BJ's Wholesale Club opens Friday in Delta Twp. Here's everything you need to know
DELTA TWP. - The staff at the new BJ's Wholesale Club still had 48 hours Wednesday morning before its doors would open to customers, but the nearly 100,000-square-foot store was already buzzing with activity.
Delivery trucks were being unloaded, shelves were being stocked with meat, cheese and fresh vegetables, and fork trucks loaded with merchandise rolled through the store.
"It takes an army to get the club what we call 'club ready,'" said Kyle Byrnes, BJ's corporate communications & community affairs manager.
The company's fourth location in Michigan, joining sites in Taylor, Madison Heights and New Baltimore, is located in Delta Crossings, a $200 million project on 200 acres off West Saginaw Highway. The new store opens at 9 a.m. Friday.
Approximately 7,000 memberships to the store already have been purchased, Byrnes said. Membership numbers vary by store, but he said he expects that figure to increase after the location opens.
The new store will employ over 100 people, he said, and management is still actively hiring for positions.
Here's everything you need to know about BJ's Wholesale Club, including what it will offer, how you can shop there and what the company's plans are to give back locally.
A look inside
When it opens, the membership warehouse club and grocer will compete for customers with East Lansing's Costco and Lansing's Sam's Club locations.
Its inventory includes fresh meat, produce, cheese and dairy items, and other household items — all sold in bulk.
If, for instance, you're in search of lots of toilet paper, a jug of olive oil or a big bag of Starbucks coffee beans, you'll find that at BJ's, but Byrnes says the store offers items in more "moderately sized" amounts than some other bulk stores.
"If you look at us compared to other wholesalers ... our quantities are still smaller," he said.
You'll find name brands there, along with products from BJ's own brands, Berkley Jensen and Wellsley Farms.
The store also carries furniture, electronics, books and clothing, along with health and beauty items.
It features a full-service deli, an optical center where eye exams and glasses are sold, a tire center and a gas station.
Membership-based shopping
Customers need to make an up-front investment in membership to BJ's Wholesale Club before they can shop there.
There are a few membership options.
An Inner Circle membership to the store costs $55 per year. Customers can pay $110 per year for a BJ’s Perks Rewards membership, which comes with added discounts and access to events throughout the year. Learn more at www.bjs.com.
Customers can utilize BJ's store coupons and manufacturer coupons when they shop, Byrnes said.
If customers find the store doesn't meet their needs, full refunds of membership fees are given to people who request them after they've shopped at a store, Byrnes said.
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A growing company
While a lot of people think the "BJ" in BJ's Wholesale Club stands for Berkley Jensen, one of its own brand lines, that isn't true, Byrnes said.
Rather, the company's initials honor Beverly Jean, the daughter of company founder Mervyn Weich.
The chain, headquartered in Massachusetts, opened in 1984. It includes 226 locations in 17 states.
The Delta Township store at 825 N. Marketplace Blvd. joins Sierra, T.J.Maxx, Bob’s Discount Furniture and Hobby Lobby in the new development.
"Our footprint is the eastern United States primarily," Byrnes said, adding that the company plans to open up to 10 new locations this year.
Giving back locally
The company already has plans to give to the Lansing area.
Beginning Friday, the Delta Township store will donate "unsold perishables and other food and fresh produce" to the Greater Lansing Food Bank each week, Byrnes said.
The effort is part of a company initiative started in 2009 to donate to Feeding America member food banks.
"We've donated over 120 million pounds of food nationwide," Byrnes said.
Contact Rachel Greco at rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @GrecoatLSJ .
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: BJ's Wholesale Club: Here's everything you need to know
