Sam's Club sparks backlash after removing popular items

Sam's Club, a Walmart-owned membership-based retailer, is currently facing backlash from customers after removing several popular items from its inventory.

The warehouse chain, popular among Hong Kong shoppers for its competitively priced imported goods and private-label items, has discontinued favorites such as low-sugar egg yolk pastries, sun cakes, rice pudding, and Chilean seedless prunes.

Replacing these items, Sam's Club has introduced products from mass-market brands including Orion's Choco Pies, Hsu Fu Chi's oat cakes, and Liu Liu Mei's prunes. 

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The product changes have prompted some of Sam's Club's paying members to question the value of their subscriptions, which are priced at 260 yuan (approximately HK$280) annually for basic access and 680 yuan (HK$730) for premium membership. 

Customers have expressed their dissatisfaction on social media, with some stating they feel the membership is no longer worthwhile if the same products can be purchased elsewhere. 

This sentiment has led to threats from some members to cancel their subscriptions, with remarks circulating online about not renewing and the club being no different from budget supermarkets.

However, reports from mainland media highlight that some of the new products are exclusive to Sam's Club. Some netizens have also urged others to consider the broader context, pointing out that the new products are not actually available in regular supermarkets.