Lin Qing, who has worked in Shenzhen for four years, first tasted Sam's Club roast chicken at a friend's home in her hometown county. Her friend was surprised that Lin, having lived in a first-tier city for years, had never been to Sam's Club. Lin was amazed that her friend, with a monthly income of 3,500 yuan, had a fridge that looked like that of a middle-class family in a first-tier city. Consumers in first-tier cities queue up for popular products at Sam's Club, but getting a Sam's Club roast chicken in a county town is equally challenging. As the chicken was taken out of the freezer to thaw, Lin learned from her friend that she had been reserving it for a week in advance. The original price of 39.8 yuan was paid in full to a reseller for 58 yuan. "This reseller sells it cheaper, and for orders over 300 yuan, they throw in six mochi balls. The downside is that you have to pick up the goods at a highway toll station. Previously, the reseller only sold the chicken in portions." Scanning for popular items is a daily routine for Sam's Club resellers (image source: internet) When the chicken was reheated, the friend tasted it and found it mediocre. She wondered if it was because they couldn't eat it fresh at the store, or because she had built up too high expectations. After the first round of tasting, the friend asked Lin if she wanted to try Sam's Club's cheese beef rolls or Hema's seafood platter next, both available in the freezer.
Young People in County Towns Spend Half Their Monthly Salary on Trendy Snacks In the hands of young people in county towns, there are always channels to get "good stuff." Resellers are like bounty hunters in county towns. For a delivery fee, the "Sam's Club viral food must-eat list" or "Top 5 Shanghai desserts" seen on their phones the day before can quickly appear on the tables of young people in county towns. Whether it's Sam's Club, Costco, Hema, or Luxihe (which always has long lines), there are always channels that bring these products to county towns. Resellers take photos of their trunks filled with Swiss rolls and mochi, and after getting off the highway, they send pictures to regular customers: "Goods are here, come quickly." In these areas where Sam's Club hasn't opened, they actually have the most loyal consumers. These young people, who live in third- and fourth-tier cities, don't mind the complicated ordering process or the significant markup on each item. Even if many products don't match expectations, no one can escape the temptation of "trying something new" and "checking in." Meat products, after being frozen and thawed, often disappoint to some extent. Lin Qing, who has worked in Shenzhen for years, has never bought any Sam's Club semi-finished products or desserts. For a single worker drifting in a first-tier city, she never dared to buy large portions. The warehouse-style supermarket, which sells on the premise of "cheap and large quantity," has repeatedly kept her out. Back in her hometown county, she felt she finally had the "freedom to buy from Sam's Club." After being pulled into a "trendy snack reseller group" with over 200 people, she realized that young people in county towns have to go through many steps to try new things. Resold desserts are the easiest entry-level choice, as all classic desserts from Sam's Club's must-eat list can be bought in portions in the group. After joining the group, the first step is to order using a fixed text template: item + address + name, and pay a deposit. Each item is limited in quantity, and those who pay the deposit first get it first. Lin Qing quickly found this to be an addictive way to shop. Once the sale starts, there's no time to think; you just want to grab the items you've set your eyes on. Before she knew it, she had paid nearly 200 yuan in deposits. At the pickup point, after checking the goods and paying the balance, Lin Qing realized she had spent 700 yuan without noticing. She was startled by the total, but then heard the buyer behind her pay 2,800 yuan at once. The reseller saw her as a potential new customer and secretly told her that many local snack shops also buy from her at wholesale prices, then split and resell at a markup. She suggested Lin buy from her directly in the future, as she was the source and offered freebies for bulk purchases. Popular products are limited; first come, first served. Limited new products, meat items, and pre-made dishes are in high demand in third- and fourth-tier cities. Due to the long-distance transport of hundreds of kilometers, many cooked foods have to be frozen immediately after being made, so roast chicken and beef rolls lose their appeal by the time they arrive. Lin's friend told her that even with such products, sometimes you need to "buy matching items" to get them. "They never say it outright, but you can tell from the response time. They'll ask if you only want this item. If you say yes, they'll take a long time to reply, saying it's a limited item and you might not get it." There are unwritten rules between resellers and customers. Value for money becomes less important at this point. Cakes are split into four or six pieces, and eel and lamb chops can be bought in portions from the corresponding channels. The pineapple buns are marked up by an average of 5 yuan each. The internet brings information equality between cities, and through the resellers' efforts, it lands in county towns. Young people here have more choices, and the resellers' piggy banks grow bit by bit. Some resellers charge a few yuan for packaging after splitting the items. After tasting, Lin didn't think it was worth it and wouldn't buy again. Some items were even worse than local bakeries at the same price. Her friend admitted it wasn't worth it, but living in a county town, this is one of the few ways to get instant happiness, even if it costs half her salary each month.
