KANSAS CITY, Kan., Oct. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Sam's Club will
expand its long retail history in the Kansas City area this month by opening a new
Speedway location Thursday, Oct. 18,
at 8:30 a.m., following an
8 a.m. grand opening ceremony. The
new club, located across from the Legends Shopping Center, is
easily accessible to Wyandotte
County residents and surrounding communities on at 10510
Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City,
Kan.
Bringing an eighth location to Kansas, Sam's Club listened to local community
members who requested greater convenience and accessibility to the
larger Kansas City area. New Club
Manager Keith Pappert highlights the
convenience of this location for residents and racing fans, the
addition of 175 local jobs with career opportunities, and
extraordinary savings on quality merchandise for Wyandotte County.
"At Sam's Club, we value our long-established relationship with
the greater Kansas City
community," Pappert said. "Sam's Club and Walmart currently employ
19,706 associates in Kansas, so
with the opening of the Speedway club we will support more than
20,000 associates in the state. In 2011, Sam's Club parent company
Walmart Stores Inc., paid more than $50
million in state and local taxes within Kansas, and contributed $7.4 million to local and non-profit
organizations through the Walmart Foundation. My team is excited to
build on this relationship and welcome Wyandotte County to our club."
Mayor Joe Reardon specifically
referenced the Sam's Club opening during his State of the City
address earlier this year and said the community is excited about
the infusion of new retail into Kansas
City.
"The investment by Sam's Club represents a development that
equates to real opportunities for our citizens by bringing more
than 175 jobs and additional sales tax revenue to our community,"
Reardon said. "Our residents will no longer have to travel outside
of their community to access this kind of retail. We also
appreciate the commitment Sam's Club brings to our community
through $45,000 in
contributions."
"A lot of work has gone into this project, and every single one
of our associates has helped contribute to its completion," Pappert
said. "This club is for Wyandotte, and I appreciate all of our
associates for their commitment to seeing this new Speedway
location come to fruition."
Born in St. Louis, Pappert
started his career with Sam's Club in Columbia, Mo., as a cashier in 1991. A
graduate of Salem High School in Salem, Kansas, Pappert says of his flourishing Sam's
Club career, "I am humbled by the way Sam's Club changed my life. I
started my career as a cashier 21 years ago at the club in
Columbia, Missouri, and was
thrilled to move back to Wyandotte
County 11 years ago as manager of another Sam's Club in the
county."
"All Lanes Open" Checkout Convenience
In response to member feedback on increasing the speed of the
checkout process at Sam's Club, there is no more appropriate club
than the KC Speedway Sam's Club to launch a new innovation for
members -- the convertible register. Allowing "all lanes
open" at the Speedway club every day, Sam's Club is testing a new
register design that can be managed by cashier associates or
automated and turned around for self check-out by our members.* In
addition to four self-checkout-only kiosks, a popular purchasing
option for members at more than 300 U.S. club locations, the
convertible register test provides a swift, convenient conclusion
to the Sam's Club shopping experience. As Speedway managers listen
to member feedback in Kansas City,
Sam's Club can more accurately determine when and where to expand
access to the convertible register innovation in 2013.
In addition to self-checkout innovations, members can enjoy
savings made simple through SamsClub.com, the Sam's Club mobile app
and iPad app, providing easy access to services including
next-day pick-up shopping service through Click 'n' Pull®,
on-the-go shopping for products available both in-Club and online;
membership renewals and upgrades; and automatic upload of digital
photos directly to the Sam's Club photo center.
Sam's Club to Support Local Charities
Sam's Club has a longstanding commitment to give back to the
communities it serves, and the new Speedway club is no different.
Associates from the new club have selected several local
organizations to receive $25,000 in
grants from the Walmart Foundation. The recipients include
Hillcrest Ministries, Cross-Lines, Local Chapter of Multiple
Sclerosis, Food for Friends in Tonganoxie, KCK Police Department's O. K.
