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Sam’s Club’s Biggest Selling Point (IMHO) is Getting Even Better
Ever since my wife and I got a Sam’s Club membership, I’ve fallen in love with the store’s Scan & Go feature. Using the Sam’s Club app, I can add items to my virtual cart at the same time as my physical one, complete the transaction on my phone, and then just have the exit attendant scan a QR code on my phone before heading out.
This feature was particularly helpful during the pandemic and, more recently, has been awesome as it’s allowed me to easily buy a gift card on Pepper (to earn 5% back) and redeem it instantly. But, with all of that said, Sam’s Club has managed to find a way to make Scan & Go even easier.
A couple of weeks ago when we visited the club, we noticed that they’d erected large pillars near the exit. Walking through these pillars, I noticed what looked like a camera on each side. Then, this week, we were surprised when we got to the exit attendant and, instead of scanning our phone, they just said, “You’re all set.”
As it turns out, the store is now testing AI and “computer vision” technology to confirm that members paid for all of the items in their cart. This will hopefully allow customers to enjoy a more seamless exit experience — and mean that Scan & Go customers like me will be able to sail in and out of the store with greater ease.
Apparently, Sam’s Club began testing this new system in January. I actually saw mention of it at CES this year, but honestly didn’t think it would be deployed so quickly. Nevertheless, the press release says it expects to roll it out to 600 clubs by the end of the year.
From what I’ve seen and overheard from team members so far, this feature has been hit or miss. Although we happened to get the green light both times we’ve used it, some people ahead of us still needed to be stopped and scanned out the “old fashioned” way. Of course, as customers, team members, and AI grow more familiar with these operations, things should improve quickly.
For as much as I love Costco, the reason I’ve stuck with Sam’s Club has a lot to do with its Scan & Go feature (the fact that I now live across the street from a club also helps). That’s why I’m pretty excited to see how this new initiative shakes out. It also seems as though Sam’s will still keep staffing team members at the exit, so this should be beneficial for customers without negatively impacting workers. So, keep an eye out for this new system coming soon to a Sam’s Club near you — if it’s not already there.
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