prescott Valley, AZ 86314
1375 S Arizona Ave, Chandler, AZ 85286
15255 N Northsight Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ 85260
3360 El Camino Ave, Sacramento, CA 95821
17835 Gale Ave, City of Industry, CA 91748
12540 Beach Blvd, Stanton, CA 90680
12920 Foothill Blvd, Sylmar, CA 91342
69 Pavilions Dr, Manchester, CT 06042
2 Boston Post Rd, Orange, CT 06477
355 FL-436, Fern Park, FL 32730
7233 N Seacrest Blvd, Lantana, FL 33462
5135 S Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa, FL 33611
2994 Turner Hill Rd, Lithonia, GA 30038
501 N Randall Rd, Batavia, IL 60510
21430 S Cicero Ave, Matteson, IL 60443
6600 44th Ave, Moline, IL 61265
808 S Illinois Rte 59, Naperville, IL 60540
900 S Barrington Rd, Streamwood, IL 60107
1055 McHenry Rd, Wheeling, IL 60090
460 S Weber Rd, Romeoville, IL 60446
3015 W 86th St, Indianapolis, IN 46268
10859 E Washington St, Indianapolis, IN 46229
4024 Elkhart Rd #1, Goshen, IN 46526
9598 Cortana Pl, Baton Rouge, LA 70815
9750 Reisterstown Rd, Owings Mills, MD 21117
1 Tobias Boland Way, Worcester, MA 01607
340 E. Edgewood Boulevard, Lansing, MI 48911
32625 Northwestern Hwy, Farmington Hills, MI 48334
3745 Louisiana Ave S, St Louis Park, MN 55426
2800 27th Ave S, Moorhead, MN 56560
11 Batchelder Rd, Seabrook, NH 03874
81 International Dr S, Budd Lake, NJ 07828
1900 E Linden Ave, Linden, NJ 07036
301 Nassau Park Boulevard, Princeton, NJ 08540
2649 Erie Blvd E, Syracuse, NY 13224
720 Fairmount Ave, Jamestown, NY 14701
700 Elmridge Center Dr, Rochester, NY 14626
1600 Marketplace Dr, Rochester, NY 14623
5085 Dawn Dr, Lumberton, NC 28360
1101 Shiloh Glenn Dr, Morrisville, NC 27560
4825 Marburg Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45209
9570 Fields Ertel Rd, Loveland, OH 45140
1145 Carr 2, Bo Florida Afuera, Barceloneta, 00617, Puerto Rico
Carr 830, Bayamón, Puerto Rico, 00957
Carr 3 Km 82 Bo Junquitos, Humacao, 00741, Puerto Rico
615 Old Hickory Blvd, Nashville, TN 37209
1805 Getwell Rd, Memphis, TN 38111
1615 S Loop W, Houston, TX 77054
13331 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77077
22296 Market Place Dr, New Caney, TX 77357
12919 San Pedro Ave, San Antonio, TX 78216
741 E Little Creek Rd, Norfolk, VA 23518
4571 S Laburnum Ave, Richmond, VA 23231
901 S Grady Way, Renton, WA 98057
1101 Outlet Collection Way, Auburn, WA 98001
7050 Watts Rd, Madison, WI 53719
1540 S 108th St, West Allis, WI 53214
13550 Aurora Ave N, Seattle, WA 98133

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Many of these are in the north and maybe they don't compete as well in those markets.  Just a thought. 

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I don't see any closed in the state where I live and it is the north.   

[NorthernLights]

While I feel bad for the employee's in my area, I'm not surprised at all. They just can't compete at all with the layout and different offerings that Costco has. I have wondered for a long time how they even stay open with the amount of foot traffic that they manage. Sad but understandable.

[gabstoomuch]

I love my Sam's Club. It is 3 minutes down the road, so I am happy they have not gotten the ax yet, although I am worried because they are right across the street from a Walmart. I will cry if it gets shuttered

People think you have to have giant family to shop at clubs. Not at all the case. They sell clothes, kitchenware, sheets, towels, shoes, a whole row of different spices, cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, the list is endless. Gas at my Sam's is always .05 to .10 per gallon cheaper. Tires and car batteries are also way cheaper (not cheaply made, less expensive for name brand).

