The Sam's Club in Jamestown is among 63 Sam's Club locations nationwide that will close for good January 26th.
Roughly 10 of the clubs will be converted into eCommerce fulfillment centers to support SamsClub.com, Sam's Club President and CEO John Furner said. The first one will be in Memphis, Tennessee.
In a statement, the company said the decision was a difficult one but necessary.
After a thorough review of our existing portfolio, we’ve decided to close a series of clubs and better align our locations with our strategy. Closing clubs is never easy and we’re committed to working with impacted members and associates through this transition.
— Sam's Club (@SamsClub) January 11, 2018
Sam's Club says the pharmacies within its locations will stay open for at least two weeks and the company will work with each state's board of pharmacy to help customers through the transition
The Sam's Club website no longer lists the Jamestown store among its locations, instead referring customers to stores in Cheektowaga, Niagara Falls and Erie, Pennsylvania, which will remain open.
The closings come on the same day Walmart, the parent company of Sam's Club, announced it would raise the minimum pay to $11 per hour and give employees one-time bonuses of $1,000. Walmart attributed the pay increase to the recently passed tax reform bill.
Customers took to social media with questions about why their local Sam's Club stores were shuttered. Some demanded refunds for their Sam's Club memberships, which cost between $45 and $100. The official Sam's Club Twitter account replied to some questions with a brief statement.
