Sam’s Club phasing out checkouts, betting big on AI shopping

Sam’s Club, the Walmart-owned membership warehouse, is rolling out a major change to its grocery payment system and embracing artificial intelligence (AI). 

The retail giant plans to phase out traditional checkouts across its 600 stores and create a friction-free shopping experience which will include customers scanning goods on the go with an app and then having and AI scanner verify the goods as customers leave. The technology would eliminate the need for receipt checks at the door.

The system, known as “Scan & Go,” was initially launched in April 2024 and allows members to use the Sam’s Club mobile app to scan their products. 

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The latest announcement adds the AI check, known as “Just Walk”/”Just Go” exit, to the process and will see the option of traditional checkouts being eliminated.

The new plans were announced by Chris Nicholas, Sam’s Club president and CEO, who outlined the company’s growth ambitions at its 2025 Investment Community Meeting last week.

“This is one of the fastest, most scalable transformations happening in retail today,” Nicholas said. “We’re investing with intention — in our fleet, our associates and the member experience — to become the world’s best club retailer.”

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The company said its newly opened store in Grapevine, Texas, already has the “Just Walk”/”Just Go” system in place and that store will be “setting the standard” for the club for the future. The new store has designed to make shopping faster, smoother and more enjoyable.

That store is also designed with AI in mind to create a better work environment for workers with upgrades like a vertical tire carousel, automated forklifts and a pizza robot in the café.

“It’s a place where human-centered design and technology meet convenience and discovery, offering a glimpse into the future of retail,” the company wrote in a December press release.

Walmart, meanwhile, is in the middle of experimenting with AI technology and monitoring the risks and benefits.

Costco, the company’s main rival, is taking the opposite approach and sticking with traditional checkout lanes only.

Sam’s Club said its 100,000 associates remain central to the company’s momentum. 

The company said that the adoption of AI tools to streamline repetitive tasks has improved both operational efficiency and associate engagement, while there have also been investments in wages and career progression opportunities.

Sam’s Club said that the new technology will allow more time to enhance the member experience.

“When a member has a meaningful, positive interaction with an associate, they’re more likely to renew — and stay loyal,” Nicholas said. “We’re building a culture that supports our associates as much as our members, because that’s how we win.”