By Melody Korongwe
Sam’s Club is ushering in a new era of retail with a bold plan to eliminate traditional checkout lines in all 600 of its United States stores.
This transformation is inspired by its pilot store in Grapevine, Texas, which serves as a model for the company’s tech-forward ambitions. CEO Chris Nicholas announced that the retailer will fully adopt a high-tech, app-based shopping system aimed at streamlining the in-store experience.
The new system replaces conventional registers with a mobile-based checkout process. Members scan their items using the Sam’s Club mobile app while they shop.
Upon completing their purchases, they walk through a specialized scanner at the exit, where advanced artificial intelligence verifies their scanned items and flags any discrepancies.
This innovation removes the need for manual receipt checks, significantly reducing wait times and enhancing customer convenience.
“This is one of the fastest, most scalable transformations happening in retail today,” said Nicholas.
Beyond checkout technology, Sam’s Club is doubling down on automation across its operations. The Grapevine store showcases robotic pizza chefs and automated forklifts, pointing to a broader integration of robotics and smart systems.
These developments build on the nationwide rollout of exit-scanning technology in 2024, reinforcing the company’s commitment to a seamless, tech-enhanced shopping environment.
Reactions to this transformation have been mixed. On social media, some shoppers and employees view the changes positively, believing they’ll lead to improved efficiency without necessarily eliminating jobs:
“No, it will not, it will allow for them to move to other positions within the store. Head count is going up in my store, and we’re getting rid of registers in a few weeks.”
Others express concern about automation leading to job displacement:
“I did my research for my college project a couple of years back about cashiers and transitioning into self-checkout. Believe it or not, self-checkout will cut about 30-40% of the jobs in retail. At this rate, cashiers may be extinct by 2030-2035.”
Some commenters suggest the shift is less about job elimination and more about repositioning roles within the company:
“Staff is shifted to other areas, like putting together online orders for pickup or delivery. It seems that Sam’s is trying to expand in those areas to increase access within the buying process.”
As Sam’s Club continues its digital transformation, it positions itself at the forefront of modern retail. Whether viewed as progress or disruption, one thing is clear: the checkout line, long a symbol of retail inefficiency, may soon be a thing of the past.
