SHOPPERS at Sam’s Club have vowed to cancel their memberships if the store goes through with its plans to scrap self-checkouts.
Instead, Sam’s Club plans to utilize its Scan & Go feature, but concerns have already been raised that it’s a bad move.
The US Sun recently reported on the bold move by Sam’s Club, as the major US retailer outlined its vision for the future.
This will get rid of self-checkouts entirely, eliminating receipt checks and long lines but increasing shopper reliance on technology.
Scan & Go sees shoppers go round and scan items as they pick them up.
They then use their phone to pay and leave by using a specific app and scanning a QR code.
SHOPPERS SPEAK OUT
But shoppers have mixed feelings, with many saying that they would stop shopping at Sam’s Club completely if this change happened.
Sam’s Club loaylists took to Facebook to share their opinions.
Many of the comments revolved around shoppers not being confident in the technology itself not to malfunction.
Shoppers also said that having someone scan you out is preferred.
One person said: “Scan and Go is a huge time saver and I’ve used it for years BUT there should still be an accommodation for anyone without a smart phone, an old phone that can’t run the Sam’s app, just fearful of tech or just angry because they feel they’re doing someone else’s job.”
Another echoed this fear: “I’m going to let my Sam’s membership expire and switch to Costco.
“I appreciate having a real person check out my items, and scan and go is terrible if you have a lot of items.
“Scan and go does have a purpose, it should be for 10 items or less.
“And then what happens if you happen to have cash and want to pay that way? See ya, Sam’s Club.”
And a third said: “I don’t get paid to check myself out.
“I tried it at Walmart once and found their self check out scanners malfunction quite a bit and scan the wrong (higher) price.
“Since Sam’s Club is the same company it would mean theirs are the same.”
But there have been some more mixed opinions on the subject.
ABC 15 reported on the thoughts of Ivan Rodriguez, who offered a more balanced view.
He said: “I think that it will be better to have a mix.”
SAM’S CLUB MOVES FORWARD
Sam’s Club is planning a bold expansion for the coming years.
Sam’s Club President and CEO Chris Nicholas said: “This is one of the fastest, most scalable transformations happening in retail today.
“We’re investing with intention — in our fleet, our associates and the member experience — to become the world’s best club retailer.
“We are not limited by our physicality — we are enabled by it.
“Our omnichannel model creates more opportunities to engage with members where they are, and how they want to shop.”
Sam's Club Membership Deal
*If you click on a link in this boxout we may earn affiliate revenue.
Get a Sam’s Club 1-year membership for $20, instead of $60.
How to redeem this offer: After purchasing this offer on StackSocial, you will receive a unique code which you can then use to sign up for a Sam’s Club Membership.
By accepting this offer, you authorize annual recurring charges for your Sam’s Club membership fee at the then-current rate until you cancel. So remember to cancel your auto-renewal, if you don’t wish to retain your membership.
*Valid for new members only. Check full terms and conditions here.
The Scan & Go feature was first rolled out in April 2024.
Nicholas said back then: “Our job is to take friction out of members’ lives.
“Every day that we get to take friction out of members’ lives, we give them back time, which is really exciting because that’s the thing they most want.
“What we decided years ago was we need to go on a journey of innovation to solve our members’ problems.”
The US Sun previously reported on the big moves being made by Sam’s Club, which will see 15 new stores a year “for the foreseeable future,” Nicholas claimed.
Another 30 previously announced stores will also be opened and the roughly 600 existing stores are also set to be remodeled.
