Sam's Store on 441 by Homedepot

[Chellybean]

Sam's Store on 441 by Homedepot

Don't be conned folks the upgrades membership is a joke, other than getting in the store at 8 am which they don't have any employees that know what they are doing and not enough employees to service the customers. Its a Chit show!
Sam's is in a self destruct mode and I cant wait to see Costco here.
The Manager on Duty Lacey is Laughing with other employees instead of doing her job and helping the service desk with employees that don't know what they are doing PERIOD!
The General Manager is not watching the store and how it is running.
From 8:30 am to 9:36 am no one would pick up the phone in Tires and Batteries and or the service desk.
Try calling 352-751-5150.
Unbelievable!!!! Good luck folks, Sam's stores in my home town finally closed down due to poor customer service!!!
CRAZY!!!! No one cares!

[gadaboutgal]

Just don't hold your breath waiting for a Costco. We've been waiting years and periodically someone comes along and says their cousin't hairdresser's daughter says she heard one was coming in soon.

[EdFNJ]

What the heck is that suppose to mean!!!! BTW i don't take medication, Maybe you should take yours, Customer service in the villages is very poor in some big box stores, have you gone into Home depot and Lowes and try to find someone? It's not just The Villages, it's all "big box" stores and major chains. Sam's closed down MANY stores starting 3 years ago including the one in our FORMER home town which was less than 2 years old. Ever try finding help at a Macy's store? Even Nordstroms which was once the epitome of customer service has gone down the tubes in the stores that remain even BEFORE the pandemic. SERVICE left the big chain retail business years ago with the advent of online shopping.

[dewilson58]

WCustomer service in the villages is very poor in some big box stores, have you gone into Home depot and Lowes and try to find someone?


It's very hard to find customer service any where. I hate to be a grumpy old man, but I feel customer service is lacking in most places (everywhere) for the last 10 years.


:shrug:

[Stu from NYC]

The reason we took out a plus membership a few months ago was for free shipping and a few other discounts and it is working well for us.

Been a member of our hometown Sams for many years and do not expect much in the way of service in the store on any product needing an explanation.

Have found tires to be inefficiently run no matter which store we go to and if it was not for the very very cheap price on tires and service would buy tires elsewhere.

Bottom line is harder and harder to get service in any big box store.

[Stu from NYC]

Just don't hold your breath waiting for a Costco. We've been waiting years and periodically someone comes along and says their cousin't hairdresser's daughter says she heard one was coming in soon.

Rumors keep flying about Costco and TJ's and who knows they might come some day

[retiredguy123]

Last week, I needed a refrigerator filter. They had them in stock at Lowes for $50. But, I ordered it on Amazon for $39 and received it the next day. I don't understand why I would ever go to Lowes for something like that, even if they had good service. I think that is why the stores are closing.

[EdFNJ]

The reason we took out a plus membership a few months ago was for free shipping and a few other discounts and it is working well for us.


If it's free shipping you want Amazon Prime gives you 100x more value than Sam's since you wouldn't be going into the store in either case plus you get free movies, music and lots of other goodies. I only remain a member of Sam's for the local $1.50 dog n' soda (and even that's mostly gone now since no more sauerkraut or mustard or relish !)! Our once every 6 week or so trip to Costco & TJ's and Whole Foods covers everything that Sam's has plus more. Not going to renew my just expired Sam's membership until post-pandemic hot dog, soda & sauerkraut is back! :D :D

[graciegirl]

The reason we took out a plus membership a few months ago was for free shipping and a few other discounts and it is working well for us.

Been a member of our hometown Sams for many years and do not expect much in the way of service in the store on any product needing an explanation.

Have found tires to be inefficiently run no matter which store we go to and if it was not for the very very cheap price on tires and service would buy tires elsewhere.

Bottom line is harder and harder to get service in any big box store.

Wonderfully written. I am sure we all thought that is what he meant to say.

[wisbad1]

Sam's Store on 441 by Homedepot

Don't be conned folks the upgrades membership is a joke, other than getting in the store at 8 am which they don't have any employees that know what they are doing and not enough employees to service the customers. Its a Chit show!
Sam's is in a self destruct mode and I cant wait to see Costco here.
The Manager on Duty Lacey is Laughing with other employees instead of doing her job and helping the service desk with employees that don't know what they are doing PERIOD!
The General Manager is not watching the store and how it is running.
From 8:30 am to 9:36 am no one would pick up the phone in Tires and Batteries and or the service desk.
Try calling 352-751-5150.
Unbelievable!!!! Good luck folks, Sam's stores in my home town finally closed down due to poor customer service!!!
CRAZY!!!! No one cares!
I think Sam’s is doing great. It’s supposed to be self service, don’t like it shop someplace else .

[villagetinker]

ACE hardware still has great customer service, easy to find someone and get an answer.

[dewilson58]

ACE hardware still has great customer service, easy to find someone and get an answer.
Agree 100%. I'm sure there is one, but I have not found an Ace with bad customer service.

[Neils]

My uncles cousins sister told him that Costco was taking over Sams location in early 21

Sorry sams

[EdFNJ]

ACE hardware still has great customer service, easy to find someone and get an answer. Yes, absolutely, and it's because they are a privately owned and operated franchise not what would be considered a "big box" chain. That being said, their prices are mostly very high and never could understand how they can survive selling individual nuts & bolts (which is what makes them so great). I wouldn't go there to buy an expensive power tool because price is important to me but when I need a SAE thread nut it's my go to place. :) They are like the old hometown hardware stores which mostly went out of existence eons ago when Home Depot showed up.

[Carla B]

It was good of Sam's to add a seafood/meat counter with service. But bad for the customer to finally get an employee's attention and be greeted with a look that says "Why do I have to stop what I'm doing and wait on these people?"

