196 Workers Lost Jobs When Princeton Sam's Club Closed

PRINCETON, NJ — A total of 196 workers lost their jobs when the Princeton Sam's Club closed abruptly last month, according to the New Jersey Department of Labor.

In a WARN (The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act) notice posted this week, the state department said 524 Sam's Club employees across the state lost their jobs in the closures. WARN notices are required by law when companies plan large-scale layoffs.

Some employees might be transferred to other Sam's Club locations, or to nearby Walmarts, the company said in January. They did not say how these transfers might be facilitated, or how many employees would benefit.

The store at the Nassau Park Pavilion off Route 1 closed permanently on Saturday following an announcement on Jan. 12. The announcement came a day after the stores in Mount Olive and Linden closed abruptly on Jan. 11. Nationwide, 63 stores were closed. It was not clear how many employees across the country lost jobs.

Up to 12 of the 63 closed stores will be converted into e-commerce centers, the company previously said in statement, in an effort to speed up delivery of online orders. The first store to be converted will be the Memphis, Tennessee location. The company has not yet announced if any of the New Jersey stores will be converted.

"Transforming our business means managing our real estate portfolio and Walmart needs a strong fleet of Sam's Clubs that are fit for the future," John Furner, president and CEO of Sam's Club, said in a statement in early January. "We know this is difficult news for our associates and we are working to place as many of them as possible at nearby locations. Our focus today has been on those associates and their communities, and communicating with them."

See related: All The Wholesale Clubs Near Princeton's Sam's Club

See related: Some Closed Sam's Clubs Could Become E-Commerce Centers

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