Sam’s Club will soon stop checking shoppers’ receipts as they leave the store, opting to instead use AI to scan the carts.
The announcement was made during the Walmart keynote at CES 2024 in Las Vegas. Sam’s Club is a subsidiary of Walmart, KTLA sister station WFLA in Tampa Bay, Florida reports.
Sam’s Club Chief Merchant Megan Crozier introduced the feature during the keynote, which showed a video demonstrating how it works.
“At Sam’s Club, we care about every second a member spends with us, so eliminating even the few seconds it takes to scan a receipt at the exit door, it’s well worth it,” Crozier said during the keynote.
Customers will shop as normal, and instead of stopping at the door to have their receipt checked, “computer vision and digital technology” at the exit will take photos of carts to verify that all items were paid for.
“We aspire to be the most convenient place to shop,” Crozier said.
The demonstration showed two customers walking through the exit. One customer used the store’s Scan and Go app, and the other paid at a register. The process worked the same for both shoppers.
“With AI working in the background to continually speed the process, this digital innovation not only streamlines the member’s exit, but also allows exit greeters to refocus their time and expertise to assisting members and ensuring they have an enjoyable shopping experience,” the company said in a news release.
The company said it is piloting the technology at 10 stores but plans to have it rolled out to all of its stores in the U.S. by the end of 2024.
