With more than 25 years of experience helping small businesses succeed, Sam's Club is qualified to help independent c-store operators maximize profits in today's uncertain economy, the Bentonville, [image-nocss] Ark.-based warehouse retailer said. To help them take advantage of increased customer traffic during the critical summer months, Sam's Club is hosting an online resource center at samsclub.com/cstore.
This program offers a portfolio of business solutions, merchandising and promotional support and other resources, along with new product offeringscombined with in-store support from associates who understand the c-store industry. Sam's Club guarantees that it can help c-store owners save, and will refund any business membership if not able to demonstrate savings, it said.
C-store owners can shop at Sam's Club when it's convenient for them, with clubs open seven days a week and special "Gold Key" shopping hours exclusively for business members.
Customers can also place an order online or by fax and pick up their items the very next day with the Sam's Club "Click/Fax 'n' Pull" feature. And Sam's Club does not require long-term contracts or minimum purchases, which can keep inventory costs lower and help with cash flow.
Earlier this month, at America's Small Business Summit in Washington, D.C., Sam's Club and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced details of joint member benefits program that will broaden both organizations ability to be advocates for small business, lower their costs and help them succeed.
As part of the two year agreement, Sam's Club will help to sponsor more than a dozen small-business events with local chamber offices to make resources and best practices available to small-business owners and operators to ensure their success and growth. Sam's Club will launch a cost savings toolkit on the Chamber website to help small businesses better manage and boost their bottom-line and sponsor the U.S. Chamber Small Business of the Year Award.
In addition, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has appointed Catherine Corley, vice president, small business insights and marketing at Sam's Club to the U.S. Chamber Council of Small of Business.
Sam's Club estimates that more than 600,000 small-business owners or their employees walk through its doors everyday. In addition to products, Sam's Club also offers small-business members access to affordable health insurance and other services such, as merchant credit card processing solutions and time-saving solutions including online ordering through Click n' Pull.
Meanwhile, as part of the appreciation day for small-business owners held by Sam's Club during the U.S. Small Business Administration's National Small Business Week 2009, Sam's Club employees spent a day assisting local business owners in Tampa, Fla., reported The Tampa Bay Business Journal. Carlos Doubleday, regional general manager and vice president of operations for the Southeast Sam's Club division, traveled from Bentonville, Ark., to assist at the Gandy Chevron in Tampa, which is owned by Tony Barreto.
Sam's Club is a division of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. It serves more than 47 million U.S. members.
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