Sam's Club Hosts Open House During Tax-Free Event

HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn., July 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- For families with children headed off to college this fall, sales tax-free holidays offer a window of savings that can help make stocking up for life away from home a little easier. Tennessee's sales tax-free holiday is Aug. 3-5, and local Sam's Club locations are providing additional ways to save by hosting Open House events that weekend. During the Open House, non-members can shop at Sam's Club without a membership and are not required to pay the customary 10 percent service fee if they make a purchase.

Sales Tax-Free Holiday

Parents will spend an average of $2,450* as they prepare to send a student to college, and sales tax-free events provide a way to stretch their back-to-college budgets even further.  In Tennessee, items exempt from state sales tax during the tax-free weekend include computers, clothing and school supplies. (Editor's note: go to http://tn.gov/revenue/salestaxholiday/index.shtml for a complete listing of items that are exempt and not exempt from state sales tax during this event.) 

In some cases, the money saved on sales tax exempt items is enough to purchase additional items. For example, purchasing a Dell XPS 13" Ultrabook for $999 would yield enough savings to buy an Atlantic TV Stand and Gaming Hub for $59.86. Some of the merchandise available for purchase at Tennessee Sam's Club locations and eligible for sales tax-free status includes:

• Dell Inspiron One 2320 for $699
• Eddie Bauer Ruffle Henley, $14.98
• SWISSGEAR Laptop DAYPACK for $19.98

"Care Packages" for College and Cool "Bundles"

SamsClub.com is also a destination for semester-long savings on items to get students through the first few months away from home. Moms and students can get household cleaning supplies, dry groceries, eyeglasses and health and beauty items, basic classroom supplies, prescription medications, small appliances and bath linens to help them outfit their dorm or apartment.

Many popular back-to-college items are available for purchase online in convenient bundles.  These include:

• The Wake-Up Bundle for $276.12, which includes a Keurig Signature Brewer, Donut House Coffee, Caribou Blend Coffee and an iHome alarm clock radio for iPad/iPhone/iPod; and
• The Supplies Bundle for $249, which includes a Visio Tablet, SwissGear laptop daypack, a 40-piece set of writing instruments from Bic, Post-It Notes and writing pads.

Once the school year is underway, moms can restock their students' supplies of essential toiletries, household items and dry groceries by purchasing care packages online. These packages are sold for less than $100 and can be shipped directly to students. Care packages include:

• Back to Class Laundry Care/Cleaning Bundle for $69.88: Includes six brand-name cleaning products from Tide, Clorox, Lysol, Swiffer and more;
• Men's Personal Care Package for $67.28: Includes value packs of products from Degree, Gillette, Crest, Dove Men+Care and more;
• Women's Personal Care Package for $83.67: Includes value packs of products from Crest, Olay, TRESemme, Tampax and more.

24-7 Free Tech Support

Thanks to Sam's Club Tech Experts, students will not stress over laptop, TV or digital music player set-up and maintenance. When Sam's Club members dial 1-877-758-4346, they receive free assistance for any television, home theater, digital music player, camera/camcorder or computer purchased at Sam's Club. With expert tech support available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, Sam's Club Tech Experts are available even when pizza delivery is not.

Collegiate Membership & Open House Savings

For students seeking savings, Sam's Club offers a Collegiate Membership for $40 which includes a $15 gift card upon sign-up and discounts on textbooks.com, plus an extra card for a lucky roommate or study partner. Students must show valid student identification or an email with an ".edu" suffix to qualify. For additional savings throughout the semester, Collegiate Members can receive a Sam's Club gift card on qualifying purchases through Textbooks.com. For more information on A+ savings and services at Sam's Club, visit SamsClub.com/backtoclass.

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. Members save an average of 34 percent over traditional retailers. To learn more about Savings Made Simple^®, visit SamsClub.com, and look for Sam's Club on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and our Mobile and iPad® Apps.

* Insights from the NRF's 2009 Back to School and Back to College Consumer Intentions and actions Surveys

SOURCE Sam's Club