Sam's Club Membership Shops

They enforce it here. Surprised that you have not encountered that as that enables some people to get a half price membership. My neighbor used my BJ's card a few years back. The cashier said "Wait a minute, you're not XXXXX." Aside from having my female picture on the card, he was a male. They let him make the purchase with a warning/scolding.

@MisterBill wrote:

@iagal wrote:

A friend set me up with her Costco card. I showed my ID, had my picture taken and got my card. Unless things have changed, there was no problem with me not being a household member.
Yeah, I don't think they really enforce that. Household is a loose term. And you could be living with them and not have changed the address on your driver's license.

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@Madetoshop wrote:

They enforce it here. Surprised that you have not encountered that as that enables some people to get a half price membership. My neighbor used my BJ's card a few years back. The cashier said "Wait a minute, you're not XXXXX." Aside from having my female picture on the card, he was a male. They let him make the purchase with a warning/scolding.

Our BJ's has self-checkout. I've never had anybody check my card either at self-checkout or at the gas pump. However my husband and I both have household cards for BJ's.

For Sam's club, I went ahead and added my mother who lives in a completely different state. She had no problem picking up her card and didn't even show ID. The Sam's club cards don't have any photo on them so I have no idea how they're able to check anything and again Sam's by me has self-checkout.

My husband who is also a shopper was able to get his own membership and a companion card for somebody else. I have a membership with the same address and Sam's doesn't seem to care.

Costco seems to be the one that checks the most!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/2022 11:53PM by foodluvr.
That was a BJs experience I shared. Costco here will make you show ID. When I renewed the first time, I named one DD as the household member. She was not with me at the time. The CSR made sure to tell me she had to reside at my address and needed to show ID when picking up her card and having her pic taken. Another time, I sent another DD with my card. Costco cashier informed her, I think this is your Mom's card? Just know other cashiers would not be as nice as I am. No one checks Costco cards at the pump.

@foodluvr wrote:

@Madetoshop wrote:

They enforce it here. Surprised that you have not encountered that as that enables some people to get a half price membership. My neighbor used my BJ's card a few years back. The cashier said "Wait a minute, you're not XXXXX." Aside from having my female picture on the card, he was a male. They let him make the purchase with a warning/scolding.

Our BJ's has self-checkout. I've never had anybody check my card either at self-checkout or at the gas pump. However my husband and I both have household cards for BJ's.

For Sam's club, I went ahead and added my mother who lives in a completely different state. She had no problem picking up her card and didn't even show ID. The Sam's club cards don't have any photo on them so I have no idea how they're able to check anything and again Sam's by me has self-checkout.

My husband who is also a shopper was able to get his own membership and a companion card for somebody else. I have a membership with the same address and Sam's doesn't seem to care.

Costco seems to be the one that checks the most!
I was added as a
companion member at Sams even though we are do not reside in the same household. Do you think Sam's would allow me to purchase my own membership (in order to accept the shop?)
I went in at 8am and did a return shop. It took 1 minute. It was bonused so 17 bucks for something I had to return anyway.
you can search with google maps..just type the location and it will show you the traffic inside (such feature applicable to any location not just to Sam's) then you can pick the time with less trafic.

Shopping Eastern Pennsylvania since 2009
@calicakes wrote:

I went in at 8am and did a return shop. It took 1 minute. It was bonused so 17 bucks for something I had to return anyway.

This is partly why I did the membership shop!

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
So how did you get the $45 gift card?

Do not read so much, look about you and think of what you see there.
Richard Feynman-- letter to Ashok Arora, 4 January 1967, published in Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track (2005) p. 230
you can get it only: if you apply for membership online.

Shopping Eastern Pennsylvania since 2009
Used the e-gift card they issued for me for return shop. The print out is sort of complicated. You need to use both: the return and ecard together. The pin is on one receipt the actual card number printed on another one.

Shopping Eastern Pennsylvania since 2009
My son did one of these Sam's club memberships shops today, at least he tried. He did everything right, gave them all his info, and they supposedly emailed a receipt for the membership fee to him. He didn't get any email, and their system didn't show the payment, so they refused to give him a membership card or process his membership at all. I had to get the bank involved, and sent him a screenshot of the page that showed that the payment came out of his account. They still denied him membership. That's when he called me and told me what was going on, I got involved, even though I should not have. I told those women that they don't get to keep my son's money, they need to either give him a membership or refund his money. But instead of putting the money back in his account, they refunded him in cash, which really burns my butt.

This seems like a 10 ft. pole to me.. I've never been a fan of Walmart of Sams Club, and this just proves, again, that I'm right.
This is why I always ask for a paper receipt!
@Morledzep wrote:

they supposedly emailed a receipt for the membership fee to him.

Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. Eleanor Roosevelt
@KathyG wrote:

This is why I always ask for a paper receipt!
@Morledzep wrote:

they supposedly emailed a receipt for the membership fee to him.

Sorry this happened to him and glad he got his money back But if a person is right there at the desk, it seems a whole lot easier to just let them print out the hard-copy receipt... Then just scan it to upload to the report.

Sometimes the old way is still better. These shops are easy and not really 10-ft. pole ones.

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
@whosear wrote:

So how did you get the $45 gift card?
@gene wrote:

you can get it only: if you apply for membership online.
This is incorrect. I had already posted a link earlier to get the offer emailed to you, which you can then show at the club. Here it is again

[joinnow.samsclub.com]

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/20/2022 02:42AM by MisterBill.
@Madetoshop wrote:

That was a BJs experience I shared. Costco here will make you show ID. When I renewed the first time, I named one DD as the household member. She was not with me at the time. The CSR made sure to tell me she had to reside at my address and needed to show ID when picking up her card and having her pic taken. Another time, I sent another DD with my card. Costco cashier informed her, I think this is your Mom's card? Just know other cashiers would not be as nice as I am. No one checks Costco cards at the pump.
Given that all three of the warehouse clubs now have self-checkout machines (Sam's even lets you check out using an app), the odds of them noticing that you're using someone else's card now is very slim. Sam's didn't even bother printing my photo on the card. And they don't check the photo at Costco, they just want to see the card.
Thank you for this information! I've followed the steps, will go to the club and let you know how it turns out.

Do not read so much, look about you and think of what you see there.
Richard Feynman-- letter to Ashok Arora, 4 January 1967, published in Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track (2005) p. 230
after struggling with Sam's club stocks and pick up finally got renewed BJ's for $25

Shopping Eastern Pennsylvania since 2009
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