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Sam's Club review: plus card membership 53

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11:18 am EDT
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The Plus Membership for members is not all what its cracked up to be.
Alot of the benefits have already been stopped and all it really helps is the profit for each club. Most of Sams Club's revenue comes from their membership cards. Imagine that! Most members that try the plus card find that it is a waste of their time and efforts. Besides who wants to pay 100 dollars a year for a membership card? If you have a Sam's Discover you would earn up to 2% cash back but the catch to that is you have to spend 10, 000 + to start earning that much back. I don't know about you but I don't spend that much at Sams. A regular membership card will serve the purpose. Did you know they have a quota on how many plus cards each club gets in a week? Wow! No wonder their pressing the issue. To sum it up I would leave the plus card alone!

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53 comments
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Leni
Nov 16, 2006 12:00 am EST

I purchased a DVD camcorder from samsclub.com auction site for $320

When the product arrived, it was a open box display model. With smugs on the lens and dust on the view screen. The underneath had worn marks form the display tripod.

I called up the customer service and they say that it is what they sell in auction site!

Then why dont they say so in the site, Why should i bid for a display model ?If it is a floor model I will bid accordingly. There is nothing in the site which says that i am bidding for a open display floor model.

SO WARNING TO ALL AMERICANS--NEVER NEVER BUY FORM SAMSCLUB.COM

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talal suleiman
Apr 24, 2008 1:49 pm EDT

i have been trying for 6 month to get sams club to fix my comuter but they will offer no help even though my waranty is stell good untel next year i cald the main offece to complain and they promes to have some one call me back but that never hapend .
sams club has the worst servec agrement ever

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ihad2complain
Frisco, US
Jul 27, 2008 1:48 pm EDT

No wonder you have a problem with your computer. You are too stupid to spell.

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wildstang95
US
Feb 14, 2017 3:48 pm EST

WOW! are you a Sam's Club Employee?

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Wishyouknew
Hesper, US
Aug 09, 2010 1:02 am EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I work at Sam's Club... and yes, we have a quota of PLUS cards to sell. If we don't, we are at risk of losing our jobs. They don't tell us everything about anything there... that's one thing I have learned about this company... no one told me that members have to spend 10, 000 to start getting 2% cash back.

Now... starting today... we aren't even aloud to talk about the regular membership. It's called "Top-Down Selling". We have to talk about Plus as if its the ONLY membership we offer. If a person asks about anything different we are to say that we offer a "lower income or lower value" membership for people who cannot afford PLUS.

We have been given a script that we have to say word for word. We had a meeting today in which they informed us that WE WILL BE WATCHED.

I have never worked for a worse company in my life. I am making arrangements to leave this employer as soon as I can. It has been nothing but BS for myself... and now the general public... since I started there.

I was written up for not doing a job I hadn't been trained to do.

They changed the "Opened Door Policy" which allowed employees to go to upper management with problems... to an 800 number that calls out of state... we are never informed of solutions or action taken.

A fellow worker was fired after not showing up for a day he was just "written into" the schedule. He had no advanced warning that he was supposed to work, but when he didn't show he was fired. They didn't even call him to tell him he was supposed to be there... they just wrote him in and expected him to show up without any advance knowledge.

I was almost fired after this horrible supervisor told the manager that I had received three member complaints in one day... I don't believe she is telling the truth for a moment. I do a GOOD JOB at work and she was the one who wrote me up for not doing the job I wasn't trained to be doing correctly.

We also have to sell credit as cashiers. They don't tell us that the interest rates are through the roof... they just tell us about the incentives to tantalize the members.

Sam's does not take VISA because they want to sell their own credit. They will tell you that VISA charges them too much to process the credit transactions, but that is complete BS.

They don't pay part time workers benefits and stopped hiring full time workers.

They have made me work 14 days in a row without a day off... sometimes back to back closing and opening shifts.

I am not allowed to stretch at my register.

That supervisor has made me lift over 55 pounds of items from cart to cart... lying and telling me that that is policy when policy to to just "move every item... (*look under it)..." my back hurts as a result... I was almost let go when I said something about why I was stretching.

This place is truly greedy, profit driven, and not a good employer. I would NOT recommend that anyone work there or shop there.

I would love to see Costco come in and put Sam's in its place.

There is more to this, but I think that's good enough for now.

Don'tBeAMoron
Don'tBeAMoron
Tyler, US
Sep 05, 2010 6:13 pm EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Dear ###,

Stop whining. It's an auction site. If you don't like it, don't bid. Oh, and learn how to use proper grammar. You look like a [censored] when you try to form an intelligent argument and fail to speak proper English. You got what you paid for if the camera was in working condition. I understand that you don't want your family and friends to know you are a cheapass by buying used ### in an auction, but don't ### about it here. Realistically, no one cares.

