Is Sam’s Club Plus Worth It?
I’ve been a Sam’s Club member for almost two years now and I enjoy the tremendous savings of buying in bulk. I am able to stock up on many non-perishables and leave the local grocery store (or farmer’s market) for fresh fruits, veggies, and meats.
Recently, Sam’s Club has been asking me to upgrade to upgrade my account to a “plus” one. A plus account adds “eValues”, which are digital coupons, to your account. You log into your Sam’s Club account online (or at an in-store kiosk) to see what’s available. From there, you are able to email or print the items on the list. All you need to do is buy the items and the discounts appear at the register. According to Sam’s Club eValue FAQs, “eValues means $300 in guaranteed savings. With eValues, you have the opportunity to save an additional $200 a year on top of the savings you already enjoy.”
So a few weeks ago I broke down and upgraded my account for $20 (this price depends on when your account will expire). It took a few days to see the “e-values” appear under my account online. Once there, I was offered $203 in offered e-values. These included $100 off jewelry, $50 off a mattress, $40 of laminate flooring, and $1-$2 off various food products. The only thing I would most likely buy is the Bertolli extra virgin olive oil at $2 off. Other than that, I am not seeing savings for anything that I normally buy. I usually pickup cat litter, cat food, milk, eggs, and OJ on a bi-weekly basis.
Hopefully I will get a few more “eValues” on my account over the next few weeks to make a decision if it’s worth it for me. To make it up, I need to at least break even with the $20 upgrade fee by April. If not, I may not continue my plus membership with them.
Do you have a Sam’s Club Advantage Plus membership? What’s your take on the program? Are there similar programs out there?
I posted an update to this topic in another blog post: “Update: Is Sam’s Club Plus Worth It?” Please check it out.
Tags: Memberships, Sam's Club, Savings, Worth it?
Email Subscription
RSS Feed
Twitter
January 11th, 2010 at 10:44 pm
I think with the plus membership the savings will stack up if you are a business. I am going to look into this. Thanks.
January 12th, 2010 at 4:05 pm
I personally don’t feel the upgrade is worth it seeing as how the discounts you received were useless to the regular Sam’s Club member. Most people I know that go to Sam’s Club go for one thing ; bulk food. So I find it curious why they would give you such high discounts for something like jewelry of all things. I dont think many people even know Sam’s Club sells jewelry. It’s a very obscure discount. What they should give you is a choice on discounts you receive. Obviously we all would pick the food one. That’s just my two-cents.
-Todd
January 14th, 2010 at 10:44 am
I agree with Todd. The extra eValuse may not be worth it this time around. It may turn out that you can use the extra coupons now and then, but probably not what they’re offering. The $20 extra isn’t too bad, however is this a yearly / subscribing fee, or a one-time fee?
January 14th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
The Advantage Plus membership is $100/year normally. The regular Advantage is $40/year. So for the additional $60/year I may not find myself keeping the Plus membership when I renew. This will all depend on what I find in the upcoming months.
January 31st, 2010 at 10:13 pm
[...] few weeks ago I wrote about if the Sam’s Club Advantage Plus membership is worth it. To recap, a plus account adds “eValues”, which are digital coupons, to your [...]
March 17th, 2010 at 2:41 am
Tons of Fantastic information in your blogpost, I bookmarked your site so I can visit again in the near future, Cheers
May 5th, 2010 at 12:10 am
hi there guys i work for sam’s club and i just wanted to add something about the plus program its a shame to have the everyday customer spen that kinda money on useless discounts. My bosses make us jam the info down members throat everyday. even if u say no they tell us to explain in more detail other advantages of the plus like a bogus $100 certificate to expidia.com for hotel and airfare but what isnt said is you have to spend a certain amount on a package deal in order to use that discount. I am waiting for the day someone files a lawsuit or something against the company for them to relize that ppl in the economy can”t and willnot spen the extra money they ounce could.
May 5th, 2010 at 12:18 am
as a cashier we have 2 meetings a month and they are both about selling plus’s and geting memebrs renew there membership 2 months in advance so they can make what they call sam’s share which is nothing more than pure profit for the company. if the econemy was any better i would have left this ruthless throat gouging company but i have a 2 yr old son and a daughter weeks from coming now. just wanted to give ppl an inside info on there dealings from a discusted and frustrated employee. thats stuck in hell.
