Business & Tech
165 To Be Laid Off As Sam's Club Closes
All hourly employees will be terminated as of March 16. All management employees will be terminated on April 13.
WEST ALLIS, WI — Last week, Sam's Club announced that it is closing two of its 12 Wisconsin stores. News of the closings came amid an announcement of a wage hike for parent company Walmart as the big-box giant raised its minimum wage to $11.
According to media reports, the West Allis Sam's Club location at 1540 S. 108th St., was temporarily closed on Thursday, but said it would reopen Friday, and then close for good on Jan. 26.
West Allis Mayor Dan Devine received and the Department of Workforce Development received a layoff notice from Sam's Club that week, saying that the West Allis Sam's Club will close to the public on Jan. 26.
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The notice continues, stating that all hourly employees will be terminated as of March 16. All management employees will be terminated on April 13.
In all, the Sam's Club closure will affect 165 employees.
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A Madison, Wis. Sam's Club located at 7050 Watts Road also closed on Thursday in a similar manner, and will also close for good on Jan. 26.
According to media reports online, Sam's Club responded Thursday to customer's tweets online, saying "After a thorough review of our existing portfolio, we've decided to close a series of clubs and better align our locations with our strategy."
On the Sam's Club website, attempts to find information for stores that are closing was met with a message that said, "Error loading club information, please try again." The site also appeared to shift members' home club information to a nearby store.
For some shoppers the news means they'll no longer have a nearby store or one within easy driving distance. Customers who don't want to drive to a store in a neighboring community may be able to get their membership fee refunded. According to the Sam's Club website, the chain has a 100 percent membership satisfaction guarantee: "If at any time a member is unsatisfied with your Membership, let us know and we will cancel your membership and provide a refund of the amount paid for your current year Membership fee."
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