Sincerely,

Anyone who has ever worked in customer service

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Gail West
US
Jan 21, 2018 7:00 pm EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Aww...do you feel better bullying a complete stranger. She can say whatever she wants as can you. Pointing out grammar mistakes is so sad. Do you feel any smarter? I make them as do most people. People like you point it out thinking it makes you smarter than the rest of us. Not!

Don'tBeAMoron
Don'tBeAMoron
Tyler, US
Sep 07, 2010 3:05 pm EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I think your grammar is broken too. Enjoy your new PC, ###.

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okc
warr acres, US
Nov 25, 2010 7:44 pm EST

I am being treated the same way. I have been at sam's 5 years and thought it was a wonderful company to work for. I started at an okc store in the softlines area and worked hard. The lady i worked with had health issures so i worked nights to help her get the job done. She had to work from a wheelchair. I was told to promote myself i needed to learn to drive a forklift the store i was at was small and hard to train on forklift. I transferred to another okc location on nites. I learned to drive a forklift. Completely restock any area that needed to be done. Included but not limited to very heavy lifting and sweating. I did mandatory end caps, no movement report, inventory, signage on hand i worked as hard as i could. I am glad there are vidios in that store that can verify my work. I asked to go to days which was hard to do at this store. I finally got a full time position on days as a cashier. This is where the nightmare began. I trained if you could call it that they put me on a register and gave me some codes. I have been yelled at for putting in a code and calling a cos over when they are visiting with their friends. We would have up to 5 memebers of mnagement and cos people just staring at us as lines back up. When the memeber pulls up to the counter we are suppose to empty the flat bed or cart on the belt to prevent loss. I have been hurt once lifting an air conditioner and had to get pt from sams. I really dont feel comfortable lifting a flatbed or sometimes two unloading and loading back. When they line scan the members that is where missed items are going out the door. I have to check their work every time for missed items. Then you have to push 123 or 122 to see how much the plus membership is at the same time a sams credit approval is printing out then the member is non taxed or taxed then if they buy a warranted item a warranty window pops up that we are suppose to push oh then their membership is expiring in a certain amount of days. Gee i wonder why sams is not making money. I am really supprised we can do as well as we do considering all the distractions. Now they are starting to give me verbal warnings for not unloading selling telling the member all the things we have available which would take more time than we ever have. They want scans per minute up low loss and lots of money. I was very impressed by sams at one time however it is being managed with threats. part of their own policy is to work without feeling threatened or harrassed in any way. I am very suprised sams hasn't been sued the way they treat their empolyees. I pray that God takes care of this for me i am depending on him. Before cashiering I had excellent evaluations from working hard as possible now I feel like the cashier manager and her team are trying to ruin my record on purpose. I dont know what is going on but I pray if this is the way it is going to be that they just close down. I love the public and they deserve better treatment than sams is giving them. I am 51 years old and in good shape but i feel like what they are having me do now could harm my health. I am sorry they are treating you bad we are all in the same situation.

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Annabanana73
US
Dec 03, 2010 3:29 pm EST

The plus card carries zero risk to members, it is fully refundable at any time. The credit card offers always include the interest rate, and if you can not lift items repeatedly, you should not be a cashier!

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mad ah
Anchorage, US
Jan 07, 2011 1:48 am EST

Agree, they do not honor their service agreement whatsoever. We need to send back the computer laptop with a big pile of ### compressed between the screen and keys.

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btennie2711
Greensboro, US
Jan 10, 2011 2:45 am EST

The denial is questionable since the reason thatthe GE Money Bank, Creditor in El Paso tx. gave for denial of my credit request was poor payment history with credit program, check and see with a review of my situation if I had a poor payment history.

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metta729
Greensboro, US
Jan 12, 2011 1:26 am EST

Mr stop brainpsuy 58 The case at hand is not the acceptance or denial of credit to consumers, that is a granted.The problem is the means by which the denial decision made by the creditor had to lie to deny, especially since it is indeed their decision to accept or deny why resort to bogus tactics needlessly.

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idontcare2
st paul, US
Jan 13, 2011 1:49 am EST

Why the heck do I have to show my member card - during the hours everyone can go - to get in the door? I have to show the card to even buy anything and I have to show my receipt to every ninny on the way out. I don't think my membership is worth it and I wonder if they will let me cancel my membership and get my money back? Do any employees see that happening?

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ARMejia
Corona, US
Feb 11, 2011 4:46 pm EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Their website has a Samsung 46" LCD for a price of $798 online but it states that the Chino club store has it for $423.01. When I called the Chino store, the representative stated that this was only for a returned product but that it was not available for re-sale because it had to be inspected and he was NOT sure how long this would take. Hmmm... this was a complete disappointment since the website DID NOT state that. I called their main office [protected] and another representative stated that a returned product will not be available for re-sale and they are auctioned off? This was very disappointing, why would they advertise a product if you have no intention of selling it? Be aware of their false advertising !