Program of Kansas City, KCK Fire
Department, VanGo of Lawrence,
Cottonwood of Lawrence, Camp Naish, Leavenworth Fire Department, Leadership 2020,
and Sunflower House.
Additionally, the Walmart Foundation presented a $22,000 grant to KCK schools for their breakfast
program and the new Sam's Club will also help fight hunger in the
area by continuing to make regular product donations to the local
Food Bank. As part of a nationwide collaboration between
Sam's Club and Feeding America, Sam's Club donated more than 39
million meals in 2010 to Feeding America, the nation's largest
hunger-relief charity.
Products Support Community Needs
The new Speedway Sam's Club benefits a wide range of shoppers
seeking quality, selection and value. Race fans will immediately
notice the vast electronics department featuring fantastic
high-definition televisions.
Busy moms and those who love to cook will find an expansive
array of everyday needs items including fresh produce, quality
meats and home meal solutions. With Halloween and the Holidays around the corner,
items like candy and treats are in large supply for members of all
ages, while office supplies, vending machine snacks and paper goods
prepare small business members for success. Small business members
can also take advantage of early shopping hours, truckload savings,
Click 'n' Pull and Fax 'n' Pull next-day pick up service and credit
line support.
Fuel Station and Hearing Aid Center Among Amenities
Sam's Club fans can now gas up at the new Sam's Club fuel
station, which opened in September, exclusively for Sam's Club
members.
Health and wellness benefits to members include the Sam's Club
pharmacy, open to members and the public, featuring $4 and $10 generic
prescriptions and savings on branded prescriptions. Sam's Club also
offers a free, exclusive wellness magazine, Healthy Living Made
Simple, optical department and free monthly health screenings
to help members take charge of their health through preventive
measures.
The new club debuts a Sam's Club Hearing Aid Center, offering
free hearing tests and premium technology in hearing aid and
personal listening devices alongside the care of a certified
audiologist.
Layout, Bright Atmosphere, Expansive Selections Await
Members
The new Sam's Club features a shopper-friendly interior layout
and measures 137,000 square feet.
"Community members will be pleased when they see our new
facility. The layout will make it easy for them to shop, while
receiving the same excellence in member service and savings that
Kansas already knows and deserves
from Sam's Club," Pappert said.
As an innovative steward of the communities it serves, Sam's
Club utilizes a variety of environmentally-friendly materials and
energy-efficient fixtures. For instance, numerous
daylight-harvesting skylights reduce the amount of energy required
to light the club by up to 75 percent daily. LED lighting
throughout the club, including in the cooler and freezer box doors
and jewelry counter, operates 70 percent more efficiently than
traditional fluorescent lighting.
Grand Opening Event
The grand opening ceremony will take place at 8 a.m., Oct. 18.
Numerous local dignitaries, Mayor Joe
Reardon and Wyandotte Chamber
of Commerce members will join the new Speedway Sam's Club
associates for the celebration. Ask a membership associate for more
information on membership savings for the grand opening.
Membership Information
Sam's Club membership is an investment that more than pays for
itself. Whether buying for a household or a business, a Sam's Club
membership offers exclusive savings on merchandise and outstanding
member benefits. With access to instant savings and early shopping
hours, Plus membership offers even more with our premium service
options. Advantage memberships for families and individuals start
at $40 annually, Plus memberships are
$100, Business members pay
$35 annually and Business Plus
members pay $100. Special savings for
college students and military families are also available. Visit
SamsClub.com/membership for a full menu of services or to renew
your membership today.
About Sam's Club
Sam's Club, a division of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT), is
the nation's eighth largest retailer and a leading Membership
warehouse club offering superior products and services to more than
47 million Members in clubs across the U.S., as well as in
Brazil, China and Mexico. To learn more about Savings Made
Simple®, visit SamsClub.com, and look for Sam's Club on
Twitter, Facebook and on mobile and iPad® apps.
*The convertible register is a test product for Sam's Club
Speedway members and not available at other Sam's Club locations.
Only credit and debit cards (no cash) are accepted at self-checkout
and convertible registers.
SOURCE Sam's Club