Sam’s Club expands AI-powered checkout, replacing registers with Scan & Go across hundreds of stores

Sam’s Club, the Walmart-owned warehouse club, is accelerating a store-wide transformation by ditching cash registers and self-checkouts in favor of an AI-powered system that lets shoppers scan items on their phones and walk out. The program, first announced last year, is already in more than 120 locations and is slated to roll out to all of the club’s roughly 600 U.S. stores in coming years. The implementation centers on a system called Scan & Go, which relies on AI-powered gates and computer vision to confirm purchases as customers leave without unloading carts or juggling receipts. The company says the move will cut friction at checkout and redefine the shopping experience for members.

Shoppers use the Scan & Go app to scan items as they move through aisles, adding products to a digital cart. When ready to leave, they simply walk through AI-enabled gates that verify the purchases and record the exit. Early results from the rollout indicate exit times have fallen by about a quarter, a metric that executives say translates into faster shopping trips for members. A shopper on X described the technology as enabling customers to bypass not just lines but the chore of unloading and reloading items, underscoring the perceived convenience of the system.

“This is one of the fastest, most scalable transformations happening in retail today,” Sam’s Club President and CEO Chris Nicholas said of the initiative. “We’re investing with intention — in our fleet, our associates and the member experience — to become the world’s best club retailer.” Nicholas has previously framed the technology as a forward-looking glimpse into how shopping could feel in the future, with speed and simplicity at its core.

The push comes as Sam’s Club, founded in 1983 by Walmart to rival Costco, emphasizes value and service. Membership at the club runs at $50 per year, with a premium option at $110 annually, both of which are $10 cheaper than Costco’s. The company has also highlighted its edge in customer satisfaction, noting that it recently overtook Costco in the American Customer Satisfaction Index, underscoring growing appetite for a seamless, tech-enabled warehouse club experience in the United States.

The broader retail landscape has increasingly embraced AI-assisted checkout, and the developments at Sam’s Club sit within a competitive frame. Costco, for its part, said in May that it plans to roll out its own scan-and-go technology. Ron Vachris, Costco’s CEO, said the company believes digital tools can speed checkout and improve membership engagement, adding that Costco intends to test the technology in 27 stores by the end of the year. The rollout will complement Costco’s existing membership model and emphasis on value at scale, while keeping a close eye on the balance between convenience, privacy, and labor considerations.

The industry backdrop includes retailers such as Target, which began exploring AI at checkouts in 2023 to address shrink and theft. Target’s TruScan system identifies unscanned items and repeat offenders and is currently active in all Target stores nationwide. The spread of such technologies reflects a broader push toward automated, AI-assisted checkout options in the U.S. retail sector, as chains seek to boost throughput and reduce labor costs while balancing customer trust and experience.

Industry observers note that AI-driven checkout transforms present both opportunities and challenges. On the one hand, faster exits and fewer bottlenecks can improve customer satisfaction and free store associates to perform other tasks. On the other hand, the shift raises questions about how workers adapt to more automated processes and how privacy and data security are managed when purchases are verified electronically.

For Sam’s Club, the current phase of expansion signals a continuing experiment with AI in retail operations. If the 120-store pilot and planned nationwide rollout hold up to expectations, the club could redefine the standard for warehouse-club shopping. The pace of adoption is rapid, and analysts will be watching closely for long-term effects on member experience, labor needs, and the balance between human-powered service and automated efficiency.

As these programs unfold, industry watchers will assess not only the speed and accuracy of the AI gates and mobile scans but also how retailers address any gaps in coverage, such as returns, complex orders, or memberships involving multiple household accounts. The next several quarters should reveal whether Scan & Go-like systems become a durable fixture of the American shopping landscape or a transitional technology in a broader shift toward omnichannel, AI-enabled retail.