July 4th, 2010 at 1:00 pm
ozzi and others: thanks for the heads up. just got my Sam’s renewal statement and realized all the ramifications of allowing the checkout girl talk me into last year’s $36 additional for Plus membership. not only did I not spend $36 in unrecouped eValues (there are only so many paper towels and toilet paper rolls that I can store) but I absolutely refuse to pay $100 to renew the Plus membership. am going to Sam’s today to re-establish a $40 “regular” membership. and will continue to hope for the day Costco opens its doors a little closer.
July 13th, 2010 at 12:39 am
the Sam’s club plus card and evalues program is relatively new and if you recently upgraded your account it will take time for the e-values to be geared more towards your individual preferences. if you familiarize yourself with the additional benefits that come with the card i think you will find that as long as your savvy and use the benefits provided the card comes in very handy. before you consider cancelling you should stop by the service desk and get some useful information on the benefits.
August 7th, 2010 at 10:29 pm
Hello Everyone,
I posted an update to my Sam’s Club eValues here: http://www.pocketcoinage.org/?p=75
In the end I did not extend my plus membership, because I could not take advantage of all the coupons. I never made that $20 back when I upgraded.
I actually have not been to Sam’s Club in a few months. I’ve been taking advantage of the local supermarkets’ summer sales and stocking up on everything. I was able to get Marcal paper towels at half the price of Pom.
September 27th, 2010 at 5:18 pm
I was talked into upgrading last year as well. Not only did I NOT make my extra $60 back, I went in and tried to cancel it to get a refund at one point. I was told at “Member service” that the Health Insurance benefit alone more than pays you back if you have ONE problem that you see the doctor for. I live over 100 miles from my nearest club so I let her talk me into that one. You have to go on-line to sign up for it so I did when I got home only to find out it isn’t available in my area!!!!!!!!!! So I let them talk me into it TWICE and still no real benefit from it. At least when it is time for me to re-new next month I am going back to the $40.
October 4th, 2010 at 7:09 pm
Congrats to ozzi! i also am a trapped sams club cashier who feels guilty about pushing that plus! fyi….they say its a fully refundable upgrade fee. i feel like im lying to people!
November 5th, 2010 at 3:02 pm
Thought I’d try the upgrade for about $40. (pro rated). in the 5 months I’ve had it , E-values have saved me 14.00. Most items available I do not use or can only purchase so many for my usage. Would not recommend this to a normal weekly purchaser. Would rather see them give me a 5% discount on my total bill. Am going back to the original card.
December 10th, 2010 at 2:39 pm
I too was talked into it. It seemed like a good deal. However, the ’savings’ at the kiosk was nothing I would normally purchase or was in such bulk that it would be financially unfeasible. It did me little good at the pharmacy–$2 savings, and my second use was $1 off the pizza/soda lunch. $55 hard earned bucks gone in a few minutes. I decided the other day to go back and see if they would prorate the membership and refund me back. They refunded the entire amount! I had my receipt and interestingly, on the flyer, it states 100% money back if not satisfied. I was truly grateful.
January 14th, 2011 at 10:33 pm
I’ve been employeed with sams for 2 yrs. I don’t see any good in the plus membership.yeah you can save here and there with e values but I get people everyday who tried it and they hate it. The good thing is you can get your money back but most people tend to forget.its annoying to shove info to members over and over each time they shop. the company seriously needs to lay off the plus its ridiculous!! Most people don’t see the benefits esp those who don’t shop often @ sams. I like my job but its stressful when you HAVE to sell plus or you could get fired ugh!
May 28th, 2011 at 7:18 pm
Woot! Thanks all. I am just about to sign up for a Sam’s Club membership. It has been on my mind for months, but I simply could not decide which membership. Instead of just doing something, I sat there. My health has taken a serious downturn, so getting groceries has become difficult. With Sam’s online order and then drive-in pick-up, life should get a bit easier. But until I could figure which membership, all I was doing was spinning my wheels. Thanks for the help!
Does it always seem easier in retrospect just to me?
June 5th, 2011 at 11:10 pm
I’ve worked at the Sam’s Club membership desk for nearly 3 years now. The Sam’s Club membership can save people a reasonable amount of money, but only for select people. If you have a Discover card, you do earn 2% cash back, although you have to spend $10,001 before you do so. Some businesses have come in with refund checks close to $10,000, but that is very rare and really only beneficial to people so spend A LOT. eValues for the most part are a joke, they are supposed to customize to what you purchase but this doesn’t typically happen, and I’ve rarely seen anyone save $60 or more. The reason that we do have to pressure members and, yes, ’stretch’ the truth (trying to avoid the word ‘lie’) is because we will get fired for not getting upgrades. That’s how it is in my store anyway. I’ve been written up twice for it and I’ve had a couple of friends that were fired. If we don’t ask, we lose our jobs, therefore we have to essentially lie or make it sound better than what it actually is. A cashier technique I’ve noticed is telling people “Oh, you can upgrade for $xx.xx today!” While not telling them it’s $100 to renew.
