Much like its famous competitor Costco, Sam’s Club offers members discount prices on bulk everyday essentials like toilet paper, eggs, produce, medicine, and more. They also sell inexpensive clothing, jewelry, luggage, and electronics. If you’re already a devoted Sam’s Club shopper, you probably know the chain’s biggest secrets and what not to buy. But you might not know some of the less savory details about the retailer. Read on to discover the most important warnings from ex-Sam’s Club employees, from why you can’t tip cart attendants to the reason you should reconsider that credit card.
READ THIS NEXT: 5 Warnings to Shoppers From Ex-Hobby Lobby Employees.
If you buy a large item like a television or load up on groceries, you might want to hand your cart attendant a tip, but you’ll have to be sneaky. These employees are not supposed to take tips, but one former attendant admitted on Reddit that they would accept them and were even “encouraged by others to keep the tips.”
“It’s more hilarious when members know you can’t get them and they play it smooth so no one sees them giving you the tip,” a shopper joked in response.
But it’s no laughing matter. Employees can be terminated for accepting money from shoppers. “Our Club Manager mentioned the practice of tipping and how we’re not allowed to take tips because it’s an ‘ethics’ issue and how if we’re caught taking them, it’s termination on the spot,” explained a Redditor in another thread. So, if you must slip an attendant some cash, be sure they’re comfortable taking it.
Sam’s Club closes at 8 p.m., but most locations don’t make announcements to give customers a time check because they want you to shop for as long as possible. However, that can mean that employees end up staying much later than expected.
In one Reddit thread, current employees complained that many times they don’t get to leave until closer to 9 p.m. because customers don’t realize the store is closing.
An ex-employee with the username TheWitchStage divulged on Reddit that staying past the scheduled closing time was often an issue at their Sam’s Club. “Every closing shift was just expected to stay late but they legally can’t force you to stay past your scheduled time.” Still, employees do feel pressure to stay, so make sure to head towards checkout well before closing time.
For more shopping advice delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
Employees are strongly encouraged to hit certain sales goals when it comes to credit cards, which can lead to pushiness while you’re checking out.
“You are expected to try and sell as many credit cards as poss [sic] even though most people already have one or don’t want one, with repercussions if those goals aren’t met,” one past cashier shared on Indeed. The constant pressure to sell credit cards leads to high turnover because of what the anonymous ex-employee calls “unreal expectations.”
When you’re checking out, don’t feel pressured to get a credit card. You just might regret it if you don’t know all the terms.
Along with needing to make credit card sales, employees are also urged to get people to sign up for membership upgrades. Posting on Indeed, an anonymous ex-employee wrote, “As a frontline member, you are really pushed to make everyone [get] a credit card or member upgrade.”
“Cashiers are told to upsell memberships and say ANYTHING to make the guest say yes…Management will threaten to fire you if you don’t ask customers to upgrade,” a fellow former employee chimed in.
Most shoppers assume that when an associate checks your receipt on the way out of the store, they’re doing a quick scan to make sure the items match up. But ex-employee @LeaningChaos revealed on TikTik that this isn’t the case. “They are looking under the buggy to make sure there’s nothing there and they’re checking that there’s no expensive items.” Basically, it’s a shoplifting deterrent.