[Fredman]

My uncles cousins sister told him that Costco was taking over Sams location in early 21

Sorry sams
Now I can sleep tonight

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

I'm probably going to sign up for Sam's. Never would have considered it really, I hardly ever buy in bulk so there's very little "savings" for me anyway (plus other stores have sales that end up netting a much lower price at the end of the shopping trip, per ounce/pound/unit). But it's $45 to join and they give you a $45 Sam's gift card. That means free membership for a year. If I buy something just once this coming year, something that's cheaper than the same thing at Walmart, I will have saved money.

So I'm good with that!

[Stu from NYC]

If it's free shipping you want Amazon Prime gives you 100x more value than Sam's since you wouldn't be going into the store in either case plus you get free movies, music and lots of other goodies. I only remain a member of Sam's for the local $1.50 dog n' soda (and even that's mostly gone now since no more sauerkraut or mustard or relish !)! Our once every 6 week or so trip to Costco & TJ's and Whole Foods covers everything that Sam's has plus more. Not going to renew my just expired Sam's membership until post-pandemic hot dog, soda & sauerkraut is back! :D :D

In addition to the free shipping we also do the majority of our food shopping there. Produce is very good and when we buy in larger quantities such as proteins easy to portion out and stick in our freezer.

Also have some amazing deals on clothing. Must have purchased 25 T shirts since we moved here earlier this year.

For what we normally buy there works great for us and with the Sams M/C get back a bunch of cash each year. The 3% cashback on travel is normally worth a lot to us, just not this year.

If we need help if figuring out what we need how hard is it to get elsewhere.

And we do buy quite a bit via Amazon.

[retiredguy123]

One reason to buy the upgraded Plus membership at Sam's is for people who use any prescription drugs that are not covered by insurance. You can often save a lot of money, way more than the extra membership cost.

Also, I always try to buy televisions, computers, and electronics at Sam's instead of Best Buy. Sam's has a 90 day return policy on these items, whereas the Best Buy return policy is 14 days.

[missypie]

I went with my 93 year old daddy to Sams. My daddy is real good in the AM, so we got there one hour before the regulars could come in. We didn't know there were special hours for upgraded folks. I asked the woman if my daddy could pick up his 3 items. A big NO. You can wait in your car we were told. My daddy complied but I'm saying he's old. So we left. I know rules are rules. I just cry for my daddy.

[Stu from NYC]

I went with my 93 year old daddy to Sams. My daddy is real good in the AM, so we got there one hour before the regulars could come in. We didn't know there were special hours for upgraded folks. I asked the woman if my daddy could pick up his 3 items. A big NO. You can wait in your car we were told. My daddy complied but I'm saying he's old. So we left. I know rules are rules. I just cry for my daddy.

Warehouse stores operate differently than many other stores. Perhaps you could go on your own to get what he needs.

[La lamy]

I'm sorry Sam's has been such a turnoff for the OP. Regarding service in big box stores, I must say I've been very happy in the grocery section of Walmart. It's usually impossible to find someone for help in the rest of the store, but there's usually always someone restocking in the grocery part who's willing to help.

[Topspinmo]

Sam's Store on 441 by Homedepot

Don't be conned folks the upgrades membership is a joke, other than getting in the store at 8 am which they don't have any employees that know what they are doing and not enough employees to service the customers. Its a Chit show!
Sam's is in a self destruct mode and I cant wait to see Costco here.
The Manager on Duty Lacey is Laughing with other employees instead of doing her job and helping the service desk with employees that don't know what they are doing PERIOD!
The General Manager is not watching the store and how it is running.
From 8:30 am to 9:36 am no one would pick up the phone in Tires and Batteries and or the service desk.
Try calling 352-751-5150.
Unbelievable!!!! Good luck folks, Sam's stores in my home town finally closed down due to poor customer service!!!
CRAZY!!!! No one cares!


Never understood why would paid to shop at store?

[Aw Man]

What the heck is that suppose to mean!!!! BTW i don't take medication, Maybe you should take yours, Customer service in the villages is very poor in some big box stores, have you gone into Home depot and Lowes and try to find someone?

I’ve never had a problem getting knowledgeable help in local Home Depot and Lowe’s stores.

[EdFNJ]

One reason to buy the upgraded Plus membership at Sam's is for people who use any prescription drugs that are not covered by insurance. You can often save a lot of money, way more than the extra membership cost.

Also, I always try to buy televisions, computers, and electronics at Sam's instead of Best Buy. Sam's has a 90 day return policy on these items, whereas the Best Buy return policy is 14 days. Have you ever tried returning electronics there? My ONE experience returning ANYTHING there was horrendous. I bought an Apple TV Box ($160) a few weeks ago and returned it the very next day still sealed with receipt because I found out that evening my kids sent me one from Apple direct as a b'day gift and I didn't know it. You'd have thought I had stolen it for what they put me through. First the counter person opened the SEALED BOX (I can understand that sort of), then she called her helper because she had to "authorize" it (I can understand that too) then her helper had to call the return lady manager to check out the (originally sealed) box to make sure nothing was missing but since she didn't have a list of contents of what is in the box (remote, Apple TV & 1 power cord) she had to find out if it was all there. After telling her it was sealed until the dummy opened it she said she still had to check. FINALLY, after almost 15 minutes, I got my refund. That's why I shop at Costco when I can.

At Costco (up North a few years ago) wife and I saw a woman in front of us on the return line after Thanksgiving return a full half-eaten meal including a cooked half eaten turkey, a pie and some other stuff and they took it back without one question. After she left wife asked the CS Lady how she could do that (both have the nerve to return it and to take back half eaten food) and her reply is "that is our policy, no questions asked." We were stunned.

[Debfrommaine]

I'm probably going to sign up for Sam's. Never would have considered it really, I hardly ever buy in bulk so there's very little "savings" for me anyway (plus other stores have sales that end up netting a much lower price at the end of the shopping trip, per ounce/pound/unit). But it's $45 to join and they give you a $45 Sam's gift card. That means free membership for a year. If I buy something just once this coming year, something that's cheaper than the same thing at Walmart, I will have saved money.

