The History of BJ’s Wholesale Club

BJ’s Wholesale Club was founded in Massachusetts in 1984, just one year after Sam’s Club and Costco opened their doors. The store was named “BJ’s” after Beverly Jean Weich, the daughter of the original owner and first president of the company, Mervyn Weich. BJ’s was originally part of a discount department store called Zayre, then underwent a series of handoffs, spinoffs, consolidations, and related changes, eventually ending up as an independent company. BJ’s stores are concentrated in the Northeast, so the Club’s overall reach is notably much smaller than that of its larger rivals, Sam’s Club and Costco. Over the years, BJ’s developed a few exclusive, in-house brands, including Berkley Jensen and Wellsley Farms. BJ’s locations also offer a wide range of brand-name items at discount prices and actually have more total items for customers to choose from than larger competitor clubs. Today, BJ’s Wholesale Club is well-known in the areas in which it operates and offers several tiers of membership for customers.