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madalice1
Mather, US
Apr 09, 2011 5:44 am EDT

I worked at sams club, i was employed from 05/06/2010 to 04/06/2011 till when they fired me. I am a cashier at Sam's club and one of the things they presue us to do is sell our $100 plus membership. we must convince members to upgrade. The this is, our store gets little foot traffic and a lot of times we get the same members. So, I have to talk about membership to members, .. which by the way, has little benefit, people do not like the program we offer and mostly always turn us down because they have tried it before and didn't work for them. Anyways, on April 6th, of 2011, a member that i have talked to about upgrading before came to my line. At this point, I did not want to ask her because i had numerously have talked to her before, and she had numerously has said no. Not only thats she was a member that came once a month to purchase food on food stamps, ..only food, so it was clear to me not to ask her anymore, ..just to not be insensitive as she also kept asking be what her bill was coming to as i charged her groceries. So my supervisor is standing there and sees i didn't ask the member about the plus membership, so she runs and tells the store manager. I guess the manager made arrangements to fire me, I never got to tell him what was my story, nor did it matter because "just not asking one member was a missed opportunity to get an upgrade" They don't care, they just want theyre numbers. I'm pretty sure my contract said nothing about being fired for not selling plus. And its very suspicious they had me fired right when i was getting a raise and and my benefits were about to kick in just one month of my year anniversary

And eveything the employees have said on here is absoultly true, its all bs.. I feel bad for the members

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aperson13
Colorado, US
May 07, 2011 8:26 am EDT

Omg...its not as bad as what people are saying it to be...apparently, your sams are horrible places, where nobody wants to either do their job right, or just dont act like a team! Yes we sell pluses and try to get people to sign up for credit...ALL YOU GOTTA DO IS ASK! its not hard, i promise, and yes, the job description does say that you are required to at least pick up 55lbs, thats when you APPLY! Yes, some stores are picky about people not showing up, cause 1--> they are either ALWAYS late or 2--> they just dont show up and call in. Yes, it does take up to 10 thousand dollars to get up to 2% on a card, but thats ANYWHERE they use the discover card, and it is easy to spend that much money on WHEREVER you go! Yes stuff pops up, but it just takes 2 seconds to say, "Youve been approved for ****, would you like to accept for sams credit today?" see, not hard. They say yes, you push a button, they say no, you push a different button and youre on your way! Another thing is the 122 and 123 thing, just slide their card and press it, ask them and just do the prompting, the register tells you what to do, it's not hard! yes, you also have to transfer items from basket to basket, to prevent loss. Did you know that all those losses come out of that markets share. So that means you are LOSING money, losing money in the bonus check every year from your bottom line. And yes, their is an open door policy, find a manager, if they dont agree with you, find the TOP manager, they should at least answer, if they dont agree, quit! it's that easy, yes, there are places that are unfair, you just found a JOB, omg, all jobs have this! Another thing, when they get their credit receipt paper, it tells them their rates and EVERYTHING! If you don't know, it's usually 22.9%. Yes it's high, pay your bill, it's that easy, not only that, they get this pamphlet that has everything you need to know about the credit card. So the information is there, all you got to do is ask. And yes, your contract does say something about sales, PLUSES ARE SALES, so no pluses, no job...Every store has some sort of sales, ours are credit and pluses, and extended warranties...the info is their, all you gotta do is ask, so quit whining, if you don't like the job, quit, it's not for everyone.

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Greg6385
US
Jul 30, 2011 3:02 pm EDT

And thus begins another crap ### day at sams

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samscashier
abc, US
Sep 28, 2011 3:16 pm EDT

Yes, memberships are profit for Sam's club, because we don't mark our prices up to cover our overhead. I've been told that we have to sell a pallet and a half of water to cover the profit for one membership - just $40. That's an average of 39 cents profit per case of water. Not very much profit.

@madalice1 - you do not HAVE to show your membership card to get in the door - at least not at my club. The person standing at the entrance door is to greet members and make sure there isn't any unpaid-for merchandise walking out the door.

As far as the plus membership goes, I'm a cashier at Sam's Club. We're required to sell 3 plus memberships per week (part time) and 5 per week (full time), and if we don't sell X amount in X many weeks, we get written up. 3 write ups = loss of job.

The plus membership is not a bad deal, as much as members like to think that it is. It's also fully refundable (as mentioned before) and, believe it or not, when cashiers offer it to members, IT'S NOT A CREDIT CARD. I've asked a few members what they think, and most of them do think it's a credit card or some form of credit. I think this is one factor keeping members from buying it. That averages out to $115 every two weeks. Also you save $5-8 in evalues on an average trip to sam's, so that's even better.

I'm not trying to argue with anyone on this page, I'm just a frustrated cashier disappointed with the members who turn down $8 upgrades because "They just don't want it". This is also my point of view on the subject, and does not reflect every sam's club in the country, or every cashier. But as far as I know, every cashier at my club agrees with me on this issue.

