BJ's Wholesale Club is pushing deeper into the Southeast with a 106,370-square-foot warehouse and gas station in Foley, Alabama, complete with a limited-time $40 annual membership that undercuts its bigger rivals on price.
The warehouse club chain announced the opening for September 25 at 3275 Palm Beach Way in Foley, a growing city along Alabama's Gulf Coast. The new location will carry the full BJ's lineup, groceries, produce, meat, dairy, stationery, TVs, tires, alongside a fuel station for members looking to save at the pump.
For shoppers weighing the warehouse club math, the introductory numbers are straightforward: $40 gets a full year of membership, and during the first 90 days after opening, members earn $10 back for every $100 spent in the store. That cash-back offer alone could pay for the membership several times over for families stocking up on bulk essentials.
The Foley warehouse is the latest move in BJ's effort to grow its footprint beyond its traditional Northeast base. The chain has been scouting locations across the South and Midwest, including a planned 104,000-square-foot warehouse in Grove City, Ohio, signaling that BJ's sees room to compete in markets Costco and Sam's Club have long dominated.
Ali Maria, the club manager for the new Foley store, framed the opening around value for local families:
"We're excited to bring unbeatable value and convenience to the families of Foley and are honored to be part of the community."
BJ's is betting that convenience will matter as much as price. The Foley location will offer curbside pickup, in-club pickup, same-day delivery, and a mobile app that lets members skip the checkout line, features that mirror the digital investments warehouse rivals like Sam's Club and Costco have been racing to improve.
BJ's Alabama push comes as the broader warehouse and discount retail sector continues to defy predictions of a brick-and-mortar slowdown. Discount retailers have been expanding by the hundreds across the country, opening new locations in small and mid-sized cities where consumers feel the squeeze of inflation most acutely.
Costco, BJ's biggest competitor, has pursued its own aggressive growth strategy. The Kirkland-brand giant opened seven new warehouses across six states in a single month last year, and it has expanded into delivery partnerships to reach customers who prefer not to navigate a 150,000-square-foot store in person.
BJ's pitch in Foley is simple: a slightly smaller box, a lower membership fee, and the same bulk-buying logic that has made warehouse clubs a staple for budget-conscious families. Whether BJ's can take meaningful share from Costco and Sam's Club in the Deep South remains an open question, but the company is clearly willing to spend on real estate to find out.
Alongside the retail play, BJ's announced a partnership with Feeding the Gulf Coast, a regional food bank, at the Foley location. The store will provide regular donations of produce, meat, dairy, and other products to the organization.
Michael Ledger, president and CEO of Feeding the Gulf Coast, said the partnership builds on an existing relationship with BJ's in the region:
"We're thrilled to partner with BJ's Wholesale Club in Foley and continue our meaningful partnership in the region. Their support and contributions are instrumental in helping create access to nutritious food and resources for those in need."
Feeding the Gulf Coast operates as part of the Feeding America network. BJ's says it has provided 165 million meals through its work with Feeding America, though the company did not specify whether that figure represents a cumulative total or covers a defined time period.
Costco has similarly expanded its community and logistics footprint, recently partnering with DoorDash and Uber Eats for nationwide bulk delivery, a sign that warehouse clubs are competing not just on price and selection but on how quickly they can get products to the door.
For families in Foley and along the Gulf Coast, the arrival of a warehouse club with a $40 entry point and a gas station is a straightforward win. Competition among retailers is one of the few forces that reliably works in the consumer's favor, and the more of it, the better.