Sam's Club Closes In South Tampa Amid Other Stores Shuttered

TAMPA, FL - South Tampa's Sam's Club warehouse store was closed Thursday and appears to be one of a series of locations that are closing across the country. A sign taped to a front door at the 5135 S. Dale Mabry Highway location says: “Sam’s Club is closed today. We regret any inconvenience. The store will reopen tomorrow at 10 a.m.”

But a search of the Sam’s Club web page finds that the South Dale Mabry location no longer appears in a list of Tampa Bay locations. The store is no longer on a map of store sites. A phone recording tells pharmacy customers that the store will close permanently on Jan. 26.

The company said in a tweet: "After a thorough review of our existing portfolio, we’ve decided to close a series of clubs and better align our locations with our strategy. Closing clubs is never easy and we’re committed to working with impacted members and associates through this transition."

Sam’s Club is owned by Walmart and there was no immediate comment from the company. Sam Club said on its Twitter account: "Pharmacies will stay open for at least two weeks, and we will work with each state’s Board of Pharmacy to help guide this transition."

Walmart officials say they are closing 63 Sam’s Club stores across the country, according to the Associated Press, with about 10 converting to e-commerce distribution sites. Locations in New Jersey, Texas, Illinois, New York and North Carolina were among those abruptly closing their doors on Thursday.

File photo by Danny Johnston/Associated Press