Sam's Club leans on omnichannel to fulfill one million orders during storm

Sam’s Club leaned on omnichannel options to move essentials when a major winter storm disrupted travel and power for much of the country, fulfilling about 1 million orders over a six-day period and shifting volume from in-club shopping to curbside and delivery channels.

The retailer said generator searches on SamsClub.com surged more than 50 times in the days before the storm and members purchased “tens of thousands of generators.” Nearly 40 percent of those generator purchases were fulfilled through curbside pickup or delivery, and web traffic for winter-weather items such as snow shovels, salt, heaters and power banks “surged more than 1,500 percent week over week.” Online purchases of winter equipment - including snow blowers, shovels, lanterns and work lights - rose “by more than 2,800% year over year” for the same period, and Sam’s Club noted the volume of shovels sold “would stretch roughly four miles if laid end to end.”

Omnichannel fulfillment included curbside pickup, scheduled delivery and express delivery, which Sam’s Club credited with meeting members’ shifted priorities from convenience to essentials. Corporate messaging framed the response as both practical and communal: “When winter weather hits, it doesn’t just change the forecast. It changes what people need and how they need it,” the company said. “Going to the club looks different these days, and we’re proud to offer flexible shopping options like curbside and delivery all the time. But during times like last week’s storm, those convenience options became especially important for many members. And we don’t take that responsibility lightly.”

Operationally, company leaders highlighted coordination across multiple functions. Julie Barber, a Sam’s Club and Walmart executive, thanked “emergency operations center teams, merchandising teams working with suppliers on inventory, supply chain and transportation teams keeping goods flowing, and associates who're showing up every day to keep stores and clubs stocked.” Her LinkedIn post, which registered 657 likes and 22 comments in the excerpt provided, also said, “Your care for our customers and communities embodies what it means to serve others. We see you, we appreciate you, and we couldn’t do this without you.” One commenter praised Club home delivery as “exceptional” and noted its value for elderly family members.

The company also highlighted prepared foods demand, but corporate materials included inconsistent figures: one line referred to “over 100,000 pounds of delicious soup,” while another said members purchased “about 100,000 gallons of prepared soups.” Retail advisories stressed that availability of curbside pickup and delivery “varies by location and can be affected by weather and demand. Members are advised to follow local authority guidance and all product safety instructions.”

For front-line associates and logistics teams, the episode underscored the operational weight of omnichannel retail during extreme weather. Staffing, supplier coordination and transportation work were central to keeping shelves and delivery pipelines moving, and the experience may shape scheduling, inventory and emergency-response routines as retailers prepare for similar demand spikes in the future.