Sam’s Club says the bulk run is giving way to fresh food on your terms—delivered, curbside, or ready to cook—because dinner can’t wait.
Story Snapshot
- Sam’s Club executive Myron Frazier says members now expect fresh food plus convenience.
- Delivery, curbside pickup, and ready-to-cook meals are rising parts of the club experience.
- Warehouse clubs across the industry are doubling down on omnichannel speed and fresh assortments.
- The strategy aims to boost trip frequency, defend membership value, and cut time waste.
Sam’s Club Puts Fresh, Fast, and Flexible at the Center
Sam’s Club Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer Myron Frazier laid out the shift plainly. Members still want value. But they also want fresh food that is easier to get and simpler to cook. He pointed to delivery, curbside pickup, and ready-to-cook meals as key ways the club will meet that demand. That choice signals a move from the old “stock-up only” habit to a weekly, mealtime-friendly role that lives in your phone and at your door.
This push lines up with how busy households actually live. After work, no one wants a scavenger hunt. A rotisserie chicken, a salad kit, and a bake-ready salmon tray solve dinner fast. If those items are a tap away with curbside or delivery, members will add one more order each week. That extra touchpoint turns a once-a-month bulk trip into a steady drumbeat. It also makes the membership feel like a daily tool, not just a warehouse key.
Why Convenience Now Decides Who Wins the Cart
Warehouse clubs used to compete on price per ounce and pallet-high displays. Today, the winner is the one that saves you time without raising your bill. Industry research shows clubs are expanding mobile apps, online ordering, and store layouts to speed last-mile handoff and pickup. This is not a trend for trend’s sake. It is how you lift the value of each member’s time. When a club kills friction, members reward it with repeat orders and lasting loyalty.
Sam's Club exec says members increasingly want fresh food 'on their own terms' https://t.co/kHzKKyOLW6
— FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) October 5, 2026
Sam’s Club has also moved fast on express delivery and tighter digital links between the club, the app, the curb, and the driver. The company highlights rapid delivery run from its own clubs, not far-off hubs, to keep orders fast and accurate for everyday needs. That matters for milk, produce, and meat. Fresh is a clock. If the club can hit the window, the family builds a habit. If it misses, the family breaks it. Speed, not slogans, keeps the cart full.
Rivals Are Racing the Same Clock
Costco’s expanded partnership with Uber Eats now reaches most of the country, joining its in-house speed efforts and keeping pace with rising expectations for on-demand delivery. When a leader like Costco pushes delivery reach so far, it confirms that the game has changed. The cart starts on a couch, not only under a steel roof. Shoppers ask the same simple question: will this get me dinner fast and at a fair price? If yes, they tap “add to cart”.
BJ’s Wholesale Club shows the same focus on becoming part of the weekly routine. Fresh food and smaller-size options support more frequent trips. Digital ordering and curbside do the rest. Analysts have tracked the growth of fresh as a share of sales at BJ’s, which backs the idea that convenience and quality in perishables pull members back more often. Different banners, same aim: raise the share of the household basket by solving today’s meal, not just next month’s pantry.
What This Means for Shoppers and the Market
Members should expect more ready-to-cook meals, cleaner labels, faster pickup lanes, and tighter delivery windows. Prices still matter most. But time now sits right next to price in the value equation. The most conservative reading of the facts says this is common sense. Families want to eat better without blowing an evening. A club that brings a fresh dinner to your trunk in five minutes, or your door in under an hour, earns the right to be your first stop—often your only stop.
For the market, the stakes are simple. The club that turns stores into reliable launchpads for fresh orders will grow share. The one that treats digital as a side show will give it up. Frazier’s comments signal that Sam’s Club plans to fight for the weekday dinner slot, not just the weekend stock-up. Expect heavier investment in cold-chain precision, fresh sourcing, kitchen-ready assortments, and app features that strip out steps. Shoppers will not wait. Neither will the clubs racing to serve them.
Sources:
foxbusiness.com, grocerydive.com