July 6th, 2011 at 5:48 pm
I work for Sam’s Club and I am upset to see that other actual associates are dissing this way to save members money. Yes it benefits us, but what company doesn’t have incentives for their associats…. but about the memberhsip you get evalues (coupons saved on your membership) but did you know they start syncing to your shopping habits… Yes you may not use all of the ones that are offered at one particular time, but they are constantly being uploaded to your membership card. So there are going to always be things on there that you can save on and try or on things that you use every day, like paper products, pet products, and other every day needs. I buy my fruits and veggies there because I get an extra discount, but because I buy so much of it there I am always getting evalues on graps, bananas, strawberries, and so on… ALSO with the plus membership you get to take advantage along with our business members with the early shopping hours, you can earn up to 2% cash back on the sam’s club discover card… which I am a card holder and earned a $357 reward check last February just for using that card. If you are going to pay with cash, check, debit card or whatever… you put the purchase on your discover card then pay it off in the next transaction with the same cashier. You get extra discounts in the pharmacy( on perscriptions that aren’t apart of the 4/10 buck prescription plan)… AND you can take advantage of the online Sam’s Club Auction site…. Also you get an extra year of extended warranty when you purchase an extended warrenty…. the NEW company is an outside company I have heard good and bad things… being that I have dealt with them on products I have bought I haven’t had any issues with them….So being a plus members pays…. I pay extra to be a plus member just like everyone else… I am a single women who lives alone and it still pays for me to be apart of this program.
August 18th, 2011 at 4:04 pm
Sam’s club employees.. thanks for being painfully honest with us shoppers.
I was surprised to see a $100 charge on my Sam’s club and it was for membership! I will definitely downgrade it, since I haven’t seen any savings
September 7th, 2011 at 5:33 pm
I’m a new mmber hoping to maximize the benefits of membership — searched “Is Sam’s Club Plus Worth It?” and of course google brought me right here. Thanks for blogging on this issue, I’m sure lots of googlers will land here in the future — the words from Sam’s employees are priceless, maybe with the exception of newbeg, I’m probably not the only one suspecting she’s in Sam’s pocket…
“upset to see that other actual associates are dissing this way to save members money.”
translation: “upset to see information disclosed that Sam’s Club works so hard to keep obscure,”
Again, thanks, Gabriel, I’ll be watching this blog!
September 8th, 2011 at 1:13 pm
I am an associate who has worked for the company for a long time. The plus Is pretty much rediculous in my opinion. Dont get me wrong there are people who do benifit from it but the gerneral economy stricken shopper does not. Like another said you do initially only pay an upgrade fee that is a pro rated ammount, then in turn when it is time to renew you get hit with the full $100. I remeber when this program first rolled out people were getting mad because cashires were snagging them left and right with upgrade fees of $5 or less and then when it was time to renew in a few days they would cancle it because it went from $40 to $100. Now the focus is getting them at 45 days prior to renewal we actually can get in troublefor not getting enough people to renew in that period of time through the registers. Also like another one said the Evalues deals are mainly on a couple of big ticket items like laptops and jewelry that equal up the bulk of the $300 a month savings. Items like that arent things people usually buy just to save $$ on I mean you wouldnt just up and replace the windows in your house just because there was a good sale would you. Thats kind of what the evalues are about suggestive buying of things you normally wouldnt just to feel good about saving $1 on it other than any other time and you can only buy one at the discount as well. Im not hating on the company in general ive made a lot of friends there hired some good people that have done well and generally like whtat I do, but the company I think should take a couple of steps back and look at the big picture. Because a lot of people, associates and members this has effected in a real negitive way from getting it pounded down your throat as soon as you walk in the door,reach the evalues kiosk, talk to people on the sales floor… if there are any, and finally when you check out. Its saddening that the biggest company in the world has to operate in such a harsh way, almost like a high commision sales job except there really are no extra benifits to selling the most pluses except a pat on the back and an even higher expectation for the next shift you work with consiquences if you dont. Thats pretty much what the general consensus it around my club and I know theres areas of the contry where it isnt this way everyone gets pluses and they have no problems meeting their golas and everyone is somewhat happy but in the area where im at the economy is horrible sales are down business are closing left and right all around the city and everyone worries if theyll have a job the next day yet our job performance and status is judged on our ability to persusde someone into something that they dont absolutely have to have to walk into the store and do what they need to do is BS but thats how the company seems to run.
