Sam’s Club is bringing back free food samples — and that’s not all. Here’s what to know
Sam’s Club is relaunching its “iconic” food samples after a months-long pause due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Members will again be able to sample and review products as part of its “Taste & Tips” program starting as early as this week, the company announced on Tuesday.
Samples will be provided in limited batches, however, and initially will only be available on weekends before a full rollout at the company’s nearly 600 clubs nationwide. Keeping members’ health and safety in mind, samples will also come sealed or pre-packaged.
The club also announced new and “immersive sampling experiences” in the pipeline, including a full-service food truck set to hit the road this summer. The news comes days after rival wholesale club Costco also announced that it would resume free sampling.
“Over the past year, our members’ shopping behaviors have evolved,” Sam Club’s Chief Merchandising Officer Megan Crozier said in a statement. “Today, more than ever, members want to do more than just shop when they come to our clubs — they want to have an experience.”
The first-ever Member’s Mark Summer Eats Food Truck will tour several central U.S. states from now through July with stops including Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas; Wichita, Kansas; and Kansas City, Missouri, the company said. The truck will take sampling out of the warehouse and into the store parking lot, where members can enjoy helpings of food items from Sam’s Club private label, Maker’s Mark.
Menu offerings include an Angus beef cheeseburger, salad wrap, raspberry lemonade and a chocolate chunk cookie for dessert.
Roaming events where free samples are brought to customers as they check out are also in the works, the company said.
This story was originally published June 1, 2021 at 4:07 PM with the headline "Sam’s Club is bringing back free food samples — and that’s not all. Here’s what to know."