Not only have Sam’s Club membership fees increased, but regular club members will now incur extra fees on delivery orders. Sam’s Club has two membership tiers—Club and Plus—with the latter offering a higher membership fee each year and extra perks like free shipping, curbside pickup, and early shopping hours.
As reported by The Sun, extra fees will be added to purchases based on the weight of each order when free shipping is not an option. You may want to check over your delivery fees twice—here’s how to spot the charge:
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Sam's Club Delivery Surcharges Explained
Whereas Plus members (who pay an extra $55 per year) get free shipping on most online items at no minimum, general Club members receive free shipping on fewer specially marked items.
That means for most members, surcharges are applied to delivery orders upon checkout. According to the club, shipping costs for each order are different—meaning there is no flat shipping rate.
The shipping cost is calculated at checkout based on the items in your cart—item size, weight, shipping method, and delivery address all can add pesky surcharges to your shipping price. When you browse on Sam's Club website, the retailer predicts an estimated shipping cost based on their lowest-price shipping method, meaning what you see predicted could vary much differently at checkout.
If you are shipping to multiple addresses or shipping outside of the continental US (aka Alaska and Hawaii), shipping costs will likely increase.
To avoid shipping charges, you can opt to only purchase products labeled "Free shipping" which will keep you from facing added fees.
More Hidden Fees At Sam's Club
Dozens of retailers are now imposing bag fees at checkout as state-level single-use bag bans and restrictions get enacted. Sam's Club's parent company Walmart banned single-use plastic bags in states where bag bans are in place and even added fees in New Jersey (.42 cents per shopping bag on delivery orders) following local law to limit plastic pollution.
Sam's Club must follow suit where local law is in place—for instance, Walmart bans single-use plastic bags in Maine, Vermont, New York, Connecticut, and Colorado based on state bag bans.
Between shipping upcharges and bag fees, it's becoming more and more expensive to shop, especially as inflation affects the economy. Shoppers will have to decide themselves if the surcharges creeping onto their bills, like these at grocery stores and service fees at restaurants, are worth their extra pennies—if not, retailers may risk customers shopping elsewhere.
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