So I'm good with that!

I just did this......same reason, will give it a try. Customer Service was very good, they did ask me to upgrade membership but no need. We'll see what happens.

[retiredguy123]

Have you ever tried returning electronics there? My ONE experience returning ANYTHING there was horrendous. I bought an Apple TV Box ($160) a few weeks ago and returned it the very next day still sealed with receipt because I found out that evening my kids sent me one from Apple direct as a b'day gift and I didn't know it. You'd have thought I had stolen it for what they put me through. First the counter person opened the SEALED BOX (I can understand that sort of), then she called her helper because she had to "authorize" it (I can understand that too) then her helper had to call the return lady manager to check out the (originally sealed) box to make sure nothing was missing but since she didn't have a list of contents of what is in the box (remote, Apple TV & 1 power cord) she had to find out if it was all there. After telling her it was sealed until the dummy opened it she said she still had to check. FINALLY, after almost 15 minutes, I got my refund. That's why I shop at Costco when I can.

At Costco (up North a few years ago) wife and I saw a woman in front of us on the return line after Thanksgiving return a full half-eaten meal including a cooked half eaten turkey, a pie and some other stuff and they took it back without one question. After she left wife asked the CS Lady how she could do that (both have the nerve to return it and to take back half eaten food) and her reply is "that is our policy, no questions asked." We were stunned.
The 90 day return policy is especially good for anything with a screen, like a TV. Television warranties will not cover a few dead pixels which many screens develop during the first few months.

Costco is especially good for expensive jewelry because they will allow a return at any time, even years later. Try to do that with a local jewelry store. If you are lucky, you may get 10 percent of the purchase price instead of 100 percent at Costco.

[graciegirl]

In Cincinnati we belonged to them both. Excellent birthday cakes and good quality meat at Sam's. Bought a couple very nicely made bookcases and a beautiful nativity scene at Costco. Regularly shopped at both. I have enough dried onions forever and ever.

They are both warehouse stores. Not there to give you individual service, but their buying power is stellar and they do get good deals and good quality and some very nice items that arrive before season and aren't restocked.

When I'm not near the one I love best, I love best the one I'm near.

[retiredguy123]

In Cincinnati we belonged to them both. Excellent birthday cakes and good quality meat at Sam's. Bought a couple very nicely made bookcases and a beautiful nativity scene at Costco. Regularly shopped at both. I have enough dried onions forever and ever.

They are both warehouse stores. Not there to give you individual service, but their buying power is stellar and they do get good deals and good quality and some very nice items that arrive before season and aren't restocked.

When I'm not near the one I love best, I love best the one I'm near.
I think it's

"Love the one you're with"

Stephen Stills

[Nucky]

It's not just The Villages, it's all "big box" stores and major chains. Sam's closed down MANY stores starting 3 years ago including the one in our FORMER home town which was less than 2 years old. Ever try finding help at a Macy's store? Even Nordstroms which was once the epitome of customer service has gone down the tubes in the stores that remain even BEFORE the pandemic. SERVICE left the big chain retail business years ago with the advent of online shopping.

How bright do you think it was building a new Sam's 12 miles apart? They really goofed up. We both felt that the one up near Newark Airport was a little bit on the dicey side to go to. We are still so happy to be here for the safety aspect of shopping. I also can't wait to shop again instead of all Pickup or delivery orders.

What did they ever do with the Sam's property that they closed? I haven't been back to the North since Christmas of 2018.

The service at both we felt was severely lacking. I'd rather be here and I think our Lady Lake Sam's Sucks Eggs! :1rotfl: We still use it as part of the food planning process over here.

[EdFNJ]

How bright do you think it was building a new Sam's 12 miles apart? They really goofed up. We both felt that the one up near Newark Airport was a little bit on the dicey side to go to. We are still so happy to be here for the safety aspect of shopping. I also can't wait to shop again instead of all Pickup or delivery orders.

What did they ever do with the Sam's property that they closed? I haven't been back to the North since Christmas of 2018.

The service at both we felt was severely lacking. I'd rather be here and I think our Lady Lake Sam's Sucks Eggs! :1rotfl: We still use it as part of the food planning process over here.

Not sure about Rt1 near airport, the "new at the time" one I was referring to was on RT1 in Linden at corner of Park Ave next to the refinery research center. There was, I assume still is, also a "newish" BJ's 1/2 mi further south on Rt1. There still are also 3 Costco's in the area all doing well. :)

Haven't been up there in a while for more than 48hrs except for South Jersey visiting kids & grands.

[EdFNJ]

In Cincinnati we belonged to them both. When we lived up north we belonged to all 3. Sam's, BJs and Costco. No idea why but each place had something different to offer. We shared the memberships with our kids (they got the 2nd card because my wife always was with me) so we all benefited.

[Rwirish]

Please no Costco! Love Sams.

[kendi]

We like SAMS. And we have had good service there.

[Mrmean58]

Actually the bottom line is you can get cheap prices or customer service, you can't have both. Companies/stores that promised both either offered inferior products or are out of business. The saying you get what you pay for exists for a reason. If you're expecting top notch customer service at a warehouse store maybe you need to reset your expectations.

[photo1902]

We like SAMS. And we have had good service there.

Same here. Excellent selection of meats and seafood, Scan and Go, in club pickup, free shipping. What’s not to love?

[Susan1234]

Agreed they are wonderful and so helpful...Support local business.

