New Sam's Club Brings Savings to Wyandotte County with Speedway Location

KANSAS CITY, Kan., Oct. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Sam's Club will expand its long retail history in the Kansas City area this month by opening a new Speedway location Thursday, Oct. 18, at 8:30 a.m., following an 8 a.m. grand opening ceremony. The new club, located across from the Legends Shopping Center, is easily accessible to Wyandotte County residents and surrounding communities on at 10510 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, Kan.

Bringing an eighth location to Kansas, Sam's Club listened to local community members who requested greater convenience and accessibility to the larger Kansas City area. New Club Manager Keith Pappert highlights the convenience of this location for residents and racing fans, the addition of 175 local jobs with career opportunities, and extraordinary savings on quality merchandise for Wyandotte County.

"At Sam's Club, we value our long-established relationship with the greater Kansas City community," Pappert said. "Sam's Club and Walmart currently employ 19,706 associates in Kansas, so with the opening of the Speedway club we will support more than 20,000 associates in the state. In 2011, Sam's Club parent company Walmart Stores Inc., paid more than $50 million in state and local taxes within Kansas, and contributed $7.4 million to local and non-profit organizations through the Walmart Foundation. My team is excited to build on this relationship and welcome Wyandotte County to our club."

Mayor Joe Reardon specifically referenced the Sam's Club opening during his State of the City address earlier this year and said the community is excited about the infusion of new retail into Kansas City.

"The investment by Sam's Club represents a development that equates to real opportunities for our citizens by bringing more than 175 jobs and additional sales tax revenue to our community," Reardon said. "Our residents will no longer have to travel outside of their community to access this kind of retail. We also appreciate the commitment Sam's Club brings to our community through $45,000 in contributions."

"A lot of work has gone into this project, and every single one of our associates has helped contribute to its completion," Pappert said. "This club is for Wyandotte, and I appreciate all of our associates for their commitment to seeing this new Speedway location come to fruition."

Born in St. Louis, Pappert started his career with Sam's Club in Columbia, Mo., as a cashier in 1991. A graduate of Salem High School in Salem, Kansas, Pappert says of his flourishing Sam's Club career, "I am humbled by the way Sam's Club changed my life. I started my career as a cashier 21 years ago at the club in Columbia, Missouri, and was thrilled to move back to Wyandotte County 11 years ago as manager of another Sam's Club in the county."

"All Lanes Open" Checkout Convenience

In response to member feedback on increasing the speed of the checkout process at Sam's Club, there is no more appropriate club than the KC Speedway Sam's Club to launch a new innovation for members -- the convertible register. Allowing "all lanes open" at the Speedway club every day, Sam's Club is testing a new register design that can be managed by cashier associates or automated and turned around for self check-out by our members.* In addition to four self-checkout-only kiosks, a popular purchasing option for members at more than 300 U.S. club locations, the convertible register test provides a swift, convenient conclusion to the Sam's Club shopping experience. As Speedway managers listen to member feedback in Kansas City, Sam's Club can more accurately determine when and where to expand access to the convertible register innovation in 2013.

In addition to self-checkout innovations, members can enjoy savings made simple through SamsClub.com, the Sam's Club mobile app and iPad app, providing easy access to services including  next-day pick-up shopping service through Click 'n' Pull®, on-the-go shopping for products available both in-Club and online; membership renewals and upgrades; and automatic upload of digital photos directly to the Sam's Club photo center.

Sam's Club to Support Local Charities

Sam's Club has a longstanding commitment to give back to the communities it serves, and the new Speedway club is no different. Associates from the new club have selected several local organizations to receive $25,000 in grants from the Walmart Foundation. The recipients include Hillcrest Ministries, Cross-Lines, Local Chapter of Multiple Sclerosis, Food for Friends in Tonganoxie, KCK Police Department's O. K. Program of Kansas City, KCK Fire Department, VanGo of Lawrence, Cottonwood of Lawrence, Camp Naish, Leavenworth Fire Department, Leadership 2020, and Sunflower House.

Additionally, the Walmart Foundation presented a $22,000 grant to KCK schools for their breakfast program and the new Sam's Club will also help fight hunger in the area by continuing to make regular product donations to the local Food Bank.  As part of a nationwide collaboration between Sam's Club and Feeding America, Sam's Club donated more than 39 million meals in 2010 to Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger-relief charity.

Products Support Community Needs

The new Speedway Sam's Club benefits a wide range of shoppers seeking quality, selection and value. Race fans will immediately notice the vast electronics department featuring fantastic high-definition televisions. 

Busy moms and those who love to cook will find an expansive array of everyday needs items including fresh produce, quality meats and home meal solutions.  With Halloween and the Holidays around the corner, items like candy and treats are in large supply for members of all ages, while office supplies, vending machine snacks and paper goods prepare small business members for success. Small business members can also take advantage of early shopping hours, truckload savings, Click 'n' Pull and Fax 'n' Pull next-day pick up service and credit line support.

Fuel Station and Hearing Aid Center Among Amenities

Sam's Club fans can now gas up at the new Sam's Club fuel station, which opened in September, exclusively for Sam's Club members.

Health and wellness benefits to members include the Sam's Club pharmacy, open to members and the public, featuring $4 and $10 generic prescriptions and savings on branded prescriptions. Sam's Club also offers a free, exclusive wellness magazine, Healthy Living Made Simple, optical department and free monthly health screenings to help members take charge of their health through preventive measures.

The new club debuts a Sam's Club Hearing Aid Center, offering free hearing tests and premium technology in hearing aid and personal listening devices alongside the care of a certified audiologist.

Layout, Bright Atmosphere, Expansive Selections Await Members

The new Sam's Club features a shopper-friendly interior layout and measures 137,000 square feet.

"Community members will be pleased when they see our new facility. The layout will make it easy for them to shop, while receiving the same excellence in member service and savings that Kansas already knows and deserves from Sam's Club," Pappert said.

As an innovative steward of the communities it serves, Sam's Club utilizes a variety of environmentally-friendly materials and energy-efficient fixtures. For instance, numerous daylight-harvesting skylights reduce the amount of energy required to light the club by up to 75 percent daily. LED lighting throughout the club, including in the cooler and freezer box doors and jewelry counter, operates 70 percent more efficiently than traditional fluorescent lighting.

Grand Opening Event

The grand opening ceremony will take place at 8 a.m., Oct. 18. Numerous local dignitaries, Mayor Joe Reardon and Wyandotte Chamber of Commerce members will join the new Speedway Sam's Club associates for the celebration. Ask a membership associate for more information on membership savings for the grand opening.

Membership Information

Sam's Club membership is an investment that more than pays for itself. Whether buying for a household or a business, a Sam's Club membership offers exclusive savings on merchandise and outstanding member benefits. With access to instant savings and early shopping hours, Plus membership offers even more with our premium service options. Advantage memberships for families and individuals start at $40 annually, Plus memberships are $100, Business members pay $35 annually and Business Plus members pay $100. Special savings for college students and military families are also available. Visit SamsClub.com/membership for a full menu of services or to renew your membership today.

About Sam's Club

Sam's Club, a division of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT), is the nation's eighth largest retailer and a leading Membership warehouse club offering superior products and services to more than 47 million Members in clubs across the U.S., as well as in Brazil, China and Mexico. To learn more about Savings Made Simple^®, visit SamsClub.com, and look for Sam's Club on Twitter, Facebook and on mobile and iPad® apps. 

*The convertible register is a test product for Sam's Club Speedway members and not available at other Sam's Club locations. Only credit and debit cards (no cash) are accepted at self-checkout and convertible registers.

SOURCE Sam's Club