For a small family, or even just 2 people, I would rather spend $9.98 for a gallon of Dawn dish soap, and never have to think about dish soap for a year or more than to pay $2 to $3 for a small bottle at the grocery store.

It is about knowing your prices, and unit pricing things to compare with elsewhere before you decide it is a deal. If it is a product you use regularly, it is well worth the savings to buy a large size and not have to buy it again for 6 or more months.

I have a Costco nearby also. Not 3 minutes away, but maybe 10 minutes, but the location is on a busy 4 lane, mall filled, road strip and sometimes the traffic is just so bad it is not worth the trip for me.

All the different clubs offer items that you can't find at the other club, so it really comes down to what you buy most often, and what you browse when in the store. All 3 - BJ's, Costco, and Sam's are different in some ways, and the same in many ways. I can walk around those club stores for hours, finding hidden little gem buys that are so inexpensive, especially when seasons are changing.

My son was saying he is not at all surprised they shut down in a blink. He said that is the way most corporate companies do it. Even at his company, if ONE person gets a pink slip, they receive it in the morning, and someone from HR stays right with them in their office or cubicle, they are asked to pack up, under watchful eye. Their computers are already disabled so they can't even log in to take personal stuff (which should not be on a business computer anyway but everyone seems to do it). They are not allowed to grab contacts and all that.

They clear their cubby, and are walked to the front door, and their badges are taken and immediately de-activated.

Security is utmost. Is it sad? Absolutely. My son said it is sad to see even one person get let go, but to let go 100 or 150 (per store), there is no other way to do it. The security risk to way to high.

Walmart or Sam's are not different, or intentionally cruel. You see business's close without notice all the time. Gym's, restaurants, dry cleaners, Bridal shops, photography studios. So many, but they do it the same way. I always feel terrible for brides when a shop folds and closes and they have their dress in there going through the fitting process and they can't even get it.

It is shocking and probably traumatizing for employees. I feel especially bad for the ones who have put in 20+ years and are pretty close to retirement.

Sad that stores like Sears, JC Penney, Macy's etc are going to be just memories. Online shopping is going to be the way of the future for everyone. I know I never left my desk at home and got all my shopping for Christmas done. Brick and mortars are struggling to find a way to stay alive.

I want to go back to the old days. Shopping in stores, seeing a friend, going to have a coffee. No cell phones, having actual conversations. People walking with their heads up an their eyes seeing other people, not all scrunched over trying to use their phone and walk at the same time. Being able to be away from other people for an hour because they used to not even know where you were, only that you would be home at some point and they could wait, and their world did not implode. How simple life used to be.

[ID2]

Sam's Clubs are closing because they can't keep up with their competitor, Costco. I was a member to both years ago and quickly dumped Sam's Club and give my full business to very successful Costco. Love Costco!

[KingstonsMom]

Well that explains it, LOL!

A couple of days ago I decided to cancel our Sam's membership when the renewal came due, since it's just 2 of us now and we rarely used it.

I called to cancel and was transferred to FOUR different people trying to talk me out of cancelling it!

The last very nastily said, "You realize that if you cancel it, you can NEVER rejoin Sam's again??". I just laughed!

Now I know why they so desperately wanted my $45!

[Group 5 minus 1]

We joined Costco because it was very near where Mom lived. After she was gone we were still "members" because of the gas prices. We usually save about 20 cents per gallon. We have down sized our membership.

[aprildreams]

Actually,  that's not true.  The bonuses are coming from the money WM would  have sent to Washington for taxes.  Heard a WM official speaking  on this yesterday.

[RainCityWoman]

I've tried to shop at Sam's Club, and I just don't find it a good substitute for Costco. I also noticed in the times I was a member that any time I chose to go there, the place was relatively empty compared to Costco. I am not surprised to hear that many of them are closing. I'll have to check on the one in Seattle. So far I haven't heard anything.

PS: Yep. I just checked. Three stores in the Seattle area are closing, but they will be using some for distribution centers for online sales. I won't miss them, but I am sure some will. They've still got the parent company Walmart, though there is not one in Seattle city limits.