[david@suchla.com]

Upgrade actually good we get reduced pharmacy and an annual rebate

[Eg_cruz]

Sam's Store on 441 by Homedepot

Don't be conned folks the upgrades membership is a joke, other than getting in the store at 8 am which they don't have any employees that know what they are doing and not enough employees to service the customers. Its a Chit show!
Sam's is in a self destruct mode and I cant wait to see Costco here.
The Manager on Duty Lacey is Laughing with other employees instead of doing her job and helping the service desk with employees that don't know what they are doing PERIOD!
The General Manager is not watching the store and how it is running.
From 8:30 am to 9:36 am no one would pick up the phone in Tires and Batteries and or the service desk.
Try calling 352-751-5150.
Unbelievable!!!! Good luck folks, Sam's stores in my home town finally closed down due to poor customer service!!!
CRAZY!!!! No one cares!
Highly disagree
I get great service every time I go
I have the business membership and with the 5% give back my membership pays for itself
With the business membership you get 3 cards which is great
I don’t buy my gas anywhere but there
I very happy we have Sam’s

[tonycirocco@me.com]

Not sure about Rt1 near airport, the "new at the time" one I was referring to was on RT1 in Linden at corner of Park Ave next to the refinery research center. There was, I assume still is, also a "newish" BJ's 1/2 mi further south on Rt1. There still are also 3 Costco's in the area all doing well. :)

Haven't been up there in a while for more than 48hrs except for South Jersey visiting kids & grands.

THREE Costcos????
We need ONE!!!!

[Eg_cruz]

I am over Amazon.......I only use if a have to. I always shop others site to price compare and Amazon is not always the best by far and if it is equal I go with the other. Last order said would receive on 12/2 after I order it flipped to 12/7 this is the 4th or 5th time it has happen.....but I paid that $119 fee. I will not be renewing prime

[GOLFER54]

The way the majority of people employed are trained to accommodate the customers is a disgrace. When I worked and if I treated and ignored or didn’t have enough knowledge about a product as they do, I would have been fired on the spot. TODAY, these businesses are so desperate for help, they hire anyone.

[B-flat]

My uncles cousins sister told him that Costco was taking over Sams location in early 21

Sorry sams

How about that I heard from my brother in law's sister whose friend is the manager of the Costco in Fairbanks Alaska that a Costco will be taking over the BJ's Wholesale club that hasn't been built yet on 441.

[Aloha]

The local Sam's Club is the worst one I have ever dealt with. I do not plan to renew my membership. It is no longer worth the price and the terrible service.

[Chellybean]

The way the majority of people employed are trained to accommodate the customers is a disgrace. When I worked and if I treated and ignored or didn’t have enough knowledge about a product as they do, I would have been fired on the spot. TODAY, these businesses are so desperate for help, they hire anyone.

That is the exact problem, most of the employee's say let them fire me I don't care. these people are not paid enough to give a Cr*p to care period and they are not well trained. The turnover is so high that the MOD's (manager on Duty) are burned out and are the only ones that have authority to do anything. Most of the people that are retired may have time for there nonsense but some have better things to do with our time, then to waste it in stores that breed incompetents. The upper Management and CEO's are more interested in balance sheets today then getting on the frontline and fixing the problems.
Why the heck do you think so many of there stores are closing , it is just not the area or economics', its there business model that needs to be overhauled, (words of Elon Musk Recently)JMHO

[Chellybean]

the local sam's club is the worst one i have ever dealt with. I do not plan to renew my membership. It is no longer worth the price and the terrible service.

agreed!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[photo1902]

That is the exact problem, most of the employee's say let them fire me I don't care. these people are not paid enough to give a Cr*p to care period and they are not well trained. The turnover is so high that the MOD's (manager on Duty) are burned out and are the only ones that have authority to do anything. Most of the people that are retired may have time for there nonsense but some have better things to do with our time, then to waste it in stores that breed incompetents. The upper Management and CEO's are more interested in balance sheets today then getting on the frontline and fixing the problems.
Why the heck do you think so many of there stores are closing , it is just not the area or economics', its there business model that needs to be overhauled, (words of Elon Musk Recently)JMHO

Wow. Take a deep breath. It'll be ok.:popcorn:

[Chellybean]

Actually the bottom line is you can get cheap prices or customer service, you can't have both. Companies/stores that promised both either offered inferior products or are out of business. The saying you get what you pay for exists for a reason. If you're expecting top notch customer service at a warehouse store maybe you need to reset your expectations.

NOT always true, check competitive prices, Sam's is no longer cheaper prices!

[Chellybean]

Wow. Take a deep breath. It'll be ok.:popcorn:

LOL, ok thanks, I forgot to take a deep breath, lmao

[Stu from NYC]

How about that I heard from my brother in law's sister whose friend is the manager of the Costco in Fairbanks Alaska that a Costco will be taking over the BJ's Wholesale club that hasn't been built yet on 441.

I know exactly where that new location will be.

[oxfordreb52@gmail.com]

If it's free shipping you want Amazon Prime gives you 100x more value than Sam's since you wouldn't be going into the store in either case plus you get free movies, music and lots of other goodies. I only remain a member of Sam's for the local $1.50 dog n' soda (and even that's mostly gone now since no more sauerkraut or mustard or relish !)! Our once every 6 week or so trip to Costco & TJ's and Whole Foods covers everything that Sam's has plus more. Not going to renew my just expired Sam's membership until post-pandemic hot dog, soda & sauerkraut is back! :D :D

If you are unsatisfied with the service, you can cancel the subscription and get your money back. Also, from what I understand you can get you hot dog without a membership there to just like at Costco. I might be wrong but I know for a fact that you can at Costco.

[Grill Meister]

WOW!!!!! That's just terrible and I know that they will be devastated with the loss of your business. Poor baby....boo hoo.

[Guitarman1951]

We love the upgraded membership and have had none of these problems. We use the scan and go app on our cell phone and don't have to stand in any checkout lines. Judging from the massive crowd of shoppers
that are almost always there, this store isn't going out of business anytime soon.

