April 29, 2025
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Will Sam’s Club Benefit From Grab & Go Offerings?
Sam’s Club has introduced a Grab & Go section to let members purchase more ready-to-eat deli, salads, and baked goods without having to buy in bulk.
The offerings each contain one to two servings of the warehouse club’s prepared food items at a fraction of the price. A single slice of Tuxedo Cake costs $3.17 versus the full version, which feeds eight to 10 people, that costs $16.98. A single Chicken Salad Croissant can be brought for just $2.74 versus $14.20 for a five-piece tray.
Other Grab & Go menu items include Caesar Salad, Mediterranean Pasta Salad, Chicken Salad Croissant, Cobb Salad, sushi, as well as a number of beverages beyond soda.
The Grab & Go section is expected to help Sam’s Club compete better against Costco’s more-popular food court, which is known for its pizza and $1.50 hot dog and soda combo deal as well as more ample offerings, including Chicken Bake, Rotisserie Chicken Caesar Salad, Fruit Smoothie, and Double Chocolate Chunk Cookie. Sam’s Club Café selections have traditionally focused on bare-bones concession items — pretzels, hot dogs, pizzas, sodas, and yogurt cup sundaes.
Indeed, with the Grab & Go sections, Sam’s Club now offers more ready-to-eat variety than Costco, including more salad options in addition to several single-serve prepared food offerings and extra beverages. Grab & Go items are also eligible for Sam’s Scan & Go platform, promising a speedier checkout since they’re not sold in the café area.
Comments on a post about the Grab & Go expansion on the Instagram account @Samsclubmembers were overwhelmingly positive. One responded, “It’s perfect when you don’t need much!” Another said, “I need to start going to Sam’s for lunch!”
A few indicated that their local Sam’s Clubs have been offering some Grab & Go items for a while.
One suggestion to a Reddit post discussing the move was that Sam’s Club should instead be upgrading its food court offerings, although the post also had some favorable comments. One stated, “Makes sense, they already make this stuff anyway and sell it in the back. They’ll make a little more on it at this portion size in the long run I’d imagine.”
Ready-to-eat meals have become a strong growth category for conventional supermarkets, c-stores, and drug stores in recent decades as consumers increasingly seek out pre-packaged and often healthier food options that allow for quick consumption on the go.
A 2024 study from Georgetown University and Natural Marketing Institute also found 51% of Americans opting for smaller portions to promote health and well-being, as well as for sustainability reasons to a lesser degree.
A 2019 Wall Street Journal article indicated that more companies are shrinking their packaging sizes to meet the needs of the 62% of U.S. households composed of single people or couples.
BrainTrust
Richard Hernandez
Merchant Director
Georganne Bender
Principal, KIZER & BENDER Speaking
David Biernbaum
Founder & President, David Biernbaum & Associates LLC
Recent Discussions
Discussion Questions
Are Grab & Go offerings an under-tapped opportunity for Sam’s Club and warehouse clubs overall?
Or does a move into single-serve or smaller-portioned options clash with the channel’s bulk-buy positioning?
Poll
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While a lot of people visit Sam’s Club to buy in bulk, they still have needs in what might be classified as the ‘food for now’ space – those things they buy for immediate or same day consumption. From our data, Sam’s currently under-indexes in this arena, whereas Costco does pretty well. So it makes sense for Sam’s to round out the range, although it’s never going to be the mainstay of the business.
I don’t see any harm here, but I don’t see it moving the dial much, either: I doubt it will do the volume of more widespread convenience/grocery stores for the simple reason that there aren’t nearly as many Sam’s Clubs around. As for the mixed messaging, I don’t see some kind of philosophical quandry: while it’s not quite in the category of checkout-line impulse buys, it serves a similar purpose …grabbing a few extra dollars that would otherwise get by.
I can’t imagine this being significant to their business. Perhaps the approach is chosen to impress shareholders who always seem to want new shiny baubles. As for customer? I can’t imagine the grab and go makes much difference over simply stocking a good set of quick foods. As to competing with Costco? I can’t see this swaying more than a few customers. Their choice of shopping locale is based on far more subtle realities.