Sam's club shoppers - if the plus membership is under $10 to upgrade, try it out. It's just $10. You'll probably save a cashier's job. It's fully refundable. Our club has gotten to the point where our supervisors are offering rewards for selling plus memberships - packs of gum, candy, free food at the cafe, etc. to try and promote plus sales. This is a rediculous idea, we shouldn't need to be rewarded for doing our jobs.

As an employee, I have the option to get the fee for the plus membership taken out of my paycheck, it's like $2.36 per pay period. The first time my girlfriend went shopping after I signed up, she saved $8 in evalues, without even checking them at the door. Of course it was a $350 shopping trip, but it's still $8 extra we didn't have to spend. Assume now that you save from $5 to $8 per shopping trip, and you come once every 2-3 weeks, over the course of a year, that's approximately $125 per year that you save. Add into that extra savings on large items - printer ink, paper shredders, even computers, all of which are usually more than $10 and up to $200 off, your savings go on to upwards of $200 - $500 per year. Again, not bad for a small $60 investment.

Also early shopping hours. We aren't kidding about this, early shopping hours are great if, for example, you bought your tires at sam's club. Instead of waiting in the middle of the day for a tire rotate, you can come in early in the morning and have them taken care of during business hours with (at my club at least) no waiting, be in and out in 15 minutes and be on with your day. That's pretty convenient.

2% cash back - the spending 10, 000 is a lie. I've seen reward checks ranging from $6 to $400. This is the normal 2% cash back, and it applies to ALL purchases, not just once you hit $10, 000. In reality, you have to spend $5, 000 to break even on your $100 membership in rewards. To pay for just the plus membership, you only have to spend $3, 000 at 2% cash back.

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Annoumous
US
Feb 11, 2017 2:03 am EST

wHen upgrading a member to plus that shows a $10 upgrade, are you also advising that their membership renewal is right around the corner ? You can sell them on all they can buy and save which is fine, but if they get sticker shock at renewal time w/o disclosing to the member, this is teatering on disceptive practices . I always advised members of before they make the decision and advising of the 100 % guarantee and what it entails . All members regardless of what they spend should be treated with the upmost respect and integrity . My motto is, treat people as you would want to be treated . Profit of the club is through membership, however when profit becomes the only focus discluding integrity, members ( Sams bread and butter ) will take notice, in the end this is a leadership issue .

jack colly
jack colly
Manchester, GB
Sep 28, 2011 3:43 pm EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Hello Sams Club,

I am Mr. BENJAMIN DEBRAH a citizen of Ghana .I have in my bank the existence of a big amount of money that belongs to a customer, Mr. Daniel Club, who happen to have the same surname as yours .The fund is now without any claim because Mr. Daniel died in a deadly earthquake in China in 2008 . I want your cooperation so as to make the bank send you the fund as the beneficiary and next of kin to the fund.

This transaction will be of a great mutual assistance to us. Send me your reply of interest so that I will give you the details .
Strictly send it to my private email account : benjamindedrah22@hotmail.com or send me your email address to send you details of this transaction.

At the receipt of your reply, I will give you details of the transaction. And a copy of the Deposit certificate of the fund and also the incorporation certificate of the company that generated the fund .
Best regards,

MR. Benjamin Debrah.
benjamindedrah22@hotmail.com

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animalchin
Honey Brook, US
Sep 29, 2011 5:54 am EDT

I work at Sam's, however I am an auditor. My job consists of doing an inventory of the entire store every 4 months, as well as weekly and monthly audits (inventories) of high priced items (TV's, computers, grills, lighters, etc.)

We are not a grocery store. We are not an electronics or furniture store. We are a warehouse store that has it's roots catering to small businesses (why we sell our products in bulk at lower rates.) That said, the plus membership might not be the best for everyone, but it has it's advantages. Early shopping (7 a.m.), eValues (exclusive discounts), and up to a 40% discount on some pharmaceuticals.

We are here to save people money. Much of our profit comes from membership. Next time you are at a Sam's, look for prices with the cent's ending in "1" ($XX.X1). That means it is sold below what we paid. I work at a low volume club with huge shrink (Cashiers [I'm sure none of the above posters] do not scan all products, like water on the bottom of the cart, and theft from employees and members) but we stay in business because we get memberships and become suppliers to local businesses. I will be the first to tell you, I won't buy a plus; I don;t need to shop early (I'm there at 5:30 M-F anyways), I have health insurance and I don't buy much stuff there. But for the people that need to be in the store before 8, do not have health insurance and need the discounts or just want to take advantage of the eValues, the Plus membership provides it.

