Walmart Takes Leaf Out Of Costco Playbook By Extending Sam’s Club Sunday Store Hours

Walmart Inc.-owned Sam's Club warehouses will now open for additional hours on Sundays, starting Oct. 12, and on some national holidays, the company said, mirroring a similar move by rival Costco announced in July.

Sam’s Club stores will remain open from 8 am to 8 pm on all Sundays, up from the previous opening time of between 10 am and 6 pm, the company's communication director, Steven Zapata, told USA Today on Thursday. There's a caveat, though: only "Plus" members, the highest-tier-membership level, can shop during the first hour, from 8 am to 9 am.

On Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, and New Year's Eve, Sam's Club's closing time is extended by two hours to 8 pm. The stores will close at 6 pm on Christmas Eve, just like before.

The move is in response to an "overwhelming feedback" from Sam's Club members, Zapata said, without elaborating. As of writing, the news was trending on Google, indicating that consumers were searching for store timings.

Costco, which generates three times the annual revenue of Sam's Club, increased its store hours months ago. The opening time was moved from 10 am to 9 am, exclusively for Costco's "Executive" members. Other members can enter the stores starting at 10 am.

Additional shopping hours and benefits tied to premium-tier plans could encourage consumers to upgrade, benefiting overall earnings for the companies.

Here are the new timings for various services at Sam's Club stores on Sundays:

• Curbside pickup: 7 am to 8 pm
• Plus Member shopping: 8 am to 9 am
• Club shopping: 9 am to 8 pm
• Cafe: 10 am to 8 pm
• Fuel: 6 am to 10 pm

Walmart stock fell 1.1% on Thursday, the worst so far this month. On Stocktwits, the retail sentiment for WMT shifted to 'bullish' as of late Thursday, from 'bearish' the day before.

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.

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