By offering quick and convenient meal solutions, Grab & Go items can make shopping easier for busy customers. As more people look for fast options, these products could attract more visitors and potentially boost sales. Plus, they can cater to different dietary needs, appealing to a wider range of shoppers.
However, these offerings might clash with the brand’s traditional focus on bulk buying, where value comes from larger quantities. Customers used to bulk savings might find this shift confusing, which could dilute the brand’s core message. To balance both options, it’s important to clearly separate them, preserving the brand identity while appealing to more customers.
I have a membership to both warehouse clubs, but I don’t use either one for grocery shopping. Sure, I pick up things here and there, but the bulk of my household shopping happens in a typical grocery store. Why? Because I no longer have a need for most of the gigantic portions sold there.
Although offering smaller sizes goes against what a warehouse club exemplifies, I know I will not be the only Sam’s customer to welcome Grab & Go items.
This is a great idea. I wish Costco would have thought of it. There are a lot of consumers that don’t want an entire cake or case of ready-made salads. The Grab’n Go section is a very good effort.
I can see people picking up some dinner items to take home when they’re already in Sam’s Club for other trips. I think it’s less compelling for someone to navigate Sam’s only to grab a few things for a quick dinner. The clubs just aren’t set up for that sort of quick shopping experience.
Terrific. Can capture more trips for Sam’s and definitely addresses more meal occasions. Not every meal is a family feast.
The Grab & Go approach fixes the kiosk problem at the Costco food court. Kiosk ordering at Costco food court creates an order fulfillment backlog. Grab & Go doesn’t create that problem.
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While a lot of people visit Sam’s Club to buy in bulk, they still have needs in what might be classified as the ‘food for now’ space – those things they buy for immediate or same day consumption. From our data, Sam’s currently under-indexes in this arena, whereas Costco does pretty well. So it makes sense for Sam’s to round out the range, although it’s never going to be the mainstay of the business.
I don’t see any harm here, but I don’t see it moving the dial much, either: I doubt it will do the volume of more widespread convenience/grocery stores for the simple reason that there aren’t nearly as many Sam’s Clubs around. As for the mixed messaging, I don’t see some kind of philosophical quandry: while it’s not quite in the category of checkout-line impulse buys, it serves a similar purpose …grabbing a few extra dollars that would otherwise get by.
I can’t imagine this being significant to their business. Perhaps the approach is chosen to impress shareholders who always seem to want new shiny baubles. As for customer? I can’t imagine the grab and go makes much difference over simply stocking a good set of quick foods. As to competing with Costco? I can’t see this swaying more than a few customers. Their choice of shopping locale is based on far more subtle realities.
By offering quick and convenient meal solutions, Grab & Go items can make shopping easier for busy customers. As more people look for fast options, these products could attract more visitors and potentially boost sales. Plus, they can cater to different dietary needs, appealing to a wider range of shoppers.
However, these offerings might clash with the brand’s traditional focus on bulk buying, where value comes from larger quantities. Customers used to bulk savings might find this shift confusing, which could dilute the brand’s core message. To balance both options, it’s important to clearly separate them, preserving the brand identity while appealing to more customers.
I have a membership to both warehouse clubs, but I don’t use either one for grocery shopping. Sure, I pick up things here and there, but the bulk of my household shopping happens in a typical grocery store. Why? Because I no longer have a need for most of the gigantic portions sold there.
Although offering smaller sizes goes against what a warehouse club exemplifies, I know I will not be the only Sam’s customer to welcome Grab & Go items.
This is a great idea. I wish Costco would have thought of it. There are a lot of consumers that don’t want an entire cake or case of ready-made salads. The Grab’n Go section is a very good effort.
I can see people picking up some dinner items to take home when they’re already in Sam’s Club for other trips. I think it’s less compelling for someone to navigate Sam’s only to grab a few things for a quick dinner. The clubs just aren’t set up for that sort of quick shopping experience.
Terrific. Can capture more trips for Sam’s and definitely addresses more meal occasions. Not every meal is a family feast.
The Grab & Go approach fixes the kiosk problem at the Costco food court. Kiosk ordering at Costco food court creates an order fulfillment backlog. Grab & Go doesn’t create that problem.