September 22nd, 2011 at 9:37 am
We upped to the $100 membership last year when purchasing a television set and a computer. The Plus membership granted us a double extended warranty, but yesterday I renewed at the regular level as I just can’t see being able to save the $60 difference through $2 off coupons. Also, the gusto with which the cashier was trying to push the plus membership seemed suspect.
If you come across a major purchase and want the extended warranty, just upgrade your membership at that time. If you want to buy some jewelry, upgrade when making that purchase. Just don’t carry a plus membership all year long for no good reason.
September 29th, 2011 at 9:25 pm
I work at sams and I have the bosses down my neck telling me to sell at lest 2 a week or I will be written up. We make money off of plus and that is why we need it. I don’t like asking every member who comes up to me if they want to upgrade. I hate it. I feel awful begging like an idiot for them to upgrade! But, I must ask you or I will get fired. That is that.
October 6th, 2011 at 1:49 pm
I got tired of the endless sales push for eValues. I will not renew my membership this year, after 18 years…. This eValues thing pushed me over the edge. Costco came to town a year ago. Time to move on.
I don’ thtink they realize how annoying it is to a customer to get asked every single time if they have heard of this bogus discount. I even told them that if they asked me again, I’d be done with their store. Guess they don’t care.
October 29th, 2011 at 11:34 pm
I really couldnt help but to comment because I am a new cashier at a store who makes a lot off of plus and credits. Yes sometimes I believe upgrading for $60 is a rip off. But when prices are low $7-$30 I always ask members to upgrade because then trying it is somewhat helpful. Im honest with my managers and tell them im not gonna nag a member about upgrading because I feel like im scamming people. Our members are getting smarter too by asking more questions and saying NO! Familiar faces who i see often I try not to ask more than once because no one wants to be overwhelmed by begging everytime they shop at sams club! I am the Champ of Sales at my store right now and everyday they depend on me to get some numbers for the day….its hard and sometimes i do feel bad but who doesnt want a bonus check at the end of the year??? UPGRADE WHEN PRICES ARE LOW ONLY… and use what you have….I have a plus membership but it only cost me $2
November 7th, 2011 at 7:29 am
I was in Sam’s Club in my area with my grandson and I approached a cashier in the tobacco sales department, NOT the other way around. She explained to me how the Plus card works and I went to the front desk and applied for the Plus card only paying the extra $30.00 extra since my regular card expired in April. I did this BEFORE I read the COMMENTS section for the pros and cons on the web. I only go to Sam’s Club for my grandson to buy one product for him and a few for myself probably once or twice a month. I am going to try this card until April and will probably go back to my regular card. I was NOT told how much money I had to spend with my Discover card before getting the 2% back on purchases. My sister has a Costco card but she must shop more than me since she says she gets enough back each year to pay her membership fee. I do NOT like Costo because they do not offer as much as Sam’s Club. My daughter has a Costco card and prefers to shop there. It was NOT explained to me if the Plus card is a credit card or just the card to get into the store. In fact, nothing much was explained to me at the front desk. They also had a problem at the desk trying to process my application getting a person NOT from the USA on the phone who could barely speak American. Sound familiar???? After 30 MINUTES of waiting I finally got my Plus card. They apologized for the long wait and confusion. Thank goodness as I get older I have more patience with people. Bottom line, I will try the Plus card until April of 2012 and will keep my receipts to see how much I save between now and then.
