It’s time: Sam’s Club In St. George Just Makes Sense

Years ago (late 1990s) I owned a vending machine business.

We sold the snacks that kept travelers, shift workers and high school students happy and moving.

And about once a month we would make the trip to Las Vegas to get the supplies needed to run our business. At Sam's Club and Costco in Vegas, we'd stock up on Snicker's bars, Grandma's Cookies and Diet Coke (among other things).

Because there was no Costco in St. George at the time, the trip was absolutely necessary to keep our machines stocked. And we had to stop by both stores in Las Vegas because there were a few items that you could only find at one store or the other.

So when it was announced Costco would be coming to St. George, we were ecstatic. Especially because the same sources were telling us that a Sam's Club was also in the works.

As you know, Costco did build a store in St. George and it has been a boon to this county. So whatever happened to Sam's Club?

Sources tell me that they were close to making it happen back in 2000. Negotiations involved land off Exit 10, perhaps where Kohl's is located now.

But for whatever reason, the negotiations fizzled and Sam's Club never did land in Washington County.

But this morning, Sam's Club announced it would be opening 30 new stores around the nation. The press release says the growth was spurred by:

"... historic comparable sales growth, and a record rise in membership over the last two years."

The company currently has 600 Sam's Clubs around the country and plans to add many more.

We've seen remarkable growth over the past few years with a record number of members, and we're excited to bring the experience of Sam’s Club to even more markets as we expand our footprint.

Sam’s Club® is a division of Walmart Inc. and is a leading membership warehouse club offering superior products, savings and services to millions of members in 600 clubs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

The first new Sam's Club will be in Florida and will open next year. No timeline was given for the announcement of the other 29 future locations of the store.

I do know this. St. George is ready and Sam's Club would be busy all the time. Don't believe me? Just stop by Costco pretty much anytime.