Sam's Club exec says members increasingly want fresh food 'on their own terms'

Grocery shoppers still want "high-quality" fresh food at a "great value," but convenience is becoming an increasingly important part of that equation, Sam's Club Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer Myron Frazier told FOX Business. While members of the Arkansas-based warehouse retailer continue to prioritize quality and value, Frazier said they increasingly want fresh food delivered to their homes, available for curbside pickup or otherwise accessible "on their own terms.""What has changed is convenience is becoming increasingly important to the value equation," Frazier said. The shift comes as grocers and warehouse retailers invest in delivery, curbside pickup and digital shopping options to meet consumers' growing demand for convenience. CHICK-FIL-A RULES OUT AI DRIVE-THRU ORDERING AS FAST-FOOD RIVALS EMBRACE TECHNOLOGY Grocery shoppers still want "high-quality" fresh food at a "great value," but convenience is becoming an increasingly important part of that equation, Sam's Club Chief Merchandising Officer Myron Frazier told FOX Business. (FOX Business)Roughly 70% of consumers prefer home delivery for online grocery orders, with most expecting groceries to arrive the same day or within a few hours, according to McKinsey & Company's "The State of Grocery North America 2026" report.To meet those changing shopping habits, Sam's Club is expanding its lineup of ready-to-cook meals while giving members more ways to shop for fresh food."We're really leaning in on this idea of offering high-quality, fresh foods in a way that's convenient from the club to your home, and then from the stove or from the oven to the table," Frazier said.Frazier pointed to products including Sam's Club's fresh panko chicken breast, which shoppers can use to quickly build a meal, and its ready-to-cook "Marry Me Chicken," which can feed a family of four in about 12 minutes.POPULAR COOKIE CHAIN ABRUPTLY CLOSES ALL LOCATIONS AFTER YEARS OF RAPID EXPANSION Sam's Club is expanding its lineup of ready-to-cook meals while giving members more ways to shop for fresh food. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)"For us, it's this combination of the Sam's Club experience — everything from developing the item they want, curating it down so that choice is easy, and then giving them the option to get it however they want," he said. "Whether that's in the club, whether that's curbside, or it's delivered to their home in under an hour."Frazier added that members can have fresh items delivered through Sam's Club's Express Delivery service in under an hour, which he said offers fresh food products with no markup.Looking ahead, Frazier said Sam's Club will continue leaning into convenience as it expands its fresh business, with digital shopping playing an increasingly important role.CHILI PEPPER RECALLED AFTER VIDEO CAPTURES WOMAN'S HORRIFYING DISCOVERY INSIDE JAR Frazier said Sam's Club will continue leaning into convenience as it expands its fresh business, with digital shopping playing an increasingly important role. (FOX Business)"Our digital business in fresh and [our] penetration of digital — it's doubled in the last couple of years," Frazier said. "And so I'm really excited about that, because we're offering fresh in a way that our members are asking us to do it."CLICK HERE TO GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GOThe strategy aligns with Walmart's broader push to make shopping faster and more convenient. In its second-quarter earnings report released Aug. 20, Walmart said Sam's Club U.S. e-commerce sales increased 26%, driven by continued growth in club-fulfilled pickup and delivery.