November 10th, 2011 at 7:20 pm
independent research archive…
[...]PocketCoinage» Blog Archive » Is Sam’s Club Plus Worth It?[...]…
November 14th, 2011 at 8:24 pm
I too am a cashier at Sam’s and am a newer hire… I hate selling the plus but am taken into the office and “coached” on selling.. please dont get upset at the cashiers we are told 3 a week or fired.. most of us do not like it and complain to managment as well and they do not care.. members need to ban together and kep complaining about constant harrasment on plus and put a stop to this greed.. I have high marks in every area and aspect of my job besides selling plus,, I cant “sell” something I dont see benefits of. And if I wanted to be a salesperson I would have applied for saleperson type job not a cashier
November 14th, 2011 at 8:28 pm
also we were barely given the proper information to sale.. we are told one thing one day and 2 days later told no thats not true.. We are hired and thrown out there.. with plus plus plus shoved down our throat… also credit credit but with no proper training or information about these offers …
November 22nd, 2011 at 4:08 am
run your own business…
[...]PocketCoinage» Blog Archive » Is Sam’s Club Plus Worth It?[...]…
November 26th, 2011 at 1:51 pm
I’ve previously worked at Sam’s Club in Greenville,SC and can tell you, everyone out on the floor is underpaid. Management told me, and i confirmed it with CS, that if a customer doesn’t like their membership even after using it 364 days, they can go to CS desk and tell them they’d like their money back.. no questions asked! Same goes for the upgrade fees, if you didn’t like it, tell them and request a refund. I thought it was the biggest scam ever to refund it after using every possible day in the yearly membership, but they do it. Also, I hated feeling like I was working for commission and basically begging people to sign up for A Membership, let alone upgrade.. I never was a cashier, never wanted to learn. I drove the forklift and they will certify anyone! They certified me before I was even ready.. I was still running into the wall behind me.. I was fired because I “didnt write a paper” as to why I wasn’t asking AND getting results for the membership sign ups or upgrades.. They wanted me to write a paper..ON MY ONLY DAY OFF… and bring it back as to why that was happening and what I could do to fix it. I think not. I leave work and work problems at work. I don’t take it home. Especially if I’m not getting paid to do work related things.. I’m not salary, and I’m not commission.
December 17th, 2011 at 6:18 pm
Distraction Zone”There really are a amount of sound creating devices that broadcast sounds fearful to geese–like Canada Goose Expedition Parka in pricking the eggs which has a giant darning needle to destroy the sacks insideMany do this whenever the eggs
January 24th, 2012 at 12:12 pm
I have shopped at Sam’s Club and I now work for them as a marketing team member. I have a plus membership and I have studied the Plus Membership in depth the past 6 months. Nothing is guaranteed as far as savings. What is guaranteed is the offer of savings. You are welcome to buy the $190 worth of stuff that is only 3 items.. And you will save the money they offered. It is almost like coupons. But just like coupons.. If you don’t buy the products that are being given.. how can you take advantage of the savings? … I do not know how your membership works with your savings but I have had mine for about 6 months and I have saved on a lot of food items that I do buy there, I have saved on paper towls and toilet paper. They have even put diapers for my son on there and even in the size and brand I use. I have gotten an evalue on my orange juice as well.
Things like eggs, milk, and things like that I have never seen a discount on. Bread and butter yes. Meats.. even steak.
January 24th, 2012 at 12:18 pm
Plus and credit champ? .. Where did you get your information? … I’m just confused because that is my title as well. Even if they sign up when the cost is $60.. They have 11 months and 29 days to return it in full. Even if you saved the full $200 or more… Sam’s Club will refund your money in full. In FACT.. If you are not completely happy with your membership, Sam’s Club will return your $60 upgrade. and your $40 membership fee. That is a complete refund of $100.
If anyone has a question as to how it works or what we promise.. feel free to reply back to me. If you have questions on credit, that is also my job. Our rates are as followed.. If you get a line of credit only useable at Sam’s club, gas station at sam’s, and WalMart, your interest rate is 22.9% no matter what your credit score is. You could have 800+ and you will get this rate. If you get the discover, and your credit is great, it will be 14.9%. If you have ok credit, or poor, it will be 22.9.
Any other questions feel free to ask.
January 28th, 2012 at 2:29 am
Okay, seriously getting tired of all these people trying to justify the “Plus Membership.”
Obviously there’s a lot of members on here reading this, from all of the posts that are available, so I’ll make this nice… as much as I can.
This company is money hungry and cold. They don’t care about us employees, and all they want is our hard work for Their nice bonuses.
But what some of the members don’t understand, is that we cashiers don’t agree with the things we say to you. We have to LIE to you in order to keep our jobs, and some of us, most of us, feel so bad about it, that we don’t even do it. I’m one of them. I’m about to lose my job because I REFUSE to lie to someone who pays to shop in such a shoddy place.
I just hope someone who can do something about the awful things going on in the Company comes across this page and realizes, this program isn’t helping, it’s hurting. It’s caused so much stress. It’s cost so many jobs. Everyone needs to know, we don’t say it all day long because we like to- we have to do it to make a living.
February 4th, 2012 at 12:21 pm
Thank you for writing this article and thanks to everyone who chimed in. Nice to get the scoop on this from so many different sides. I always felt like the poor cashiers were being railroaded into pushing this on the customer and had my doubts about how worthwhile the program would be.
You all rock, thanks!