Sundays are for Sam's Club, as the chain starts opening earlier than Costco

• Walmart-owned Sam's Club will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, starting this weekend.
• The first hour of the day is reserved for Plus members, like at warehouse club rival Costco.
• Curbside shoppers can also pick up orders starting at 7 a.m. as the company grows e-commerce.

Sam's Club shoppers are getting a perk their Costco friends don't have: more time to shop on Sundays.

The Walmart-owned warehouse club said Friday that its stores will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily starting this weekend. The biggest shift is on Sundays, which previously had operating hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Costco locations open for executive members at 9 a.m. each day.

"We made this decision in response to overwhelming feedback from members — and just in time for the busy holiday season, when convenience matters most," a spokesperson said in a statement to Business Insider.

Exceptions to the new hours are Christmas Eve, when clubs will close at 6 p.m., as well as Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, and Easter, when clubs will be closed for the holiday.

Like Costco, the first hour of the day is reserved for Plus members, with access to all members opening at 9 a.m. Sam's Club memberships are priced below Costco's, with standard memberships costing $50 (compared with $65 at Costco) and $110 (compared with $130).

Sam's Club's fuel stations will operate from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., and curbside shoppers can pick up orders starting at 7 a.m. as the company focuses on growing its e-commerce sales.

The company's high-tech approach to the club store shopping experience helped it vault over Costco's customer satisfaction rating earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Costco said last month that its decision to expand shopping hours for executive members lifted weekly sales 1%.

Both chains have posted strong results this year, pacing ahead of traditional retailers like Walmart and Target.

Data from market analytics firm Numerator indicates that US shoppers love finding a good deal, with nearly half of American households shopping at either Costco or Sam's Club at least once in the past year.