Sam's Club is a membership-only warehouse club owned and operated by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.. The first Sam's Club opened in April, 1983 in Midwest City, OK. The business is named after the founder of Wal-Mart, Sam Walton. Sam's Club's focus is on serving small business customers. Their slogan is "We're in business for small business." To purchase items from Sam's you must purchase a membership or on some special occasions non-members can make purchases that are subject to a 10% additional fee. Most of the merchandise sold at Sam's Club is sold in bulk and directly off of pallets. Clubs are arranged much like a warehouse, with merchandise stocked directly on pallets in warehouse-style steel bins. There are currently 551 Sam's Clubs in the United States. Each club averages 128,000 square feet. The Sam's Club division of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. had total sales revenue of US$37.1 Billion for Fiscal Year Ending January 31, 2005. There are also clubs operated internationally under the International Division of Wal-Mart Stores in Brazil, Canada, China, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. In 1993, Wal-Mart acquired Pace Warehouse clubs and converted them into Sam's. Their current primary competitor is Costco. Sam's Club markets items under the private labels Member's Mark, Bakers & Chefs, and Sam's Club.
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