New Market

Along with the rest of the bargain hunters who use the day after Thanksgiving to knock out some of their Christmas gift shopping, I was flipping through the mound of advertisements in the Star-Telegram when one in particular caught my eye. Maybe it didn’t catch my eye so much as it felt different from the rest. It was made out of the stiff, glossy magazine style paper. The ad was eight pages thick and advertised no more than three items per page. It reminded me of a Macy’s ad or a nice Dillard’s ad. On the front page is a photo of a sophisticated woman carrying a garment bag full of tulips – trench coat with garment bag $88.88. Turn the page and it’s a photo of stunning diamond earrings - $897.00. The third is two well dressed men discussing work over a drink – cashmere blazer $189.86, cashmere sweater $79.86. The ad goes on to advertise things like a laptop bundle, chocolates, a comforter set, designer fragrances, and flat screen tvs. On the last page it even invites you to a complimentary continental breakfast and includes a one-day guest pass. To my utter surprise this was a Sam’s Club ad (www.samsclub.com). I couldn’t believe it. You think of Sam’s as catering to a middle class, large family household, but this advertisement took their meaning of “club” to a whole different level. Almost every piece of merchandise in the ad cost over $100. It was an advertisement for a department store rather than a bargain depot. Plus, their icon and name only appeared twice in the ad, on the bottom of the front page and last page. It seems Sam’s was trying for a different audience this holiday season.

Comments

[Georgette Jones]

I saw that ad. The lady had a red coat on and the whole ad itself was really classy considering it was a ad for Sam's but I liked how Sam's is trying to bring in a more diverse audience then in previous years. I couldn't afford anything in the ad even if I wanted to but it was nice to look at. If Sam's stays on this new bandwagon they might just price their way out of a market that has catered to middle class from the beginning.