Sam’s Club Unveils Plans for Holiday Shopping Season

Warehouse Retailer will “Bring the Merry” with double the events, more quality items, and special experiences all season long

BENTONVILLE, Ark.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Prepared for a holiday shopping season that’s expected to see the return of families and friends reuniting for traditional celebrations, Sam’s Club is poised to continue its historic momentum, announcing plans to “Bring the Merry” to members all season long. This year, Sam’s Club is going all out, offering twice the number of savings events compared to last year; a new direct-to-home wine program; higher quality gifts, food, décor and more; and member experiences that deliver on the magic of the season.

“Our members pay to shop with us, and they deserve a special experience,” said Megan Crozier, Chief Merchant, Sam’s Club. “Sam’s Club will ‘Bring the Merry’ with more this holiday season – more quality items in the club and online, more value, more ways to shop and more special experiences to delight our members all season long.”

Earlier Shopping, More Value All Season Long
Sam’s Club members recently said in a brand survey that they plan to shop for the holidays earlier this year. And 20 percent of those surveyed have already started fulfilling their gift lists.

In response, Sam’s Club is launching its shopping events earlier to give its members a jumpstart on savings and offering more events throughout the season – twice as many compared to last year. In addition to traditional savings events that feature merchandise across categories, Sam’s Club is introducing new events with curated collections of merchandise, such as “Holiday Home Prep” and “Appreciation Gifts” to help provide inspiration and make shopping easier. The new events will take place across five weekends in October, November and December.

Sam’s Club will also help eager shoppers prepare for the season through its first-ever holiday preview catalog. Many of the season’s top gifts, décor and entertaining items will be mapped out in a 35-page collection that arrives in mailboxes and will be posted on SamsClub.com in early October.

Holiday Experiences that Surprise & Delight
Sam’s Club plans to delight shoppers throughout the season with unexpected moments featuring celebrities, demos every week, and new, festive holiday signage and décor on both the exterior and interior of every club. And in five locations, Sam’s Club will host a Merry-ville in parking lots, where members can enjoy an over-the-top holiday experience including an ice-skating rink with special performances, and much more.

“Our membership has reached record levels, and our members are telling us it’s ‘game on’ this Christmas, maybe like never before,” said Tony Rogers, Chief Member Officer, Sam’s Club. “Around here we say our members ‘expect something special,’ from us, and we will deliver with more events, an earlier start, more marketing support than ever, incredible items, and technology like Scan & Go that lets you skip the line and beat the crowds.”

Sam’s Club will also launch Scan & Go sweepstakes where members can enter to win big prizes, like a $50,000 trip of a lifetime, a $30,000 mega-home theater make over, or a lifetime membership with a $20,000 Sam’s Club shopping spree.

High Quality Items, More Top Brands
Sam’s Club will continue to offer high-quality “treasure hunt” items all season long, bringing back many of last year’s popular items like the 12 Days of Wine Advent Calendar, and launching hundreds of new giftable items in all areas of the club and online. Members will also find many exclusives, like the Kids’ Fitbit Ace 3 Minions bundle, a digital pinball table and a trendy 14-karat gold paperclip necklace. New items will be flowing in the clubs and online frequently throughout the season, so if a member sees an item they like, they will need to act fast; a new, high-quality item may be in its place the next time they shop.

Sam’s Club will also be offering even more items from top national brands this season. In Apparel, new brands like Gap, Vince Camuto, Hurley, Steve Madden and DKNY will be added in clubs and online during the holidays. And in Toys, Sam’s Club is adding more than 25 new brands, like Chillafish, Rainbow High and Segway, to name a few.

Holiday Entertaining Made Easy
Sam’s Club makes it easy to entertain with its impressive line-up of holiday décor and delicious food. From premium side dishes and delicious appetizers to bakeries that will be filled with decadent desserts, members can find everything they need to entertain and impress their guests this holiday season.

And Sam’s Club will make entertaining even easier this year by collaborating with DRINKS to launch a direct to home wine delivery service – making it the first warehouse retailer with this capability in multiple states. Sam’s Club members in 16 states will have access to the service, enabling them to order its private brand Member’s Mark wines on SamsClub.com and have them shipped directly to their doorsteps. Additional states and wines will be added to the service early next year.

Sam’s Club also offers convenient ways to shop that can help members save time like curbside pickup, same-day delivery with Instacart and Scan & Go.

About Sam’s Club
Sam’s Club®, a division of Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT), is a leading membership warehouse club offering superior products, savings and services to millions of members in nearly 600 clubs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Now in its 39th year, Sam’s Club continues to redefine warehouse shopping with its highly curated assortment of high-quality fresh food and Member’s Mark items, in addition to market leading technologies and services like Scan & Go, Curbside Pickup and home delivery service in select markets. To learn more about Sam’s Club, visit the Sam’s Club Newsroom, shop at SamsClub.com, and interact with Sam’s Club on Twitter and Facebook.