Sam's Club damaged in Grapevine tornadoes reopens

GRAPEVINE (1080 KRLD)- A Sam's Club damaged when two tornadoes hit Grapevine in 2022 has now reopened. Sam's Club held a ribbon cutting outside the front doors of the store near Highways 114 and 26 Thursday morning.

"Sam's Club aligns with our efforts to bring jobs and solid investments to our city and will bring multiple new jobs right before the holiday season kicks off," says Grapevine Mayor William D. Tate.

December 13, 2022, two tornadoes touched down in Grapevine. One with winds of about 100 miles an hour hit near Grapevine Mills Mall. The other had winds of about 110 miles an hour and was 100 yards wide. That tornado touched down near the Sam's Club and continued northeast about a mile and a half.

Five people were hurt, and a total of 42 buildings were damaged.

Part of the roof of the Sam's Club was peeled away, and HVAC equipment was blown off. Initially, Walmart planned to close the Sam's Club permanently.

"We've seen on TV many times neighborhoods have opposed big boxes like Sam's. I doubt Walmart has ever experienced a community campaign like the Grapevine Chamber of Commerce conducted where over 4,000 letters were written by Grapevine residents asking Sam's to build the store back," Tate says. "Their response since then has been overwhelming, so we must have touched their heart."

People started lining up outside the store about 90 minutes before the opening Thursday morning.

"I'm glad it's done and over with, and we got through it," one woman said. "It's exciting."

"It's nice to get back into the same routine I had a while ago," a man in line said.

When Walmart announced it would rebuild the Sam's Club, the company said this location would become its first entirely digital store without cashiers.

Customers scan items as they shop and pay in the app. They then show a receipt upon leaving where a computer system will scan their cart.

"Scan & Go, you can come in, use the app on your phone, just keep walking and select your items," says Manager Zach Zakerishojaei. "When you're ready, just swipe and go. It's frictionless. You don't have to stand in line."

As Walmart tallied damage, Zakerishojaei says the company found the best option was to rebuild the store with new technology instead of repairing damage.

"It's a great feeling," he says. "It's good to be back. The community has been waiting for us to come back and reopen this club. The club belongs to the community. When we closed, that's what they were missing. That's why we came back with a lot of renovations to make it a beautiful club so they can enjoy shopping."

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