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alg310
US
Oct 03, 2011 8:30 pm EDT

Im also a sam's club employee and I cant really complain about my job except staying 2 hours after closing and an hour later than cashiers (i work in the clothing department) . Personally i dont think I would ever transfer to cashiering no matter how many times people tell me that my job sucks. when you are hired at sams club i believe you have the option to apply for any position not just cashier. yes i do feel bad for cashiers having to get plus memberships, but its their job. as it is my job to fold after everyones mess and keep refolding the clothes over and over again to make sams club look neat and organized and not disgusting and flithy. its MY JOB. thats what i applied for i cant complain about having to refold a table after i spent 10 minutes organizing it and a member comes along and messes everyttng up in less than a minute. its what i was hired to do. simply if you dont like cashiering, move departments. as for the whole plus membership not being helpful, i like to believe it is. you do get discounts, just print them out and you'll save a dollar or two. if you were to save a dollar or two on items and you visit the club once a week, lets say in total you save 5 dollars on the chosen items. i believe
if u keep buying those items sams sends you coupons for those exact items. 5 x 4 weeks in a month = 20 dollars. 20 dollars x 12 months =240 dollars saved. basically only loosing 60 dollars since u paid 100 for your membership. and it is true look for any prices that says $xx.x1 that means the price has gone down and has a possibility of it getting lower.

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Sucker54321
Beverly, US
Oct 12, 2011 10:43 pm EDT

I was suckered into buying this membership today for 60.00. I spent 400.00 on my groceries and received no discounts. I'm going in tomorrow to get my 60.00 back! I don't buy jewelry or large ticket items at SAMs and I don't purchase boxed food (the middle of the store) because I am allergic to wheat.

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xoxmawexox
80014, US
Dec 09, 2011 11:02 pm EST

Okay so i started at Sams Club in June still working there till this day and really people you cant get mad about the plus and credit you just got to get over it and do it that is your job as a cashier, COS, manager, or membership desk and to be honest i do not like selling plus or credit but ITS MY JOB i suck it up and do it all you have to do is ask i am on the leader board for selling plus and credit just because i ask and i tell them the REAL benefits i dont lie about it but like i said i dont think anyone likes selling it but you have to so stop complaining atleast you got a job and for those people who are getting treated like crap at those other clubs well then you need to report it seriously at my club everyone is very nice there is just a couple bad apples who i work with but that is how it is everywhere you go! not everyone is going to be nice and kiss your ### seriously but like i said no one likes selling plus or credit but get over it that is your job if you dont like it go find another :)

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nonamous
US
Jan 28, 2012 7:14 am EST

I too work at Sam's Club just as many on this thread do. And yes, I am a cashier. I have studied, in great detail, how the inner workings of this place come together. I'm sad to say that the place is extremely greedy, but this is only the view I have of the upper management team in my club. I am not one who believes that Corporate is evil. In fact, seeing members of the corporate team is usually a godsend for us cashiers because they usually come to fire a manager who has wronged us in some way.

So let me address some things with you people. I know there's a fight about how much cash back you receive as a Sam's Club Plus Discover Card member. In fact, the corretc wording is that you can earn "Up to 2% Cash Back with Sam's Club Plus Discover". See what I did there? You actually earn 0.25% cash back until you spend $1500 with the card. Then you will earn 0.50% cash back until you hit $3000. You will then earn 1% cash back until you hit $5000. Next, you earn 1.75% cash back until you hit $10, 000. And then, and only then, will you start to earn your 2% cash back as promised. But unless you plan to spend more than $5000 with it in a year, it's the exact same card as the $40 Advantage member's Discover. About selling Plus, they push us, HARD. It's kind of sad seeing cashiers talking to members that we mostly know (not a large city) and ask them to upgrade and get yelled at because the member has only been asked 20, 000 times to upgrade already. We don't want to do it, we have to do it. Our motto has even changed to "Ask Every Member, Every Time." It's sickening.

So why do we have to do this? Why do we need to sell this membership so bad? That's where upper management comes in. Our ability to meet our quota for Plus (our club's is 12, daily) diretcly corresponds to how much the Managers will get in their "Sam's Share". For those of you that don't know. Sam's Share is a "profit-sharing" plan that pretty much says "the more Plus you sell, the more money you get". For cashiers, a Sam's Share once-a-year is like Christmas. It's a pretty hefty bonus for us, usually in the amount of $800 for part time cashiers. But this... This is where our Managers' motivation to threaten us comes from. Our ability to sell Plus can be, for the Club Manager, the difference between $2500 and $15, 000+. And I don't see him selling a lot of Plus to earn that. In fact I believe the last time a manager sold a Plus Membership in our club was well over a decade ago. Now considering that our club ranked best in our market for several years now, I can infer, that our Club Manager has a salary of somewhere between $70, 000 and $103, 000. That's a nice chunk of change for a manager who may not even possess a college degree!

This can drive Manager's to do crazy things that can destroy the team dynamic of the club. I have had days where a manager would call several cashiers, including myself, in her office to call us "lazy", "worthless", and "useless" and, of course, to threaten our jobs if we didn't step up our game. I knew I would learn to mortally hate this company that I saw one of my best friends come out of that office, crying her eyes out. Again, I restate that the Corp. office is not to blame. This senseless greed is driving people to do things that are far more destructive than they realize, just to stick a couple extra thousand dollars in their pocket at the end of the year. I can't wait until an instance like this will explode onto the media and Sam's Clubs all over the country will be exposed along with the greedy people they employ.

