Story Published:
Jun 25, 2009 at 8:54 AM CDT
Story Updated:
Jun 26, 2009 at 1:32 AM CDT
SPRINGFIELD -- Sam's Club plans to open its second warehouse store in Springfield on July 23. The store will include an environmentally friendly car wash and easy-to-navigate store design. It's at 745 W. El Camino Alto St., directly west of Campbell Avenue (Missouri 13/U.S. 160) and south of James River Freeway (U.S. 60).
The official grand opening will be a ribbon cutting ceremony on July 23. It will include an announcement of $20,000 in charitable donations.
As part of Sam's Club's commitment to give back to the communities it serves, employees at the new store selected several local organizations to receive a total of $20,000 in grants from the Wal-Mart Foundation. Burrell Behavioral Health, the Nixa Fire Protection District, Springfield-Greene County Parks Department, and the City of Republic Police Department will each receive $5,000 grants.
The new 134,608-square-foot Sam's Club will employ 230 people. It will be the first in the city to have a car wash at its fuel station.
The new club store will sell prepared meals in the fresh food department. It will offer a variety of meals from rotisserie chicken and ribs to pasta, fish, chicken entrees and side dishes.
Members can also access the pharmacy's $4 and $10 generic prescriptions, and save time and money while browsing for seasonal décor, fresh flowers, kitchen essentials and the latest in electronics and video gaming systems.
The new store eliminates energy waste through a variety of sustainable features.
While the Club is not open 24 hours a day, it is occupied all hours of the day. When the store is closed, the light level is reduced by more than 50 percent, also reducing energy usage.
LED lighting throughout the club, including in the cooler/freezer box doors and jewelry counters, operates 70 percent more efficiently than traditional fluorescent light. The new store also has daylight-harvesting skylights that reduce the amount of energy required to light the store by up to 75 percent daily.
Sam's Club is a division of Wal-Mart Stores. The first Sam's Club opened its doors in Midwest City, Okla., in 1983. Today, Sam's Club serves more than 47 million U.S. members with locations nationwide and in Brazil, China, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Online merchandise and Club information is available at its Web site (see link at the left).
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* Advantage Membership - $40
* Business Membership - $35
* Advantage PLUS Membership - $100
* Business PLUS Membership - $100
* Collegiate Membership - $40, includes a $15 gift card
