This is a smart adaptation in a year when the virus will disrupt travel and holiday get-togethers. Other retailers, including Giant Eagle and Stew Leonard’s are buying higher numbers of smaller turkeys than they usually would in response to the trend. It is all rather depressing to think that so many great holiday traditions and family occasions will be off-limits this year, but it is good that retailers are alert to this and are making adjustments accordingly.

This is a simple and smart response to market conditions. It’s clear that group sizes are smaller due to COVID-19, and adjusting food pack sizes to accommodate this only make sense. Going forward I expect Sam’s Club to continue to listen to customers and make adjustments that meet new needs. And while these product tactics are sensible, I doubt that it will have any significant impact in attracting new members.

Selling products in smaller sizes will make its offerings more appealing for smaller families or couples without kids. The size of many bulk items has deterred some people from joining warehouse clubs in the past. The new smaller sized offering is a way to attract new members. Promoting the new offerings to non-members and maybe offering them a one-day trial membership should help grow their membership and sales.

That is a smart idea – no waste with smaller sizes. I do agree that more people will use online services and more people will start (or have already) holiday shopping.

While downsizing food packs is certainly appropriate for this season, it’s the whole package that Sam’s is putting into place that will make their season a success. By gearing up for more BOPIS, curbside and home delivery activity plus the sizing initiative, they will be in a good place to meet the increase in demand online and fulfill its customer’s requirements. People are not only looking at smaller gatherings this season they are also looking at tighter budgets as many are out of work and more still concerned for the future so spending will be watched very carefully. As you would expect, Sam’s preparation are on track and right in line with what they should be looking at. How quickly they are able to put this into operation and get product through the supply chain is a different matter. Packaging and manufacturing changes are all more complex than they seem when you are making a major shift like this. However spreading the demand over a longer period and bringing forward product will meet customer demand… Read more »

This is an apt strategy given the current situation but once a vaccine is rolled out, I anticipate larger gatherings and an increased demand for larger food pack sizes.

Smart, efficient, and pragmatic. Smaller and fewer family gatherings means abbreviated shopping lists. I’d be happy with the extra leftovers, but for many people this makes abundant sense.

Sam’s Club will absolutely have success selling smaller food packs this holiday season. In general, having smaller packs would help expand non-business membership. During the pandemic, I’m not so sure if membership would expand, but they will definitely be able to better meet the needs of current members. Combined with ship-from-store efforts and contactless shopping, Sam’s Club is really setting itself up for success this holiday season.

Smaller food pack sizes makes sense beyond the holidays and beyond the pandemic. BJ’s has shown this will work. Plus the growth in the senior and empty-nester populations makes smaller food pack sizes a natural. The club stores have always positioned themselves as the value destination. Prices are indeed good, but demand a larger cash outlay at the time of purchase as well as the need for product storage. Smaller pack sizes beyond prepared foods makes sense. In fact, it is an opportunity to offer an aisle of smaller package sizes, comparable to what many traditional food retailers have done in offering an aisle of larger (club store) size packages. Club stores will still be valued for the “treasure hunt.” Now the hunt can include smaller pack sizes.

I do think this is a good move for Sam’s Club. As an empty-nester myself the barrier for me to shop at warehouse stores is pack size. I think they can certainly pick their spots, high turn, perishable SKUs, and grab and go meals. I think they’ll be successful enough — especially in markets that skew toward older households — that they’ll continue this after the holidays.

It’s a fair bet that large family gatherings will be much rarer this Thanksgiving and Christmas, so stocking smaller proteins is a smart play for most food retailers. For club stores like Sam’s Club, this means adjusting the range of sizes they would normally carry. This in turn depends on the product available from the growers, who by now have most of those birds and hams on ice and spoken for, awaiting shipment.

If some shoppers wind up frustrated because they could not find the right sized product in their regular supermarket, they might be curious to try Sam’s Club as an alternative. The broad promotional push just announced will get the word out.

Correspondingly smaller packs of produce items like potatoes, green beans and fresh fruit would help cinch the deal in the minds of new shoppers, I think.

In a year highlighted by Covid, high unemployment, an economic depression, and an aggressive electoral environment, this makes sense. Smaller packs cost less, so that members can purchase more items, and hopefully spend more.