To address other issues, I agree that the management staff only stands around the checkout area making jokes, texting, and giving some cashiers the occasional "death glare". We call them "coaches" but they provide no positive criticism nor assistance nor training to anybody. These days, our cashiers are given the encouragement from the Check-Out Supervisor Team Lead that they will have the opportunity to throw a pie in the face of one of the managers' faces if they get a certain amount of Plus upgrades. I don't understand how a group of people could be so entertained by a meaningless ritual that provides only the shortest and crudest comedic value and absolutely no financial gain.

For those who say "It's you job, suck it up." I will have you know this was, and still is, the first job I've ever had. I put a great deal of trust in the managers who interviewed me when they told me that I would give members "the opportunity to upgrade to a better membership" and I would give members the "opportunity to apply for and use a fantastic all-in-one Discover credit card". They said nothing about requirements or threats. As far as I can tell, since he did not tell me the entire story about all this, he lied. Straight to my face, which is not all that surprising. I see several of my supervisors lie to my customers all the time to get out of being accountable and answering questions. By the way, the post about "Top-Down Selling" is entirely true. Also, many cashiers tend to lie to get easier upgrades. Many cashiers will tell you that every time that they shop, they save $10-20 with their Plus Membership when they don't even get the payroll deduction for the membership in the first place! I even did a week long study on how much people save with their Plus Memberships. I took every Plus Member's total and wrote how much they saved from all aspetcs of the Plus Membership. This means that I included eValues, extra warranty coverage, etc, EVERYTHING. I found that, on average, members would have to spend $117.46 to save $1 with the Plus Membership. When you flatten it out, in order to save the guaranteed $300 per year with the Plus Membership, you would need to spend, on average, approximately $35, 238 in the club in a single year. That amount of money would take me more than 3 straight years of work to earn.

So when March swings around and we all get those shiny Sam's Share checks, I'll deposit the money in to my bank account and promptly tell my managers to kiss my morally-righteous, non-conforming ###.

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fionfe
US
Mar 29, 2012 7:02 pm EDT

At the Sams club gas pumps this vehicle was blocking 2 gas pumps by being directly in between two. The other lanes were full with cars waiting. Before hand, his vehicle was in front of me and I was behind him. As the one in front of him left after fueling, The dent removal vehicle pulls up a tad bit and stops right between the pumps. He gets out of his car and starts walking away. I wave, 'move' up and he flips me off. The driver walks 2 pumps over to talk to a woman and he starts to PERFORM THE DENT REMOVAL ON HER CAR! Mean while, they are cars are going around her as she ignores the people giving her looks. I go around his car and get as close as I could to the pump since his nose of his truck was Right next to the 2nd pump. I finish pumping gas and he's still working on the ladies car in the next 2 rows, meanwhile a car pulls behind him. I point to that driver and say, 'He's fixing her car' and point to him. I finish fueling, write his and her info down and start to move up. Meanwhile the driver behind him honks and throws a fit yelling at him to 'move his damn car." AS I was driving away, the dent removal driver flips me the bird again. Very unprofessional. They also had no phone number on the car, only 'Got Dents' in the back an the side it read. 'Dent-al removal mobile auto bod pdr LP# BL92697. vehicle number 007.

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too moral for this job
Galena, US
Apr 14, 2012 2:15 am EDT

I totally agree with you. I recently quit my position at Sam's because of the Plus Membership Sales. As cashiers we hear all of the complaints even though we are in no position to do anything other than refer the member to the service desk or a manager. Most members are tired of being asked to upgrade and usually just want to get their stuff and get out without having to listen to several different spiels during the course of their transaction. The Plus Level Membership can save some people money, but only people who religiouly check their evalues and who spend A LOT of money at Sam's. After months of paying attention to the evalues redeemed by members I have found that most typically save about $1 to $2 per trip. This may be due to the fact that many who have been sold the upgrade, do not understand how to redeem their evalues because we do not always have enough time to explain every aspect of the upgrade during their transaction time. The only time that I have seen members truly having significant savings that make the extra $60 worth while is during the evalues events when FREE evalues are offered to everyone. If a shopper can combine those FREE evalues with their personalized evalues they can save even more. Personally I will not continue with the Plus Membership now that I am no longer with Sam's I have not seen evalues on the products I typically buy. The evalues that are offered are generally ones for products that I just purchased days before and no longer need. The value of the program is a perceived value and each person is going to see it differently. Once they have tried it though, most do not want to renew.

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Lee in Athens, Ohio
US
Apr 24, 2012 7:29 am EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I purchased mattress from SAMs club with deliver service. They promised a contact for delivery setup within two business days. However, I have not got any call for the last 4 days. I wonder how their delivery works.

