Sam's Club Members Agree: These 8 Member's Mark Items Aren't What They Used To Be

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The Sam's Club in-house Member's Mark collection is one of the most recognized brands among consumers, particularly popular with millennials and Gen Z shoppers. Unsurprising, considering that the label has eliminated the use of many highly processed ingredients, while keeping prices low. And let's not forget it includes an impressive number of Sam's Club foods that taste like they're homemade.

Given these undeniably positive qualities, it's difficult to find a Member's Mark item that attracts unanimous dislike. However, when a particular foodstuff switches from consistent 5 stars to a rising number of 1-star reviews, we've got to sit up and take notice. All these products started out with stellar feedback, but have been attracting more complaints across the board. Some come with an expensive price tag, some portion sizes have shrunk, while others just taste a bit meh. Customers agree on one thing: These Member's Mark grocery items aren't what they used to be.

Few comfort foods do the job as well as a freshly baked pizza oozing cheese, especially if it costs less than $9. Sam's Club Hot Baked Café ticks all these boxes, delivering 16 inches of happiness. Or rather, it used to — but not anymore, according to an increasing number of customers who are showing their frustration with the former Member's Mark favorite. Accusations are rife on the Sam's Club website, where recent 1-star reviews come with a solid sprinkle of disappointment. The problem? This customer does not beat around the bush: "We typically love Sam's pizza, but these pizzas were not what we are used to."

TikTok reviews are just as harsh, with a whole bunch of customers clamoring for the discount chain to bring back the old recipe. When folks point out that the sauce tastes nasty and the crust is too thin, you know you've got to do something fast. And some of the complaints get very specific, with reviewers claiming slices used to be bigger, and that they're now paying 20% more for 10% less pizza. This Redditor delivers the final nail in the coffin: "It's way too soft and has barely any sauce. It's just not nearly as good as it looks." The debate continues on Facebook, where other customers point out that these pizzas are handmade, so the end result may depend on the employee who happens to be preparing the crust. Can it be that some of them simply need to brush up on their pizza crust technique?

Nothing beats a crispy roast chicken, except perhaps a perfectly turned-out rotisserie that you didn't have to prepare yourself. Enter Sam's Club, whose rotisserie chicken has attracted plenty of praise. But things started going south more recently, with this customer who said, "Raw in the inside! Disgusting! Don't know how this could even happen but it was full on raw at points where I cut into it." This is not the only customer noticing a sudden downturn, with other customers noting that the chicken isn't cooked properly, and more folks yet saying that the meat was still bloody. Some customers even went from rating the chicken 5 stars to a paltry 1 star because it's not cooked to an acceptable standard.

What's the real story? Some Redditors claim that the biggest culprit here is the inconsistency in the seasoning, while others say it depends on your location, with some serving great chicken and others being terrible. Members of Sam's Club Facebook Page are firmly backing those who believe the size has shrunk, with a user mistaking it for an entirely new product as it looks so much smaller than before. This customer explains the main reason Sam's Club rotisserie chicken isn't what it used to be in one simple sentence: "I used to buy them all the time, but since they went from a 4-lb. to a 3-lb. chicken — nope!" We couldn't have put it better ourselves.

There are plenty of Sam's Club foods that taste homemade. The French Silk Pie isn't one of them — or, at least, not in its new iteration. This seasonal pie was considered one of the store's most decadent offerings, with just the right degree of richness. But regulars eagerly awaiting its return this year were disappointed to discover it has been brought back in a decidedly less luscious version. Redditors have been particularly negative, with some claiming it left them with a burning feeling.

So what's changed? The regular pie crust has been replaced with a chocolate crust, which has affected the overall taste. Some customers have compared the texture and flavor of the new crust to Oreo cookies, whereas the classic silk pie recipe uses a traditional pie crust. Facebook users agree, and it's not only the new crust that's attracting quite a bit of hate. As this customer states, "They have changed them and they're awful. Texture is completely different. Tastes like it's marshmallow cream on top and the chocolate part is gummy ..." It has a rating of less than 3 stars on the Sam's Club website, with customers asking for the OG to be brought back and outright stating that this is a totally different pie. 

Red Velvet Cake is another seasonal classic beloved by many, so customers were thrilled when Sam's Club announced its return some weeks ago. With luscious cream cheese icing and coated in red velvet cake crumbs, the store website pitches it as being perfect for birthdays and other celebrations. But if the outcry of those who have tried and tested this year's version is to be believed, this cake may very well soon join the list of foods you might want to avoid buying at Sam's Club. Some customers on Reddit are finding that the chocolate shavings have disappeared, and the overall taste is less rich than the previous year's.

The new recipe really has not gone down well, with the cake attracting only a handful of reviews on Sam's Club website — and the majority are bad, with an average 2.1-star rating, practically unheard of for such an eagerly awaited seasonal treat. Customers warn that if they were fans of the previous version, they really shouldn't go anywhere near this new one. One disappointed customer appears to be too frustrated to bother with diplomacy: "Not the same cake as before. My family has bought the red velvet cake from Sam's every year for the past four years for Christmas. This is not that cake. This cake is dry and depressing." We can only hope that next year's cake will go back to the original recipe.

