Sam's Club targets college kids with new membership

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc's Sam's Club division said on Monday that it will offer a special membership for college students as the warehouse club chain works to boost its membership figures.

Sam's Club said that with a valid college identification card and college email address, students can buy a year-long membership for $40 and receive a $15 gift card. The membership includes a free second card so a student can add a roommate or friend to the membership.

Customers pay an annual fee to shop at Sam's Club locations and get discounts on everything from computers and flat-panel TVs to bulk-sized packages of toilet paper or bottled water.

Sam's Club, the No. 2 U.S. warehouse club behind Costco Wholesale Corp, draws a mix of both small business members and individual shoppers.

It offers a variety of membership structures including a $40 membership for individuals and a $35 membership for business customers that allows them to shop during special "business only" hours.

Last year, Sam's Club said its membership income growth was not meeting expectations, and it might change its membership structure to attract more customers.

Besides coming with a $15 gift card, the Sam's Club collegiate membership is not much different than the current $40 "Advantage" membership the retailer offers individuals.

But Sam's Club spokeswoman Susan Koehler said the hope is that it will attract new shoppers who will remain Sam's Club members once they graduate and no longer qualify for the collegiate membership.

"We're going to continue to look at ways that we can enhance this, and we do see these potential new members as the next generation of Sam's Club members," she said.

(Reporting by Nicole Maestri, editing by Dave Zimmerman)