Episode Details

Sam's Club, the membership-only retail chain owned by Walmart Inc, is under fire from Chinese consumers over its recent introduction of mass market snacks that critics claim fall short of the brand's promise of premium, carefully curated offerings.

沃尔玛（Walmart Inc）旗下的会员制零售连锁店山姆会员店（Sam’s Club）最近推出了大众市场小吃，批评者称其未能兑现该品牌对优质、精心策划产品的承诺，因此受到中国消费者的抨击。

Since early July, online users on platforms like RedNote and Weibo have voiced concerns that Sam's Club is selling products such as Orion pies, Weilong Konjac delights and Panpan's walnut vanilla puffs—snacks commonly found in ordinary supermarkets—calling into question the company's quality control and product selection standards.

自7月初以来，RedNote和微博等平台上的在线用户表达了对山姆会员店销售猎户座馅饼、卫龙魔芋和潘潘核桃香草泡芙等产品的担忧，这些产品在普通超市很常见，这让人们对该公司的质量控制和产品选择标准产生了质疑。

A focal point of the criticism is a 48-pack of Orion pies, marketed at Sam's Club for 49.9 yuan as a low-sugar option with 30 percent more cocoa. However, consumers comparing its ingredient list to that of the regular version found no major improvements. Both versions still contain additives like shortening and acesulfame potassium, often criticized for potential health risks. In fact, the Sam's Club version was found to have a higher fat content than the standard product.

批评的焦点是48包猎户座馅饼，在山姆俱乐部以49.9元（7美元）的价格出售，作为低糖选择，可可含量高出30%。然而，消费者将其成分清单与常规版本进行比较后发现没有重大改进。这两种版本仍然含有起酥油和安赛蜜钾等添加剂，这些添加剂经常因潜在的健康风险而受到批评。事实上，Sam's Club版本的脂肪含量高于标准产品。

The backlash is further intensified by the shadow of a scandal from 2022. Orion came under fire in China for allegedly using a dual-standard ingredient list—one for consumers in its home country of South Korea and another, which contained ingredients including cocoa butter substitute containing trans fats, in the Chinese market.

2022年丑闻的阴影进一步加剧了这种反弹。猎户座在中国因涉嫌使用双重标准成分清单而受到抨击，一份是针对其母国韩国的消费者，另一份是在中国市场上包含可可脂替代品（含反式脂肪）等成分。

The uproar highlights a growing gap between Sam's Club's brand image and consumer expectations. The chain, which charges a 260 yuan annual membership fee, has long positioned itself as a purveyor of "globally sourced, high-quality products", emphasizing exclusivity and differentiated offerings.

这场骚动突显出山姆会员店的品牌形象与消费者期望之间的差距越来越大。该连锁店每年收取260元的会员费，长期以来一直将自己定位为“全球采购的高质量产品”的供应商，强调排他性和差异化产品。