Sam's Club History
Our founder, Sam Walton, was the most notable business leader of his time—but no matter how much success he achieved, he never forgot where it all started. Once a humble entrepreneur with a successful five-and-dime, Mr. Sam knew firsthand the challenges of running a small business.
Passionate about leadership through service, Mr. Sam wanted to leverage his resources to help other entrepreneurs like himself access the products and services they needed to make their small businesses succeed. That’s why in 1983, he opened the first Sam’s Club in Midwest City, Oklahoma.
Today, Sam’s Club wants to be the most valuable membership for our member. We have grown to offer solutions not just for entrepreneurs and small businesses, but also for families and everyday living. Sam’s Club serves millions of members at SamsClub.com and almost 600 locations across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Sam’s Club also has locations in China and Mexico.
Learn more about Sam’s Club in international markets.
Sam’s Club is a membership warehouse club, a limited-item business model that offers our members quality products at an exceptional value unmatched by traditional retail.
Instead of stocking every item in every available brand, Sam’s Club merchants do their homework for our members, stocking the right products and purchasing them in large quantities, and passing on the savings to our members. We also reduce costs by maintaining a simple shopping environment, often displaying our merchandise on shipping pallets so we can move new items in just as quickly as they move out.
Sam’s Club also provides a variety of member benefits such as free shipping on most items for our Plus members along with Sam's Cash, early shopping, savings on medications, as well as the benefits of our Club membership. Club members can take advantage of Sam’s Club Credit, Instant Savings, free health screenings, daily “Tastes & Tips” sampling demonstrations and members-only savings on fuel.
Nothing mattered more to Mr. Sam than serving his customers, and it is to this commitment that he attributed his immense success. “Our philosophy has always been simple,” he once said. “We are the agents for our customers.” At Sam’s Club, we live out his promise by delivering simple savings to our members on items they can trust. Life is better in the club – anywhere, anytime.