There was a time when Sam's Club served the branded Nathan's Hot Dogs in the café. But, much to the dismay of an overwhelming number of consumers, at some point during 2025 the store started phasing these out. Today, the store serves Member's Mark Hot Dogs at the majority of its locations. Speculation as to the reason behind this decision is rife, with some quoting a conscious strategy to replace the best-selling branded items with an in-house version. Whatever the real reason, complaints have been coming in fast and furious, with some saying the meat is too fatty and others lamenting that they don't even bother to steam the buns anymore. This Redditor pulls no punches, describing the new dogs as "... trash ... It's been a while and they obviously changed their supplier." Clearly, customers just aren't feeling it when it comes to taste and texture. 

Comments are equally unforgiving on the official site, with customers asking whether the hot dogs had changed, others stating their kids refuse to eat them. The common sentiment appears to be that customers would like their old hot dogs back at the café, but this doesn't appear to be happening anytime soon. However, according to Sam's Club customer representatives, if you call ahead in some locations you may be lucky enough to find a few that still serve the old hot dogs.

Many would argue that it's impossible to do wrong by chicken thighs and Sam's Club was certainly living up to the expectations, helping millions of Americans add lean protein to their daily nutrition at the pocket-friendly price of $2.98 per pound. Until 2025 or so, the store decided to change its packaging, and with it the taste and quality of this basic foodstuff that had been so popular with regulars. This customer on Facebook goes right to the heart of the matter: "I buy the Member's Mark chicken thighs, not anymore! Some of these pieces are more bone than meat! They used to be really good." Folks are quick to add their own misgivings, with some claiming to have found loose skin in the packaging and questioning whether it's a ploy to make the weight heavier. Others simply feel that since the change in packaging something is just off with the product. 

The consensus is that customers are unhappy with the quality of the Member's Mark chicken products in general, and this merciless comment wraps it up concisely: "The chicken at my Sam's has been horrible lately." On the official site, it's the same story all over, with customers stating that they won't be buying the thighs until Sam's Club reverts back to the old ones. And numerous reviewers claim to have found loose bits and pieces and an excessive amount of water saturation, both of which significantly increase weight and price for nothing.

Crunchy, moist, and full of cinnamon goodness — for years, these muffins attracted nothing but praise and goodwill from customers and ratings of nine out of 10 stars on Instagram reviews. But the teatime treat has taken a definite downward dip in recent months. The 1-star reviews on the Sam's Club official website have been particularly nasty, with customers who regularly buy these muffins agreeing that the last batches were not as delicious as they've come to expect. Some customers even claim to detect the smell and taste of cleaning chemicals. Others blame the dip on the change in the sugar topping and an unsatisfactory texture. But whatever the real reason, there's one thing that these reviewers all agree upon: These Member's Mark foodstuffs are not what they used to be.

The price increase applied to all muffin flavors certainly has not helped customers view them with a kindly eye, especially given that the regular packet of nine was downsized to seven. But it's the new recipe that's attracting the biggest outcry, with reviewers claiming that muffins go bad faster, there isn't enough cinnamon or crunch, and they're overcooked. A collective "do better" appears to be warranted. It doesn't get much more blunt than this reviewer, who says: "Worst cinnamon muffins I've ever tasted ... Sam's must have changed the recipe. I used to really like their cinnamon muffins, but these were terrible." If you're one of these disgruntled muffin customers, try using this quick trick to make your store-bought muffins taste better.

Cinnamon doesn't seem to be having a great moment at Sam's Club, with the Iced Cinnamon Rolls also coming in for some pretty scathing criticism. It all started when the Sam's Club Lovers Instagram page announced a repackaging of the popular Member's Mark bakery item, pointing out that the regular package of eight now contained 10 rolls. More rolls sounds like a good thing, right? Not really, because these are smaller in size. And, while the previous ones were baked in individual muffin cups, the new ones are all squished together. But it's not just about the appearance — reviewers claim the taste isn't what it used to be: "It appears that the actual recipe has changed ... the icing to me is sweeter. I do actually prefer the old version better because you could heat up one at a time easier!" 

Customers agree, with some describing the dough as being too hard and others stating they don't hold a candle to the previous recipe as the frosting is more meager and the quality isn't as good. The reviews on Sam's Club website follow a similar tune, with the rolls attracting a very modest 3.3-star rating and customers also complain about the lack of individual packaging, taste, and texture. This unhappy customer says: "Not only are these smaller and have much less icing, but frankly, they're weirdly doughy (in a bad way) tasting."

The Member's Mark collection at Sam's Club is well-loved by customers because it adds a high mark of quality to everyday products while still keeping the low prices that have made the store so popular. This means that determining which products are losing favor with customers isn't as easy as, say, sourcing the most popular options. No item is universally hated, so we carried out in-depth research to discover which items are generally viewed as not offering the same excellent standard that they used to. 

We compared older reviews left by verified customers on the Sam's Club website with more recent ones, and then analyzed what reviewers on Reddit, YouTube, Instagram, and other popular forums are saying about each product. In each case, the food item in question started out with superb reviews, but is now on a consistent downward trend, with customers generally agreeing the previous versions were better.