[Guitarman1951]

Service will get worse as the minimum wage increases force stores to lay off more employees.

[NoMoSno]

Will be avoiding Sams when the 441/25 overpass removal gets in full swing.
A 2 year project that will create a "cluster" in that area and beyond.

[MandoMan]

Sam's Store on 441 by Homedepot

Don't be conned folks the upgrades membership is a joke, other than getting in the store at 8 am which they don't have any employees that know what they are doing and not enough employees to service the customers. Its a Chit show!
Sam's is in a self destruct mode and I cant wait to see Costco here.
The Manager on Duty Lacey is Laughing with other employees instead of doing her job and helping the service desk with employees that don't know what they are doing PERIOD!
The General Manager is not watching the store and how it is running.
From 8:30 am to 9:36 am no one would pick up the phone in Tires and Batteries and or the service desk.
Try calling 352-751-5150.
Unbelievable!!!! Good luck folks, Sam's stores in my home town finally closed down due to poor customer service!!!
CRAZY!!!! No one cares!

While I agree with you that the upgrades may not be value for money for most people, I’m a business member, and I have very much appreciated being able to get into the store a couple hours earlier than do most people. We don’t NEED help from employees, and we don’t NEED people to answer phones. The employees are busy getting ready for the day and restocking.

Business members know exactly what they want. They find it, pay, and get out, often with a large purchase. They don’t window shop. The Sam’s Club in Lady Lake is the busiest one I’ve ever seen, and a lot of the people just poke around looking at things. Also, a lot of them move VERY SLOWLY. I understand why, and I sympathize, but it is frustrating when you are pushing a big flat cart piled with things and need to get out. From eight to ten, we can go much faster. We can also get through the checkout line faster. Some people seem to have never used a scanner or card reader before, and that slows things down. So I find my Business membership money well spent because it lets me go faster. That’s part of what it is for.

[banjobob]

It's very hard to find customer service any where. I hate to be a grumpy old man, but I feel customer service is lacking in most places (everywhere) for the last 10 years.


:shrug:
We no longer shop Lowe’s, no staff on the floor to ask questions on finding items or for information about an item. Contrast at Home Depot , I feel a better selection of goods and staff all over the store to help locate items and help with questions.

[4557Spahr]

Sams Clun was never set up for top notch customer service. In fact, we scan, checkout, our own groceries with our phone. If you need a lot of attention ACE is the place for you.

[stiching]

Tires and Batteries department are open from 10:00am to 6:00 pm everyday

[Larchap49]

The reason we took out a plus membership a few months ago was for free shipping and a few other discounts and it is working well for us.

Been a member of our hometown Sams for many years and do not expect much in the way of service in the store on any product needing an explanation.

Have found tires to be inefficiently run no matter which store we go to and if it was not for the very very cheap price on tires and service would buy tires elsewhere.

Bottom line is harder and harder to get service in any big box store.

Something you should know about tires from the club stores. They are not the same as you get from the tire store. They are made to the club specifications with up to 4/32 less tread than the ones from a tire source hence the cheaper price. Only way around this is to compare product numbers. If by chance they are selling first run tires the price will be comparable to other vendors. I am knowledgeable in this regard as I have 25 years in the automotive service and tire industry. My recommendation would be to purchase tires from your car dealer if they offer a price match guarantee as most do. If not then use a reputable tire store.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

I think that this Sam's Club is here to stay. They are really the only game in town. It is one of the smallest stores in the chain so its operating expenses are lower than most.

The fact that there is no Costco or BJ Wholesale in the area means that they have the market cornered on this type of store. It's doubtful that Costco or any other store of this type will ever come to this area. If you notice all of the other shopping clubs, including Sam's in Ocala are all located near a major highway. That is one of the primary consideration for where to locate these stores. A community of 150,000 people with another 100,000 or so in surrounding communities is not enough for these corporations to build a store in that area. They want to locate near a major highway like route 4, route 95 or route 75 so that people can easily get to their location from 30 or 40 miles away. The Villages just does not have that kind of access.

The Villages is larger than Ocala, Summerfield, Bellevue, Fruitland Park and Leesburg all put together. But the Ocala Sam's Club is much larger than the one that we have here. It's because it's right off of 75.

The thing is that these types of stores were never meant to have great customer service. Product is stuck onto shelves still in boxes and employees are really just stock clerks. Shopping clubs are are popular because of buy in bulk for low prices with little or no service.

[NotFromAroundHere]

We no longer shop Lowe’s, no staff on the floor to ask questions on finding items or for information about an item. Contrast at Home Depot , I feel a better selection of goods and staff all over the store to help locate items and help with questions.

Lol! I'm usually trying to avoid all the Lowe's employees asking me if I need any help finding anything. I must look clueless to them.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Something you should know about tires from the club stores. They are not the same as you get from the tire store. They are made to the club specifications with up to 4/32 less tread than the ones from a tire source hence the cheaper price. Only way around this is to compare product numbers. If by chance they are selling first run tires the price will be comparable to other vendors. I am knowledgeable in this regard as I have 25 years in the automotive service and tire industry.

That is actually the case with a lot of large retailers. I was in the golf business for 35 years. I worked for Dick's Sporting Goods for a short while and was surprised to find that most of the major manufacturers make products specifically for big box stores. In fact sometimes, the manufacturer will simply license their name to a store and the store will have products made in China with the manufacturers name on it. Any time you see "So and so's Exclusive" you are not getting the same product that you would buy elsewhere.

I had a client that owned a small engine store. He sold lawn mowers, snow blowers and other similar equipment. He said that the same thing was true for lawn care products that you find in places like Home Depot and Lowes. Many are made to less stringent specifications than products you can buy at your Mom and Pop lawn care store where products like Toro and Jacobsen are the real deal.

