4 Changes Coming To Sam's Club In 2026

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Sam's Club, which is owned by the massive grocery chain Walmart, makes adjustments to its stores occasionally. For example, in 2025, it extended shopping hours for Plus members, opening at 8 a.m. and giving these lucky VIPs a full hour of aisle perusal before the big crowds are let in (it's no surprise Sam's enacted this the month after rival chain Costco did). Of course, every new year offers the warehouse chain an opportunity to introduce changes across its more than 600 U.S. locations, and 2026 is no different.

While there won't be any major shake-ups within the Sam's Club company, there are a few interesting shifts taking place this year, at least one of which will no doubt have some sort of effect on you. If you're still considering a subscription, these updates, combined with the perks of a Sam's Club membership ($50 for regular or $110 for Plus), might just be exactly what you need to finally take the plunge.

While Sam's Club is known for bulk pantry staples, customers also flock to the warehouse for its prepared goodies — like sushi, which has developed a loyal following with fans even requesting fresh party platters — as well as heat-and-eat dinners and salads designed to feed the whole family. Always innovative and never boring, Sam's will debut new fresh, pre-made foods throughout 2026, including items like tempura and coconut shrimp, an herbed and salted loaf of boule bread, and a very pretty Cherry Pistachio Crunch Salad. What's more, the bakery will feature new cake designs, like a "Zootopia 2" theme for the kids (or the young at heart), as well as a striking succulents-with-texture design for the plant lovers in your life.

Sam's Club's store brand, Member's Mark, may have offered products with simple, recognizable ingredients in the past by chance, but in 2022 it started to do so intentionally, setting a goal to remove more than 40 synthetic ingredients from all of the food that falls under this brand. Well, in 2026 it is proclaiming mission accomplished, and not only are all of the Member's Mark product ingredient lists much simpler and more natural, this major milestone was not accomplished at the expense of taste — or price. Further, Sam's Club is committed to recreating this success across other Member's Mark product categories, like skincare and laundry.

Scan & Go, the part of the Sam's Club app that allows you to scan products as you put them into your cart and then check out digitally when you're done shopping, has actually been in stores for years now, but the checkout lines remain clogged and crowded, especially during the busiest hours. That's why Sam's is planning remodels for all — yes, all — of its U.S. locations, as it diminishes the number of manned checkouts and encourages its members to embrace the ease and convenience of technology (the Club already uses AI at its exits to scan your cart, so employees no longer have to manually cross-check with your receipts).

Sam's Club isn't just making changes within its clubs; like its parent company Walmart, it's also expanding the number of stores themselves, with six new locations planned for 2026. In December 2025, Sam's announced that Lathrop and Visalia, California; Lebanon, Tennessee; and Baytown, Tomball, and Weslaco, Texas, will see new warehouses likely opening throughout the coming year.

This is pretty big news for the chain, which has been ramping up its footprint to meet a target of opening approximately 15 new locations per year (per Walmart). As part of this growth, Sam's Club purchased a 27-acre site in Tucson, Arizona, for over $20 million. While the company has not yet confirmed an official opening date for the new warehouse, it represents a major investment in the region's retail landscape