‘Would you like to upgrade for $55.06?’: Shopper tries to buy cat litter at Sam’s Club at 8:30am. Then self-checkout stops them
One Sam’s Club customer was stunned to discover their membership tier didn’t come with the “privilege” of something they consider should be standard.
In a viral video, Tristan (@bellstohell) shows the Sam’s Club self-checkout screen as they try to purchase cat litter at 8:30am. The screen says, “Like early shopping hours, Tristan? Shopping before 10 am is an exclusive Plus perk. Would you like to upgrade for $55.06?” It then gives the option to “Upgrade today” or “Skip just this once.”
Tristan writes in the video’s on-screen caption, “Hey @Sams Club this is dystopian as frick.”
Does Sam’s Club really limit who can shop before 10am?
According to an article in The U.S. Sun, yes. The store offers two membership tiers—the Club for $50 annually and Plus for $110 annually. The latter affords shoppers early access to their local clubs between 8am and 10am on weekdays, and 8am and 9am on Saturdays. It also comes with benefits like free shipping and curbside pickup.
Will I be able to get into Sam’s Club early if I’m not a Plus member?
According to the U.S. Sun, there is debate on this subject. Some Reddit users say workers check memberships at the door and will not allow Club members in early. Others say their stores don’t check memberships or that if they do, they allow all members in early, but only Plus members can check out at the registers.
What happens if I try to check out early and I’m not a Plus member?
The U.S. Sun states that a Redditor was able to successfully check out early without a Plus membership.
“I’ve been able to buy things early without a Plus membership but it did pull up the screen about upgrading,” the member shared.
Other shoppers reported getting around the early hours restriction by using the Scan & Go feature. Scan & Go is a feature that allows customers to use their phone to scan items in their cart and pay. When they’re done shopping, they can skip the line and walk straight out the door after a worker confirms they’ve paid for their items.
Does Costco have exclusive early hours?
Several commenters mentioned that Costco does not have this limitation on who can shop at the store during certain hours.
“That’s crazy! *renews Costco membership *” user Nami Relwof sarcastically commented.
“Switch to Costco they don’t play that,” user Ray said.
Indeed, while Costco used to allow its Executive members early access, it ended this perk several years ago.
The Mary Sue contacted Tristan via TikTok comment and direct message. It contacted Sam’s Club via press email and Costco via media contact form.
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