SELF-CHECKOUT machines will be removed from all 600 of Sam’s Club’s stores, in a huge shakeup for the chain and the industry at large.
This comes as the company announces aggressive expansion plans with a host of new stores coming each year into the future.
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It has been confirmed that every Sam’s Club spot will ditch self-checkouts in favor of Scan & Go.
This will make long lines in Sam’s Club stores a thing of the past.
In place of that, customers will be able to go round and scan items as they pick them up and then use their phone to pay and leave.
This will be done by using a specific app and scanning a QR code.
Once everything is done, shoppers will go through an AI scanner to check everything has been paid for.
This removes the need for employees at the exits checking receipts.
However, it also forces all Sam’s Club shoppers to have access to a smart phone, something which may be harder to use for older shoppers.
CEO HOPES
It was announced by Sam’s Club President and CEO Chris Nicholas announced at Walmart Inc.’s 2025 Investment Community Meeting on Friday.
Nicholas said in a press release: “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.”
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.”
RAPID EXPANSION
The US Sun previously reported that Sam’s Club is also carrying out a rapid expansion, sending a decisive message to its rivals.
The chain will open 15 new stores each year “for the foreseeable future,” according to Nicholas.
Another 30 previously announced stores will also be opened.
The roughly 600 existing stores are also set to be remodeled.
Sam’s Club membership tiers
Sam’s Club offers two levels of membership plans.
Club membership – $50 annually
- Members-only fuel savings
- Free curbside pickup on orders of $50 or more
- Scan and Go shopping
- Low members-only prices
- Extra membership card for another member of your household
- Add up to eight Club members for a reduced price of $45 each
Plus membership – $110 annually
- Club membership perks included
- Early shopping at some locations
- Free delivery on orders of $50 or more
- Free curbside pickup
- Add up to 16 Club members for a reduced price of $45 each
- Pharmacy and optical savings
- 2% Sam’s Cash back
- Early shopping at some locations
- Early access to tire and battery center services
- 50% off installation of four tires
They will be modeled after the newly opened Sam’s Club store in Grapevine, Texas, which features a “dance floor” – an omnichannel showroom to “reimagine the member shopping experience and give members a new way to interact with items.”
The renovated Sam’s Club also features a sushi island, a full-service pharmacy, optical, and hearing centers.
The company hopes that remodeling its entire store fleet will result in strong returns in sales and membership revenue.
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