I left $200 worth of groceries at Sam’s Club after the “screen” demanded I pay more

A SAM’S Club customer abandoned his shopping cart full of groceries after demanding a higher price at the checkout.

The buyer was not convinced and left his groceries worth $200 behind, even though he had asked for help and no one came.

Sam’s Club shopper Robert Linthicum reached out to X to vent his frustration with the shopping experience.

He had just done a “big purchase” at the supermarket and had a full shopping cart at the self-service checkout, he explained in a post last week.

The customer was scanning his membership card when the cashier abruptly asked him to pay more to complete his purchase.

“On-screen response: ‘Pay us $40 for the privilege of shopping before 10:00 a.m.,'” he wrote.

Linthicum then pressed the button to request help and waited for a few minutes, but no one came to help him.

The Sam’s Club customer eventually abandoned his shopping cart containing $200 worth of groceries and left the store.

EARLY HOURS GUIDELINES

Unlike rival retailer Costco, Sam’s Club has enacted a rule that only members of the Plus membership level are allowed to shop during early opening hours.

To provide Premium members with a more relaxed shopping experience, grocery shopping from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. is only available to Plus members.

Plus and Club members, however, can shop from 10 a.m. until closing time.

A Sam’s Club membership costs $50 per year, while a Plus membership costs $110 per year, meaning customers have to shell out an additional $60 for early purchases.

In addition to access to early store hours, those who pay the additional fee for Plus status enjoy additional perks like free delivery, free curbside pickup and Sam’s Cash.

CUSTOMER CONCERNS

On Reddit, Sam’s Club members asked what would happen if they, as club members, shopped at the big box club before 10 a.m.

Plus members quickly stepped in and demanded that every customer pay the additional fee for early shopping.

“You will be forced to either upgrade or come back later during normal business hours,” said one shopper, while another mentioned that the retailer’s checkouts may differentiate between the two memberships.

“They have to pay the price for buying early, just like everyone else.”

Some Sam’s Club customers noted that club members were stopped at the entrance, others disagreed.

“I was able to purchase things early without a Plus membership, but I always got the screen asking me to upgrade,” said one customer.

Other club members shared how they managed to checkout before 10am using the Scan & Go feature, which allows shoppers to scan their items as they shop and skip the checkout process.

“I used the app to scan/pay in the early hours of the morning and had no problems,” said one.

In related news, Sam’s Club customers are upset about a change in their policy that is set to go into effect in the next few weeks.

Other Sam’s Club members are threatening to cancel their memberships due to rumors of a new card-sharing policy.