It's the case in every industry. Part of the problem is that these chain stores buy so much that they can dictate the terms of sales to the manufacturers. Many manufacturers would go under if not for the business generated by big box chain stores. The manufacturers also cannot afford to sell to these stores at the prices that they demand to they either make product with less quality for exclusive distribution by a particular store or they sell their name to the store so that they can have products made under that name.

That Taylor Made driver that you just bought at Dick's is probably not a Taylor Made driver at all. It's most likely a piece of junk with the Taylor Made name stamped on it and Dick's made 75% profit margin on it.

[parkersykes]

Plus membership at Sam’s with Sam’s MasterCard nets good rebates on gas, dining, travel. For example 5% off on gas at any gas station!

[Kgcetm]

Without question, a Sam's Club is not going to compete with Costco because it doesn't know how. Sam's Club average store sales are $96.4M per store compared with Costco's 213M per store. Sam's just can't get there. That said, we don't have a Costco in the Villages, we do have a Sam's. Like it or not, that's a big plus for our community. I drive to the Costco in Lutz, FL twice a month. Bought my hearing aids there (best equipment, best service), my eyeglasses (best frames, best service) and get my Prime Meat there. It's a great store but it still isn't in the Villages. We'll have a Sam's Club in the Villages until a Costco opens near by and then Sam's will close.

[justjim]

I went with my 93 year old daddy to Sams. My daddy is real good in the AM, so we got there one hour before the regulars could come in. We didn't know there were special hours for upgraded folks. I asked the woman if my daddy could pick up his 3 items. A big NO. You can wait in your car we were told. My daddy complied but I'm saying he's old. So we left. I know rules are rules. I just cry for my daddy.

We went to Sam’s this summer at our “northern” Sam’s when seniors could go two hours early and shop. We got the day wrong. Wow! The lady was so rude and angry for us showing up when we pulled out our “regular” Sam’s card. She told us to go and sit in our car until the store opens up for you! “I just looked at her and “said thanks for telling us and I hope your day gets better. I think we will just go over to McDonalds and have a cup of coffee from the nice lady that’s over there - so you have a nice day.” We left and came back in about 45 minutes and she was gone. It seems everybody is stressed out these days.

[Garwood1]

After being in retail for decades , the issue that is huge and causes shortages in service etc., is the ability to hire good associates, they are scarce , look at any place you go and almost everyone has their heads buried in their phones -guess what , those are the people you are expecting to drop their phones and be able to carry on a service situation with calm and poise . We aren’t preparing young people to work in public , we taught them to introverts when it comes to communication

[elevatorman]

If Sam's closes where will we get our TP?

[newgirl]

They pay employees well and for many, working at Ace is their lifetime career. I sold homes to many Ace employees.

[Carla B]

After being in retail for decades , the issue that is huge and causes shortages in service etc., is the ability to hire good associates, they are scarce , look at any place you go and almost everyone has their heads buried in their phones -guess what , those are the people you are expecting to drop their phones and be able to carry on a service situation with calm and poise . We aren’t preparing young people to work in public , we taught them to introverts when it comes to communication

You make a good point.

[CFrance]

It used to be if you bought a laptop from one of the manufacturers--Dell, Toshiba, Hewlitt Packard, etc.--and something went wrong with it, you couldn't return it, per se. You had to give it up (send it back) for them to fix, which left you without a computer and getting back basically a refurbished machine. I once had to send an H-P laptop back four times till it finally went out of warranty and they wouldn't help me anymore.

I bought a Toshiba from Sam's Club when we first got down here. It crashed a couple weeks later. Rather than go through the rigamarole of sending it back to Toshiba, I took it to Sam's and returned it. Of course, they inspected it to be sure I hadn't thrown it across the room or some such. When it wouldn't boot up for them, no questions asked, I got a refund.

That's my only experience with Sam's down here, but it was a good one.

[72lions]

It’s a big box discount store. Quit complaining about everything. I hate old grumpy people (I’m 70 LOL).

For the record, just buying gas at Sam’s is worth the membership. It is typically 15 to 18 cents cheaper. 15,000 miles at 25 miles/gallon saves $90/year alone. And, the drive through car wash is $7.

[graciegirl]

After being in retail for decades , the issue that is huge and causes shortages in service etc., is the ability to hire good associates, they are scarce , look at any place you go and almost everyone has their heads buried in their phones -guess what , those are the people you are expecting to drop their phones and be able to carry on a service situation with calm and poise . We aren’t preparing young people to work in public , we taught them to introverts when it comes to communication

I think it is worse than that. Many of them have never heard the old adage; "The customer is always right" and many are shocked by the mention of it. It starts young and casual conversation heard by little kids may make them think all old people are less than worthy. Children are not raised or talked to by people who impart standards, they are given over very young to people their parents wouldn't trust with their house keys.

[donfey]

ACE hardware still has great customer service, easy to find someone and get an answer.

AND, we all want Ace to be there when we need them. It’s in our own best interest. SUPPORT THIS LOCAL RETAILER! They’re nice people, too.

[retiredguy123]

It used to be if you bought a laptop from one of the manufacturers--Dell, Toshiba, Hewlitt Packard, etc.--and something went wrong with it, you couldn't return it, per se. You had to give it up (send it back) for them to fix, which left you without a computer and getting back basically a refurbished machine. I once had to send an H-P laptop back four times till it finally went out of warranty and they wouldn't help me anymore.

I bought a Toshiba from Sam's Club when we first got down here. It crashed a couple weeks later. Rather than go through the rigamarole of sending it back to Toshiba, I took it to Sam's and returned it. Of course, they inspected it to be sure I hadn't thrown it across the room or some such. When it wouldn't boot up for them, no questions asked, I got a refund.

That's my only experience with Sam's down here, but it was a good one.
That is the main reason that I always buy televisions, computers, and electronics at Sam's. They have a 90 day return policy on those items. If you had bought it at Best Buy, after 2 weeks, you have have been out of luck.