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SKOR
Toronto, CA
Apr 24, 2012 8:01 am EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

They probably contract out delivery to a "wholesaler" delivery company - it's cheaper than hiring delivery staff themselves. One delivery company has a contract with multiple retailers; that's how the delivery company makes money.
They don't work for Sam's Club (directly), so there is no incentive to prioritize anyone.

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SICKofTHEbullCRAP
Paducah, US
Apr 30, 2012 6:53 am EDT

My Wife was fired today for not selling plus membership cards. She did as they asked and the customers said no!. She was a good employee. She would come to work on time, come in on her scheduled off days, Worked for other employees if they needed a day off, My wife enjoyed her job very much, other than having to sell the plus membership. Today she went to work and after they let her work her full shift, they tell her she is fired for not selling the plus. I know there is probably not much that can be done, but, I am considering having an attorney look at the situation.

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J. Greg Carradine
US
Nov 16, 2012 6:17 pm EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I work at Sams Club as a cashier. The manager over the front end department is constantly walking around the cashiers observing to see if we are selling pluses. It sucks! I don't care about my job anymore. I am ready to move on to another much better job where employees are treated fairly. Sams Club is full of it!

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Freshwater12
US
Nov 20, 2012 6:12 pm EST

I never had a plus card until now, only advantage. I was looking online to see what it helps out with. I bought it to help pay for prescription glasses since my daughter's insurance doesn't include it. I never realized the people there were so pressured to sell them. I hated being approached on it when I had to check out. What a tension they've created for both parties.

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bebear
Smithfield, US
Dec 22, 2012 11:44 pm EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I am a manager with Sam's. I have been with the company since I was in my early 20's. I have seen the company change and grow. Some changes I have not agreed with at all and some I support 100%. I understand how frustrating it is to be a cashier (been there done that) or to be a member champ. I know it is a pain to be expected to sell plus, renewals, service agreements, transfer merchandise and sign members up for credit. The key word here is EXPECT. Every employee at Sam's, including all the managers are expected to perform certain tasks. As a cashier you are evaluated once a year. On that evaluation there is a "productivity" section. You are being evaluated on your plus and credit numbers as well as your willingness to ask a simple question..."Would you be interested in our plus membership". Managers are also being evaluated on YOUR productivity. Our evaluations are not limited to just our job descriptions. We are evaluated on how the whole club is doing.
The folks that are talking about their managers just standing around and fussing at them for not getting the upgrades...talk to that manager's supervisor. There is an "Open Door" policy. Use it. Believe me...the managers are getting just as much pressure to get plus numbers as you are.
As for the gentleman who says his wife was fired for not selling plus. I seriously doubt that was the only reason she was let go. I am sorry she lost her job. But I can honestly say that in the almost two decades that I have been with this company I have never seen anyone get fired without numerous "coachings" or without them behaving in a way that is considered "gross misconduct'. And not getting plus ugrades is not gross misconduct.
Sam's Share. By selling plus, transferring merch to reduce loss and getting credit you are not only helping the management staff's Sam's Share but your own. Do managers get a larger bonus. Sure. We also work 60+ hours. Are responsible for a huge building, more merchandise than you can imagine, 150+ associates, environmental laws, food safety...I could go on and on. The bonus is based on the club performance and the dollar amount it based on how many hours you work. That is why full time associates get more. Or why one pt associate that has open availability gets more than the pt associate that can only work 2 days a week.
In this day and age, with the current economy I would think that you would be thankful to work for a company that strives to provide a fair, safe, and respectful work environment for their employees and to realize you are blessed with a job in a corporation that is not going away anytime soon. There are so many out there without jobs. So many businesses that are forced to close their doors or to cut their staff in half. I personally feel blessed that I am part of the Sam's Club community and that I am able to provide for my family.

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Fort smith 8134
Fort smith, US
Jan 05, 2013 11:47 pm EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Never ever ever be a cart associate. If you work too good then, you will not be moved inside, because apparently it's too hard for them too find someone to work outside that is does an alright job or won't quit. You have to work in 110 degree weather on black asphalt and 20 degree weather for the lowest pay at the store. You will get chewed out for not working hard, even though there are no carts to go get. And you will get griped at for getting behind, even though it's not your fault, it's because you're really busy and people called in.

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carpe diem
Dallas, US
Feb 18, 2013 2:17 pm EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I was convinced by Sam's club employee to upgrade to Sam's club Discover card business plus. However, there were no disclosures made about at least 2 things. (1) No one mention the fact that this is not a true 2% reward because you have to spend at least more than $10, 000 a year before you get up to the 2% reward level, and (2) that the reward check had to be cashed within 5 month or it will expire worthless. So, after 5 months, Sam's club will not replace the expired check even if it were not cashed because it was lost, etc. What a scam! They make it hard to earn the reward and harder to keep the money you've earned.

