Die bis zum Äußersten getriebene Kleinstadt-Mittelschicht macht den billigen Sam's Club zum Hit.

Currently, Sam's Club is facing quite a difficult situation.

On the one hand, it was summoned by the authorities for discussions due to problems in product control, and the sharp media criticism "Members should not be stabbed in the back" was on the trending list. On the other hand, the saying "Showing Sam's Club to children is the best promotion for them" spread by netizens has led to an almost fantastic negative influence.

Many people can't imagine that in sharp contrast to Sam's Club, which is in trouble, the "fake Sam's Clubs" in the counties are having a rather good time.

In recent years, stores with blue signs and diamond-shaped logos, carrying "Sam's Premium Selection" or "Sam's Preferred Selection", have quietly spread in third - and fourth - tier cities as well as top - 100 counties.

From logo design, shelves to product selection, they are almost the same as Sam's Club. At first glance, it just looks like Sam's Club. Only when you get closer can you recognize that it's a local version - you don't need to get a membership card and don't even have to fight to get the products. They have the popular products of Sam's Club and can also convey the prestige of Sam's Club.

How popular are these "Sam's Clubs" in the counties? The Jushanghui Discount Warehouse in a county - level city in Hubei achieved a turnover of over 5.2 million yuan within 13 days after opening, and up to 5,000 people came on one day.

Are more and more warehouses specifically for counties being opened to profit from the popularity or to meet real needs?

Products that you can't get in Sam's Club can be found in the counties

Many small and medium - sized business owners in the counties change their minds as quickly as in a short - series drama when they enter the fake Sam's Clubs.

First, they are averse. When standing at the door, you can see the blue sign with white letters and the diamond - shaped logo, as well as the storage shelves and freezers. The store name deliberately has a title like "Sam's XX" or "Premium Selection".

Many people suddenly feel: "Isn't this a fake?" But when they see so many people waiting at the door, they think: "Well, I'm already here." And then they are surprised at how good it is when they go in.

The first fake Sam's Clubs in the counties have taught the original brand a lesson.

There is no 260 - yuan membership card fee and no luxurious 9 - meter - high ceilings. The membership card fee is only symbolically charged at 19.9 yuan.

At the door, it says "Same products as in Sam's Club, but cheaper". But just price promotion is not enough. Many fake Sam's Clubs in the counties also offer another irresistible condition: Products that you can't get in Sam's Club even if you queue and fight.

In the freezer, there are Swiss roulades, mochi, apple chips and popular cookies from Sam's Club. You can even buy portions starting from two or six pieces.

Many people wonder: "Do consumers know it's a fake?" They do. But they also know that Sam's Club won't open a branch in their area and that the 260 - yuan membership card fee is not a small amount for them.

This is also a characteristic of many small and medium - sized business owners in the counties - both spouses work in the public service or state - owned enterprises, have little mortgage pressure, own an SUV worth over 100,000 yuan, and their biggest weekend pastime is "going out with the kids".

They have consumption desires and also the financial ability. But they have a fatal problem: They think local supermarkets are shabby, but they can't enjoy the freedom of shopping in Sam's Club like in big cities.

In this case, if a store has a similar sign and sells similar products, they will definitely go shopping.

Even if it is in a remote area, it can attract young people from a radius of several kilometers.

On the one hand, they want to satisfy their curiosity and try the popular products of Sam's Club without having to go to a big city. On the other hand, in counties where there are few shopping centers, these stores are one of the few nice shopping places. On weekends, they can go there with their kids, take photos and post them on their WeChat Moments. Many supermarkets turn the shopping bags with the Sam's Club logo into a "social currency".

Anyway, customers can go out with the shopping bags. Passers - by may not be able to tell, but it definitely looks good in the WeChat Moments.

The 260 - yuan membership card fee is saved, but the prestige of "Sam's Club freedom" remains.

If you can't get Sam's Club for over a dozen years, then build it yourself

How long have many counties waited for Sam's Club?

First, a depressing fact: Sam's Club has been opening branches in China for almost thirty years, but there are only about 60 branches so far, and all of them are in the core areas of first - and second - tier cities.

Many big cities have waited for over 20 years, and for cities with a GDP of less than 3 billion yuan, there is only one answer: "This city is not currently included in the plan for opening branches."

After all, store location selection is not an act of charity. The requirements for opening a Sam's Club branch are clear: There must be a sufficient number of members, the driving radius must be appropriate, and the purchase frequency must support the membership renewal rate. If these criteria are not met, why open here?

If you can't get it, build it yourself. So a movement initiated by the counties has quietly developed, mainly in two ways.

First way: Turn a "Sam's Club carrier" into a physical store.

This is the simplest way. For example, there is a "Doulaimi Global Goods Discount Warehouse" in Liaoning, whose location is so remote that it's hard to find even with navigation.

But the 3.5 - yuan beer and the 7.5 - yuan French 1664 beer attract young people from a radius of several kilometers. It's more of a stock - liquidation gathering place and a place for social photo - taking.

The business strategy of the owner is very simple: I order the same products as Sam's Club and sell them a little cheaper than Sam's Club. I utilize the product - selection ability of Sam's Club.

Behind this business model, it mainly involves ordering domestic factories to produce products that are similar in appearance and taste and designing the packaging in the style of Sam's Club. The prices are half of those in Sam's Club. For example, there are "the same Hawaiian nuts as in Sam's Club", but in fact, they are Hawaiian nuts from Guangxi, but the packaging is identical.

There is also another type of operators who don't even bother to hide it. They simply take the products from Sam's Club and open stores in old factory buildings or on the city outskirts. They call themselves "Sam's Premium Selection Supermarket", and the goods are sourced from official Sam's Club branches through purchasing agents. It is said that the receipts and formalities are in order.

But in many stores, there are not only products from Sam's Club, but also popular products from Metro, Fat Donglai and Costco. There is actually a tendency to operate on the edge of the law. The customer service of Sam's Club has also stated that Sam's Club has not partnered with such supermarkets and that the quality of non - official channels is not guaranteed.

All in all, they take advantage of the loophole of "having the same products as in Sam's Club without being a member".

Second way: Regular enterprises enter the business and become price killers.

In view of the popularity of Sam's Club, not only individual firms but also some regular enterprises enter the business.

These operators don't simply copy the surface of Sam's Club, but directly learn the essence: Popular products + Discounts + Warehouse environment.

For example, the Tongfu Popular Products Warehouse in Hebei has partnered with regional distributors and opened warehouses across China. There are already over 30 warehouses in operation, distributed in Henan, Hebei, Shandong and Anhui.

The goods don't necessarily come from Sam's Club, but from strong local products and a few popular leading - theme products. Consumers in the counties feel that they have entered a wholesale store for brand - name products and perceive it as a "feeling of getting a bargain".

The first warehouse in Zhengding County, Shijiazhuang, has the slogan "From the factory directly to you, even single items are sold at wholesale prices". Just before the Chinese New Year