Sam's Club Now Offers Free Shipping—But There’s a Catch
If you've been thinking about signing up for a Sam’s Club wholesale membership, there’s a new benefit that might help you pull the trigger—free shipping on nearly all of their items with no minimum purchase.
According to a company news release, Sam's Club recently revamped their membership options to appeal to wider customer base. This restructure also comes on the heels of competitor Amazon announcing its same day 2-hour Whole Foods delivery for Prime Now members.
If you want to take advantage of free shipping at Sam's Club, you'll have to join the Plus program, which comes with an annual membership fee of $100. Free shipping isn't extended to Sam's Club Savings customers, who are charged an annual fee of $45.
Loyal Sam's Club fans will remember that shipping was previously priced based on the item's size, weight, and desired delivery date. To drive down shipping costs, Sam’s parent company Walmart shuttered 63 of the lowest-performing wholesale locations to make room for e-commerce fulfillment centers.
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Fortune reports that the new offering won't include fresh grocery items—a category that has slowly expanded for the wholesale service over the last few years—as these are available as part of the brand’s "curbside pickup" program. They also point out that Walmart offers free two-day shipping on orders of $35 or more—no membership needed.
A big draw for many prospective customers might be Sam's Club Member's Mark private label. With everything from alcohol to branded toilet paper, many of the Member's Mark items are extremely affordable and could be incentive enough for you to check the program out.
