Recently, Sam’s Club in China abruptly removed several popular, high-repurchase items such as sun cakes, rice pudding, and low-sugar egg yolk pastries. Most members were confused by the sudden removal of these best-selling products. Their confusion soon turned into frustration when the newly introduced replacements left many members disappointed, prompting a wave of complaints to Sam’s customer service.
The root of the issue dates back to the leadership transition in Sam’s Club China. On January 31, Andrew Miles, who had served as the President of Sam’s Club China for 12 years, retired. He was succeeded by Jane Ewing, former Senior Vice President of International Operations at Walmart. During Miles’s tenure, the number of stores in China expanded from 8 to 50, and he introduced the concept of “middle-class privilege.” Under this strategy, all products were carefully selected and specially supplied, which helped justify increasing the annual membership fee from 150 RMB to 260 RMB. Many customers chose to purchase and renew their memberships specifically for access to these exclusive, high-quality items.
With Jane Ewing taking over and promoting a strategy focused on strengthening local supply chains, improving operational efficiency, and expanding into lower-tier markets, Sam’s Club has restructured its product offerings. To reduce costs, many imported items have been replaced with domestic or “exclusive” Chinese brands.
As a result, many well-reviewed, high-repurchase items were removed from the shelves and replaced with local mainstream products such as low-sugar Orion pies, Weilong konjac snacks, Luxihe nut peach crisps, and Xu Fuji low-GI cakes. These items were repackaged as “Sam’s Club exclusives” and marketed as only available through Sam’s — but customers were not convinced.
Many members voiced their dissatisfaction on social media, asking: “Why am I paying for a membership just to buy products I can get at any regular supermarket?” Some premium members commented that Sam’s no longer provides the exclusivity and quality it once promised. On Sam’s app, the low-sugar Orion pie received over 300 comments, most of which criticized the product for being too sweet. In response, Sam’s customer service stated that feedback had been incorporated into their selection strategy and promised to “strive to improve product quality.” A group of members even submitted a collective letter to corporate headquarters, urging the company to restore its “unique product selection philosophy,” or else risk undermining the value of membership fees.
Clearly, new leadership under Jane Ewing has focused on supply chain optimization and rapid store expansion, particularly targeting growth in lower-tier markets. While these changes may strengthen economies of scale, they have also disrupted the store’s product positioning. The shift toward domestic “exclusives” and repackaged goods has led customers to question whether the change is merely superficial. Items originally selected for their cost-performance value are now eroding the perception of Sam’s as a provider of unique and differentiated goods.
Coupled with a series of quality control issues, Sam’s Club now finds itself on the edge of a trust crisis. To retain its paying members and safeguard its brand reputation, Sam’s must reestablish a clear value proposition in its product selection — one that guarantees both uniqueness and quality.
