介绍： Sam's Club Is Beating Costco at Its Own Game—in China
The scene would be familiar to anyone who has visited a Costco in a well-off American suburb. Children sit in wide shopping carts, pushed by parents wandering through the high-ceilinged aisles in search of deals on eggs, bread and rib-eye steak. Customers...

介绍： Sam's Club Is Beating Costco at Its Own Game—in China
The scene would be familiar to anyone who has visited a Costco in a well-off American suburb. Children sit in wide shopping carts, pushed by parents wandering through the high-ceilinged aisles in search of deals on eggs, bread and rib-eye steak. Customers line up for samples of crackers and cakes.
But this isn't America—it is one of China's biggest cities. And the warehouse-club company bringing in affluent shoppers isn't Costco. It is Walmart-owned Sam's Club.
A perennial No. 2 in the U.S., Sam's Club has found a way to beat Costco: Do it in China.
In the U.S., Sam's Club had long struggled to break away from Walmart's budget reputation, making it difficult to reach coveted upscale shoppers. In China, with a clean slate and a growing affluent class, Sam's Club, following Costco's formula, carved out a niche as a premium chain offering high-quality items hard to find elsewhere.
The target Chinese customer was known internally as "the BMW member," said Andrew Miles, who was president of Sam's Club China from 2012 until early this year. That is code, he said, for a wealthy 35- to 45-year-old mom who might ferry her children to the store in a luxury car.
The other pillar of Sam's Club's strategy in China is e-commerce. These days, about half of revenue comes from online shopping, compared with only around 4% seven years ago. Members can get one-hour delivery for the most popular items.
Chen Chi, a 29-year-old entrepreneur who mostly shops at Sam's Club for food and baby products, said the prices were still right. "We've compared them with many platforms," said Chen. "Even other small vegetable markets in Shanghai aren't as cheap as Sam's Club."
生词好句
1.beat somebody at one's own game 在对方最擅长的领域打败对方，用对方的看家本领战胜对方，以其人之道还治其人之身
beat somebody 打败某人
game n.（本文）某人擅长的领域、看家本领
This team relies on their defense, so let's beat them at their own game.这支球队全靠防守，那我们就用他们擅长的方式打败他们。
We're not as skilled, but we plan to beat them at their own game with hard work.我们技术不如他们，但我们准备用勤奋弥补，在他们的领域战胜他们。
2.shopping cart 购物车
3.line up 排队
Hundreds of people are lining up for lunch.吃午餐时有好几百人在排队。
4.affluent 英 [ˈæfluənt] 美 [ˈæfluənt] adj. （人或家庭）富裕的，富足的（比rich更正式、更书面）
affluent households 富裕家庭
affluent lifestyle 富裕的生活方式
5.perennial 英 [pəˈreniəl] 美 [pəˈreniəl] adj. 常年的；长期的；反复出现的，持续存在的（状态或问题）
Love is a perennial literary theme.爱情是文学永恒的主题。
6.break away from something 摆脱（某种不好的标签、印象）；脱离（某个组织、群体）
try to break away from old habits 想摆脱旧习惯
break away from a rigid team 想脱离某个僵化的团队
7.coveted 英 [ˈkʌvətɪd] 美 [ˈkʌvətɪd] adj. 令人垂涎的，梦寐以求的
a coveted job 一份令人向往的工作
a coveted vacation 渴望已久的假期
8.upscale 英 [ˈʌpskeɪl] 美 [ˈʌpskeɪl] adj. 高端的，高档的
upscale restaurants 高端餐厅
upscale products 高档商品
辨析：affluent vs. upscale
区别：affluent侧重描述人群的富裕，upscale更侧重描述消费层级或商品定位。
9.a clean slate 没有历史包袱，可以从零开始
start life with a clean slate 重新规划生活
enter the new market with a clean slate 从零开始进入新市场
11.carve out （本文）通过努力开创出、建立起职业生涯、角色、声誉等（establish a career, role, or reputation for oneself through hard work）；雕刻出某物
She managed to carve out a successful career in a very competitive industry.她在一个竞争激烈的行业里，成功地开创了一番事业。
12.niche 英 [nɪtʃ, niːʃ] 美 [nɪtʃ, niːʃ] n. 细分市场，指一个面向特定人群、特定需求的市场，比如只做大码的服装品牌，或者面向老年人的旅游服务等。
13.premium 英 [ˈpriːmiəm] 美 [ˈpriːmiəm] adj. 高端的（upscale）
premium quality 优良的品质
premium items 高品质商品
14.pillar 英 [ˈpɪlə] 美 [ˈpɪlər] n. （商业语境）核心支撑、关键支柱；柱子，支柱