He and his wife sheltered as the storm passed over their house. When they emerged, insulation from Sam's Club littered their yard.
More than 22 months later, Tate welcomed Sam’s Club back to Grapevine on Oct. 17.
“To say today is an exciting day is an understatement to me and the people of Grapevine,” Tate said at the store's grand opening.
Thousands streamed through the doors after it opened around 8:30 a.m. The line to enter the store spanned from the door to the gas station near Ernest Dean Parkway, the road between Sam’s Club and Walmart Supercenter.
The full story
Sam’s Club opened in Grapevine in 2003 and initially announced the closure of the store in the spring of 2023. Later that year, Sam’s Club announced it would rebuild and reopen in 2024.
“We have been through a lot together,” Sam’s Club manager Zak Zakerishojaei said. “Through it all, you, the community of Grapevine has supported us and made us feel at home. Truly, we are honored and humbled for that. We’re proud of this club and what it represents for your associates, our members and our community.”
Tate praised the efforts of the Grapevine Chamber of Commerce for playing a part in the return.
More than 4,000 postcards were mailed to Bentonville, Arkansas, with Grapevine and nearby residents who shopped the club expressing the desire for the store to return.
“It is not every day one of the most popular shopping icons closes its door for what seems like forever,” Tate said. “Only to return by popular demand, bigger and better. We give thanks to Walmart and Sam’s Club for the innovative and economic stimulation project and for bringing the best Sam’s Club ever to Grapevine, Texas.”
The setup
Co-manager Ranin Rasheed said one of the immediate changes shoppers will notice is the wall of goods that lined the entry and exits now have been moved to endcaps, creating more space. She said those were often seasonally-related merchandise that will be placed in different locations.
At the front of the store, where the cash registers used to be, there are now online-only options for purchase. Shoppers can scan a QR code and order an ATV, a 12-foot Christmas tree or a loveseat. There’s also a Mercedes-Benz SUV on the floor.
A new feature is a mural that is exclusive to the Grapevine club, Steve Zapata, Senior Manager of Corporate Communications said. The first-ever Sam’s Club community mural program was done by Elizabeth Newton, highlighting Grapevine’s history of wine, trains, Christmas and GrapeFest.
Zakerishojaei said the company took possession of the building on Sept. 16 and the first truck with dry goods arrived on Sept. 17.
Current situation
The entire store now has new features or a new way of selling merchandise. Zakerishojaei noted the café is larger with more tables, and the online orders will be placed on a shelf for pickup.
Rasheed said there are also more quantities of popular products in the store. For instance, there are four pallets of Coca-Cola canned beverages compared to one when the store was last open. Zakerishojaei said the company studied buying trends and made sure to have more quantities on hand.
Other notable differences in the store:
- Larger signage
- Focus on Member’s Mark items
- Texas-made tortilla machine
- Two juicing machines for oranges—the only Sam’s Club with multiple machines
- Deeper freezers and coolers to allow for additional products
Where the café used to be is now a row of medical-focused areas with the hearing aid, optical and pharmacy all together. There is also an immunization room for those who get flu shots or other vaccines at the pharmacy, Zapata said.
The associate space for fulfilling online orders and deliveries is larger and has coolers, freezers and a storage shelf that can hold up to 1,400 orders at one time. Sam’s Club also invested in refrigerated totes for deliveries that can keep food cold for up to two hours.
The fulfillment portion of the store is also closest to the beverages. Rasheed said nearly every online order features either soda, water or both.
There are also new locations for sushi and floral arrangements. In addition, there are new items in the store that weren’t offered in the past, such as:
- Dom Pérignon bottles for $2,499
- Oribe Gold Lust Shampoo for $124.99
- Peter Millar polos for $64.98
- Ugg boots for $129.98
As part of the opening day event, Sam’s Club provided $5,000 checks to several entities before the ribbon-cutting.
Checks were presented to:
- Grapevine Fire Department
- Grapevine Police Department
- Grapevine-Colleyville ISD
- Southlake Foundation
- GRACE
