American consumers have been feeling the squeeze on their wallet for the past couple of years. Prices on everyday necessities as well as items like electronics and clothing have gone up, putting places that offer discounts in bulk into focus.

One of those places is BJ's Wholesale Club. For the last two decades, BJ's has battled Sam's Club to be the preeminent discount club operating in Maine. That game changed last year when Costco opened their first Maine location in Scarborough.

The popularity of Costco has BJ's rethinking their strategy nationwide. Unfortunately for consumers, it also has BJ's counting their pennies. According to MassLive, BJ's will implement a new set of membership prices starting in 2025.

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Basic club membership fees will increase by $5 taking the price from $55 annually to $60.  Club+ membership fees will increase by $10 from $110 per year to $120 annually.

BJ's claims the increase in membership fees will help the company reinvest in a variety of different offerings to consumers. As the wholesale club battle rages on, BJ's needs to find a way to compete next to Costco.

What those new values and offerings to customers were not laid out in specifics. However, if you've visiting a BJ's location in Maine recently, you've probably noticed some subtle changes in customer service as well as how many different items BJ's is stocking regularly.

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Similar to Costco, BJ's continues to grow. According to Retail Touchpoints, BJ's has opened 12 new stores in the last calendar year with plans to open at least a dozen more over the next year or so.

BJ's operates three Maine locations in Portland, Auburn and Bangor.


 

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