Another thing about Sam's that some people don't know is that you can use the pharmacy and optical departments without being a Sam's member. I think it is state law. If you use expensive prescription drugs, Sam's will often have a significantly lower price than other pharmacies. Non-members get the same price as regular members, but "Plus" members often get a much lower price on prescription drugs.

[Sailohio]

Last week, I needed a refrigerator filter. They had them in stock at Lowes for $50. But, I ordered it on Amazon for $39 and received it the next day. I don't understand why I would ever go to Lowes for something like that, even if they had good service. I think that is why the stores are closing.

That works fine until you need a part today and the Home Depot/Lowe’s are closed because everyone was buying from Amazon.

[retiredguy123]

If you get the VALPAK coupons in the mail, there is a current Sam's coupon where you can join for $45 and get $45 off your first purchase. So, basically, the membership is free.

[Peachfuzz]

You want service, go to Ace Hardware, forget Lowe’s or Home Depot

[Pairadocs]

Sam's Store on 441 by Homedepot

Don't be conned folks the upgrades membership is a joke, other than getting in the store at 8 am which they don't have any employees that know what they are doing and not enough employees to service the customers. Its a Chit show!
Sam's is in a self destruct mode and I cant wait to see Costco here.
The Manager on Duty Lacey is Laughing with other employees instead of doing her job and helping the service desk with employees that don't know what they are doing PERIOD!
The General Manager is not watching the store and how it is running.
From 8:30 am to 9:36 am no one would pick up the phone in Tires and Batteries and or the service desk.
Try calling 352-751-5150.
Unbelievable!!!! Good luck folks, Sam's stores in my home town finally closed down due to poor customer service!!!
CRAZY!!!! No one cares!

Well, if it keeps up, who knows, maybe the long awaited Costco will come..... doubt it, Costco seems to know their business and we just don't fit their demographics ! Close friend is district manager out in Washington state... he just laughs when I tell him the latest Villages "rumor".... but meanwhile, a trip once a month or so to Winter Park can be a pleasant get-a-way; especially now that almost ANYTHING can serve as "an entertainment experience"..... LOL ! Even shopping !

[Stu from NYC]

That is actually the case with a lot of large retailers. I was in the golf business for 35 years. I worked for Dick's Sporting Goods for a short while and was surprised to find that most of the major manufacturers make products specifically for big box stores. In fact sometimes, the manufacturer will simply license their name to a store and the store will have products made in China with the manufacturers name on it. Any time you see "So and so's Exclusive" you are not getting the same product that you would buy elsewhere.

I had a client that owned a small engine store. He sold lawn mowers, snow blowers and other similar equipment. He said that the same thing was true for lawn care products that you find in places like Home Depot and Lowes. Many are made to less stringent specifications than products you can buy at your Mom and Pop lawn care store where products like Toro and Jacobsen are the real deal.

It's the case in every industry. Part of the problem is that these chain stores buy so much that they can dictate the terms of sales to the manufacturers. Many manufacturers would go under if not for the business generated by big box chain stores. The manufacturers also cannot afford to sell to these stores at the prices that they demand to they either make product with less quality for exclusive distribution by a particular store or they sell their name to the store so that they can have products made under that name.

That Taylor Made driver that you just bought at Dick's is probably not a Taylor Made driver at all. It's most likely a piece of junk with the Taylor Made name stamped on it and Dick's made 75% profit margin on it.

I have heard this before but one would think that the real manufacturer would insist on certain quality on the products with their name on it.

Sad that they do not

[EdFNJ]

The local Sam's Club is the worst one I have ever dealt with. I do not plan to renew my membership. It is no longer worth the price and the terrible service. "Clubs" like Sam's, Costco, BJ's don't exist to provide "service" they exist for (allegedly) price. If you want service you have to go where you pay "full price" (whatever that is). Department stores (Macy's etc etc) used to exist to provide service with a higher price tag but sadly now they provide NO service and charger even higher prices which is why so many are shutting down (which started even before the pandemic).

[Stu from NYC]

"Clubs" like Sam's, Costco, BJ's don't exist to provide "service" they exist for (allegedly) price. If you want service you have to go where you pay "full price" (whatever that is). Department stores (Macy's etc etc) used to exist to provide service with a higher price tag but sadly now they provide NO service and charger even higher prices which is why so many are shutting down (which started even before the pandemic).

We wanted to purchase a combo air fryer, grill, broiler, toaster etc. Best price by far was Sams but knew we would find nobody to answer any questions.

If we needed help would have gone elsewhere to purchase it and know we would have to pay more.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

If you don't get Valpak (or threw it away), you can still access the coupon from the Valpak website, here:
29 Sams Club Coupons & Promo Codes Available - December 2020 (https://www.valpak.com/c/coupon-codes/sams-club-coupons)

[EdFNJ]

If you don't get Valpak (or threw it away), you can still access the coupon from the Valpak website, here:
29 Sams Club Coupons & Promo Codes Available - December 2020 (https://www.valpak.com/c/coupon-codes/sams-club-coupons) Thank you! Note (if you plan on holding off) When you click on the link it says "Offer valid 11/1/2020 – 12/31/2020" then when you click on JOIN NOW it says: "Offer ends Jan 31, 2021 see offer details", then when you click on "see offer details" it again says "Offer valid November 1 – December 31, 2020."

Also, you can still get the deal if you were a previous member by using a different email address and/or use you spouses info.

LOL

[yabbadu]

Sam's Store on 441 by Homedepot

Don't be conned folks the upgrades membership is a joke, other than getting in the store at 8 am which they don't have any employees that know what they are doing and not enough employees to service the customers. Its a Chit show!
Sam's is in a self destruct mode and I cant wait to see Costco here.
The Manager on Duty Lacey is Laughing with other employees instead of doing her job and helping the service desk with employees that don't know what they are doing PERIOD!
The General Manager is not watching the store and how it is running.
From 8:30 am to 9:36 am no one would pick up the phone in Tires and Batteries and or the service desk.
Try calling 352-751-5150.
Unbelievable!!!! Good luck folks, Sam's stores in my home town finally closed down due to poor customer service!!!
CRAZY!!!! No one cares!