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davidpsr
Louisville, US
Mar 05, 2013 10:28 am EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I was suckered into 'upgrading' to a Plus card by a cashier who had been pulled off the register to work in a kiosk. I felt sorry for her. Most people ignored her and some were downright rude. People, PLEASE do not blame the cashiers. They HAVE to ask you to sign up for (waste your money on) the Plus card. If you want to complain to someone, ask for the store manager.

That said, I am going to request a refund of the 'upgrade, ' if you can call it that. I've yet to see a single dime in savings as a result of the 'upgrade.' As a matter of fact, I specifically looked at the current 'specials' and not a single one of them was for anything that I'd normally buy at Sam's. Most were for stuff I'd never buy at all. Anywhere.

IMHO, my SAM's club membership has less value every year. Even though you have to buy everything in 55-gallon drums, the price per unit is not nearly as attractive as it used to be. And you never know what they're going to have. See something you like? Better buy it today, because next week they'll probably stop carrying it.

In summary, avoid the Plus card unless you do a LOT of shopping at SAM's club. They probably make more money selling this card than they do profit on the goods they sell. IMHO, that's not a good business model.

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kona/teddy/niner
Pueblo, US
May 10, 2013 6:51 pm EDT

To continue every week to have to sit and wait for "extremely" long periods in order to get a handicapped scooter to get my groceries is completely unreasonable. When I asked for a manager, I was told after customer service paged four times, I might as well go home apparently one was not going to respond. If parking spots are provided an equal number of handicapped chairs and scooters should also be available or quickly become available, not hour long waits! My last wait yesterday was with another amputee and six very elderly people all waiting as well!

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Little Nipper
US
May 10, 2013 8:07 pm EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Sam's Club is not a hospital . "If parking spots are provided an equal number of handicapped chairs and scooters should also be available or quickly become available, not hour long waits! " were is this law written? You talk like the whole world is suppose to revolve around you, bring a wheel chair if you don't like waiting. Stores are limited to what conveniences they can provide it's understandable that a place like Sam's Club has a lot of people using the scooters they have the lowest prices and the elderly & sick who have the lower incomes shop there a lot.

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tbright1965
O Fallon, US
Jun 12, 2013 6:32 am EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Everyone has a different value set. For me, the extra values and the ability to get in the door before the general public (and get some free breakfast) is worth the $8/month I spend to have the plus membership.

If it's not worth it to you, don't buy it. The terms are spelled out, make a decision. It doesn't make it a rip off if it's not a good value to you. It's just not a good value to you.

Sam's Club member since 2004

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troshs
US
Jun 26, 2013 9:07 pm EDT

People think its only the cashiers who have to sell pluses...its everyone in my store...except management. I am an electronics associate and I have been threatened with my job if I don't sell plus memberships. I know all the benefits, can recite them word for word, but in the 7 months I have been there not ONE member has said yes. And yet its my fault? It isn't just about asking, either--you can ask every member that you see but that's still not enough. So those of you who say "Just ask." Well if they don't bite its just as bad as not asking. We have no control over whether the member says yes or no, so if we are at least trying, give us a break! I enjoyed my job until my manager pulled me off to the side one day and SCREAMED at me in front of customers that if I didn't get a plus I would lose my job. I'm waiting to walk in one day and be told I'm fired because of something people don't want.

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Rob1234567
Allentown, US
Sep 23, 2013 9:07 am EDT

I work at sams club too. It all depends what store you work at. Some stores have managers that wont fire you unless you never come or assault a member, some have managers that just shouldn't be managers cuz they abuse their power and look for things to b**ch about. If Some positions get treated better than others. Member ship gets treated like kings for upgrading, and carts get treated like s**t for working their ### off. but if you have a problem with supervisor, go to manager, then if need be, store manager, then if still need be, there should be business cards in your break room for people you don't know. That's the market team, who the boss of your store manager, call them and complain. Any time a our market team has to talk to a manager, the problems solved quickly, because the market team doesn't like the associates to have a hostile work environment and they have the power to fire a manager. If there arent businesses cards for market team, find the number for the HQ in Arkansas and call them. Your bosses would really be [censored]in their pants then! Hope that helps!

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Mt Rainier
Ashford, US
Nov 25, 2013 7:58 am EST

Sam's sent VIP flyers out with great prices for xmas gifts. I received one of these flyers and decided to stand in the line for the special hours for VIP members. I quickly got the items I wanted and headed to checkout - WELL...in order to get the prices quoted on flyer I had to buy the plus plan or pay the regular store price...needless to say I was really really upset - nowhere on that flyer did it say anything about having to have a plus membership. If I had know that plus was a requirement I would have stayed in my nice warm house instead of freezing in a line wrapped around the store. Bottomline - I paid the for the plus membership and will be back in the store to cancel the plus TODAY! Can't wait for that battle...the folks that work in the Customers Service Dept in my store are just down right rude! I will also write a letter to my state Attorney General as I think Sam's is not doing nice things with this plus membership. Why would Sam's send VIP flyers to non-plus members? Duh Duh Duh! Shame on you Sam's...what a scam!

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