Sam’s Club is making adjustments this holiday season amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
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Sam’s Club has released its plans for the holidays, which includes adding 2,000 permanent, full-time workers in fulfillment and distribution centers nationwide and adding discount days to the calendar.
Sam’s Club is the membership warehouse retailer that’s part of Walmart Inc. WMT, +0.18%.
All fulfillment center hourly associates will receive a $2-per-hour premium during the holiday season.
For the first holiday season in its history, Sam’s Club will be filling online orders from its warehouse locations, with curbside pickup the latest contactless option available.
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With e-commerce growing among shoppers, a Sam’s Club survey of its members found that 61% would be shopping more online this year.
More retailers are also taking into account consumers’ desire to avoid crowded stores.
A recent survey of more then 2,000 U.S. consumers conducted by CommerceHub found that more than half of respondents between the ages of 24 and 53 thought practicing social distancing was their biggest concern when shopping in a store. It was a concern for more than 60% of respondents between the ages of 54 and 74.
According to Tony Rogers, Sam’s Club’s chief member officer, the retailer has moved away from one-day events to aid with crowd control.
“But one-day events are an important part of being a Sam’s Club member, so we expanded the length of them,” he said on a call with the media.
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Sam’s Club has already begun its promotional days with an event that began on Sunday. There will be other promotions spanning multiple days, like the 10 Days of Thanks-Savings, until mid-December.
Rogers said the retailer would normally wait until November to begin holiday discounts but pushed them up several weeks early this year.
Finally, the company has made adjustments to its merchandise to take into account fewer or smaller gatherings due to COVID-19. Some entrées, side dishes and desserts will be available in reduced sizes.
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Walmart’s stock has gained 18.6% so far in 2020, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +1.91% has slipped nearly 1%.
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