Sam's Club Resellers: The Tongue Ferrymen of County Towns In Lin Qing's hometown county, there are over a dozen Sam's Club resellers active in each area. They have their own stable customers in the city, and with customer groups of over 100 people, they don't lack business. Her friend told Lin that she had been blacklisted by two resellers for not following the order format in the group announcement. "Some resellers are very strict. They blacklist anyone who doesn't follow their rules, and then post on Moments saying they don't make much money and that picky customers should stay away. Many customers don't complain because their new products do arrive faster than others." Resellers with bad attitudes are exceptions, but whether being a Sam's Club reseller is profitable is a question worth exploring. They travel between cities, each team holding at least five Sam's Club membership cards. They sweep the store during peak hours, calculate tolls and gas costs, and then resell to customers. They put time, energy, and physical effort into the complex process, earning hard-earned money. Not being afraid of trouble and accumulating small profits are the ultimate reasons why trendy snack resellers make money. "You can eat Sam's Club without a membership card" is a common sales pitch (image source: internet) Not being afraid of hard work is the foundation, but not everyone who can endure hardship can get a share of this business. There are countless new resellers trying to run a small business. Their car trunks are their startup scale. They drive around during the day and set up stalls at night markets to sell portions. After a busy week, they find that income and expenses don't balance out, and after deducting necessary expenses, they only make a few dozen yuan a week. Supply sources and customers are the two most important pillars for county-town Sam's Club resellers. In Lin Qing's county, the nearest Sam's Club is hundreds of kilometers away, making self-purchasing increasingly difficult. Membership card points, discounts, and rebates are basically ineffective here. Many resellers don't even need a Sam's Club membership card to do business. A familiar reseller told her that although there are many customers ordering, the income from individual customers isn't enough to cover the round-trip gas and tolls for hundreds of kilometers. Many small and medium resellers in the county also get their goods from larger resellers. It is said that many Sam's Club stores regularly place special orders for these large resellers, transferring goods directly from the warehouse to their cold-chain trucks at fixed times. Some county resellers who are farther away wait for the cold-chain trucks in nearby cities. "Each city has a different operation model. Resellers closer to the store naturally find it more convenient to buy directly; it's a one- or two-hour drive. We're far away, so going to the big reseller to pick up goods takes more than two hours. Because it's troublesome, the markup is relatively higher." Large resellers sell to county resellers at a markup of 1-2 yuan per item. The county resellers bring the perishable delicacies back to the county and deliver them overnight, acting as the tongue ferrymen for young people, charging a service fee of 6-12 yuan. New goods arrive every three days. Based on the group's order data, an average of about 20 transactions occur per reseller group per day. Living far from a Sam's Club store means the food is likely past its best taste period. The large resellers' goods flow into the county, with some going to small resellers and the rest to local snack shops. Nearby residents are the main offline consumers. Sam's Club portions have made these shops profitable. A cake originally priced at 88 yuan is bought for 90-92 yuan, then split into four portions, each sold for 35 yuan. The community group-buying groups left over from the pandemic have become new customer groups. They post food inventory at noon, and by evening, everything is sold out. Residents don't see the original box or label; the gap between the dessert and the box in the portion is their profit margin. But in reality, young people in county towns who buy Sam's Club and other trendy foods rarely care about how much the resellers earn in the middle. They believe that as long as they eat it, it's not a loss. Their consumption philosophy has already formed its own school.