Saved me a bunch of money on eyeglasses and a TV rebate!

Do agree though...Customer service at this store is poor!

[Topspinmo]

The local Sam's Club is the worst one I have ever dealt with. I do not plan to renew my membership. It is no longer worth the price and the terrible service.


Welcome to Florida where there are several worse ones.

[photo1902]

We wanted to purchase a combo air fryer, grill, broiler, toaster etc. Best price by far was Sams but knew we would find nobody to answer any questions.

If we needed help would have gone elsewhere to purchase it and know we would have to pay more.

Google

[Chellybean]

"Clubs" like Sam's, Costco, BJ's don't exist to provide "service" they exist for (allegedly) price. If you want service you have to go where you pay "full price" (whatever that is). Department stores (Macy's etc etc) used to exist to provide service with a higher price tag but sadly now they provide NO service and charger even higher prices which is why so many are shutting down (which started even before the pandemic).

Check there pricing my friend they are no longer the cheapest on quantity, just FYI

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

I'm probably going to sign up for Sam's. Never would have considered it really, I hardly ever buy in bulk so there's very little "savings" for me anyway (plus other stores have sales that end up netting a much lower price at the end of the shopping trip, per ounce/pound/unit). But it's $45 to join and they give you a $45 Sam's gift card. That means free membership for a year. If I buy something just once this coming year, something that's cheaper than the same thing at Walmart, I will have saved money.

So I'm good with that!

We go to Sam's once a month and buy meats, canned goods and paper good in bulk. It's easy to buy a month's worth of products that never go bad. Sometimes if wee see a particularly good deal on something that doesn't go bad or take a lot of space, we might buy six month's worth.

We have the premium membership and a Sam's Club credit card. With the cash back on the card we get an almost free order about once a year.

I would like to se a Costco but right now, Sam's is the only game in town. And as I said in a previous post, it's likely to remain that way.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

I have heard this before but one would think that the real manufacturer would insist on certain quality on the products with their name on it.

Sad that they do not

In some cases they do, but they also have to abide by the buyers cost restrictions.

My former wife worked for an electrical supply company and they had two main big box chain store customers. They eventually went out of business because the customers were demanding prices that were so low they weren't making enough of a profit to pay the bills.

It's better, though more difficult to deal with a hundred small businesses than to deal with a few that give you a lot of business. Unfortunately, these large chains are where the customers go today.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

We wanted to purchase a combo air fryer, grill, broiler, toaster etc. Best price by far was Sams but knew we would find nobody to answer any questions.

If we needed help would have gone elsewhere to purchase it and know we would have to pay more.

What kind of questions did you need answered? Pretty much everything you need to know about a product is available either on the box on on a website.

You may go somewhere else and pay more to have some minimum wage flunky tell you things about a product that he knows nothing about.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

We love the upgraded membership and have had none of these problems. We use the scan and go app on our cell phone and don't have to stand in any checkout lines. Judging from the massive crowd of shoppers
that are almost always there, this store isn't going out of business anytime soon.

Are you talking about Sam's Club? I had no idea they had such an app. How do you show your receipt when leaving the store?

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Are you talking about Sam's Club? I had no idea they had such an app. How do you show your receipt when leaving the store?

It's on your app.

[Stu from NYC]

What kind of questions did you need answered? Pretty much everything you need to know about a product is available either on the box on on a website.

You may go somewhere else and pay more to have some minimum wage flunky tell you things about a product that he knows nothing about.

Actually we did get the info we wanted from the box.

The trick was thru trial and error learning how to use it. The more we learn how to use it the happier we are with it.

For example thought that broiling was the best way to make burgers on it. Turned out using the grill gave us much better results.

[Chellybean]

Sam's Store on 441 by Homedepot

Don't be conned folks the upgrades membership is a joke, other than getting in the store at 8 am which they don't have any employees that know what they are doing and not enough employees to service the customers. Its a Chit show!
Sam's is in a self destruct mode and I cant wait to see Costco here.
The Manager on Duty Lacey is Laughing with other employees instead of doing her job and helping the service desk with employees that don't know what they are doing PERIOD!
The General Manager is not watching the store and how it is running.
From 8:30 am to 9:36 am no one would pick up the phone in Tires and Batteries and or the service desk.
Try calling 352-751-5150.
Unbelievable!!!! Good luck folks, Sam's stores in my home town finally closed down due to poor customer service!!!
CRAZY!!!! No one cares!

In all fairness I need to update this post.
The General Manager at that store "Milly" reached out to me and is trying to fix the problems and seems to care about what is happening to the store. I did have a long conversation with her about all the issues.
The problem still remains is corporate America dictates the hours and employees she is allowed to service the store with.
As we have said in this forum, the Corporate bean counters need to get away from there excel spreadsheets and get down on the frontline to make these stores run better and get the input from the GM's to find out what they need. I am told she is trying to make things better at the store and will read this forum to get her feedback.
Lets just hope she can make a difference!

[photo1902]

///

[dlsgrafton]

Plus so many customers not wearing masks.

[Northerner52]

CS is worse at all retail stores. Probably going to get still worse than better everywhere. On the COSTCO location rumors. Two Westley Chapel Costco employees told me they were told by company folks they were looking for land between Ocala and here but closer to The Villages. Makes more sense than being in a retirement community and they better have a large hearing aid department!!!!

[charlieo1126@gmail.com]

Maybe those are the 2 people who I talked with , they have a cousin who is close to a guy whose brother knows the wife of the lawn guy who mows for a very high management person for Sam’s , it has to be true