A Sam’s Club in California – Image Credit: The New Mikemoral (CC by SA-3.0)
Last week, parent company Walmart announced closures of 63 Sam’s Club stores nationwide, including the three locations in the Seattle area. The wholesaling giant is shuttering locations in Renton, Auburn, and Seattle proper, leading to a loss of about 500 local jobs. The Sam’s Club store locator currently displays no store within 100 miles of Seattle. Many customers are angered due to the high cost of store memberships, which could range between $45 and $100, now rendered useless by the lack of area outlets. Industry experts urge club members in the Seattle region to call or e-mail the company asking for a membership refund. The closures come among news of Walmart changing its policies to raise minimum wage for employees. Historically, Seattle has been dominated by rival wholesaler Costco, based in Issaquah, Washington.
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