Sam's Club: The Consumerism Trap for County-Town Youth It's not hard to see that young people staying in county towns are living a life with a very high Engel coefficient. Lin Qing's friend has only had one raise in three years of work, from 3,200 to 3,500 yuan, which is barely noticeable. Life has no big pressures, but money never accumulates. In a place with few entertainment options, buying a pair of Nikes gets a comment from her direct supervisor: "Young people today really dare to spend." Eating well has become an important comfort in life. If we calculate strictly by the Engel coefficient, the less income, the higher the proportion of food expenditure, and the poorer one is. By that measure, many of Lin Qing's friends are in a state of "poverty" most of the year. They are living proof that you should never underestimate the spending power of the lower-tier market. Young people here have their own consumption logic. "Why are only members allowed in?" looks somewhat absurd in this context. Sam's Club's popularity in small towns is thanks to the internet. Young people in small towns know everything happening in the world from home and have seen desserts from membership-only supermarkets hundreds of miles away. The gap between virtual and real distance has become a business opportunity for county-town Sam's Club resellers. Young people in first-tier cities seek novelty and niche experiences. They might visit a small coffee shop that seats fewer than ten people and spend a lot on hand-brewed coffee with long names and exquisite French desserts. Sam's Club's factory-made Swiss rolls aren't very attractive among so many choices. Young people in county towns, on the other hand, have become Sam's Club fans. With the popular mentality of "if they eat it, I want to eat it too," they support the reseller industry chain in cities. They don't need to care much about value for money. Living here, with a house, a car, and financial support from parents, all their income is disposable. Lin Qing's friend mentioned that after seeing Sam's Club's new product, the Magnum roll, online, she successfully ordered it from a reseller the next day. New products are always in high demand, so on top of the already marked-up portion, she paid an extra 5 yuan. She took it home, plated it, took photos, and posted them on Moments, living a middle-class life in the county town. "I wouldn't say I was the first in the city to eat a Magnum roll, but at least I was the first to post it in my Moments." A single post on Moments in a close-knit county society has a spread effect that many don't expect. Many friends and colleagues asked to be added to the Sam's Club reseller group. Sharing Sam's Club reseller group chats has become a form of social currency among county-town youth. Everything the resellers bring from afar is, in essence, unnecessary consumption. But for young people constrained by county-town life, any consumption that adds richness to life is necessary. Lin Qing, returning from Shenzhen to her hometown, gradually understood why people around her willingly fell into the consumption trap. This small town, which they can't change and can't leave, offers young people so little to do. There are only a few coffee shops to go to, the same restaurants they've eaten at since childhood, a city park with 100 extra tulips that draws the whole town out on weekends, and a few unfinished villas on the outskirts that have become internet-famous check-in spots. Meanwhile, through their phone screens, they can see all the fresh and exciting things in the outside world. Life is complicated. Only those in it know the downsides of a stable life, but since they can't leave, they can bring the outside trends in. The desserts and pre-made dishes from Sam's Club resellers don't seem as tasty as they look in videos, and Hema, Costco, and Luxihe aren't as amazing as imagined. Young people in small towns who are keen on internet-famous food check-ins know to prepare for disappointment and lower their expectations. There's always a gap between ideal and reality, but that doesn't stop them from buying the next new thing. They make the resellers' business thrive, and they benefit from them too. At least at the moment they get the goods and press the shutter button, their hearts are full.
The Harvester of the Lower-Tier Market Sam's Club has always been called the "middle-class harvester" of first- and second-tier cities, with a consumption positioning of "prepare at least 1,000 yuan before entering Sam's Club." As the lower-tier market develops rapidly, young people in third- and fourth-tier cities and county towns are showing strong spending power. They also want to live the life of urban middle-class. Resellers have found a business model in the asymmetry of urban development, satisfying psychological needs and promoting the most direct supply and demand. From all aspects, the spending power of lower-tier market users is keeping pace with first-tier city consumers. Sam's Club, with its selling points of "family packs," "large quantities," and "warehouse-style," precisely meets the needs of county-town consumers. Given the strong development momentum of Sam's Club resellers entering county towns, how far is the "middle-class harvester" from entering the lower-tier market? All names in this article are pseudonyms.