Walmart's Sam's Club drops self-checkout, adds new anti-theft tech todayheadline

You probably don’t stop by your favorite large-scale supermarket every day, but you could likely recite the basic model if you were asked.

You enter through a large entrance, grab a cart, meander through the aisles, attempt not to be upsold or influenced by all the new inventory, and make your way to the checkout counter. 

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At the checkout area, you’re then presented with a decision. 

You must either use the self-checkout kiosk or get in line for a cashier to ring you up. 

Here’s where things tend to get a little hairy. 

Many supermarket self-checkout kiosks are chaotic and not very user-friendly. 

Lots of people queue up to use them, but they often fumble with bar codes and scanners, and it can be difficult to successfully and efficiently check out. 

Some customers may forget to scan things or scan them twice. Less scrupulous patrons may even intentionally forego scanning the expensive stuff.

Supermarkets left with difficult choices

But waiting in line for a cashier can be time-consuming, particularly if there aren’t many employees on staff and you hit the supermarket during peak hours.

So grocery stores are left with a hard decision. 

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They either send more people toward the often-inefficient self-checkout kiosks and risk inventory shrink, or they put their already-busy employees on staff at more cashier lanes and slow down the whole process. 

This also takes away from other important tasks, like stocking the shelves or assisting customers with questions.

Sam’s Club making a big change

Some of the biggest retailers in the U.S. are coming up with a third solution, though. 

Sam’s Club, for example, is now gearing up to transform its entire checkout process. 

After a successful test run in its Texas headquarters, the wholesale grocer will begin to eliminate both cashier-run checkouts and self-checkout kiosks. 

Instead, Sam’s Club is going to begin using its new Scan & Go system, which prompts members to scan products using their mobile app and pay for their goods directly there. 

Related: Sam’s Club making big new Costco-style membership change

To keep customers honest, Sam’s Club will use artificial intelligence to make sure all their purchases are what they say they are. 

This will also reduce the need for employees to verify receipts at the exits.

“We continue to test and learn and will adjust to serve our members to ensure they have a delightful and frictionless experience at Sam’s Club,” a spokesperson for Sam’s Club told TheStreet. 

The first implementation of the new AI system began in April 2024, and Sam’s Club anticipates the change will happen across its approximately 600 stores in the near future.

Sam’s Club has been working hard to get members transitioned over to its app. It has also begun moving away from physical membership cards. Instead, stores are easing members into the new, digitally native system by encouraging them to use their apps when they enter the store.