Sam’s Club shoppers will see zero checkout lines in the chain’s newest store in Grapevine, Texas. Welcome to the Walmart-owned membership club’s all-digital store.

A Digital Club

The new Sam’s Club in Grapevine, Texas, will be all-digital. Photo: Sam’s Club

The new, all-digital Sam’s Club store is set to open in mid-October. As customers walk through the aisles, they scan their items on a smartphone app called “Scan & Go.” In the area where the registers would typically go, there will be a wide range of displays of digital-only items. Customers can scan QR codes on the displays to go straight to the items in the app.

According to Sam’s Club executives, the store focuses much of its manpower on online purchases. They say store workers will have four times more space to prepare online orders for curbside pickup or delivery. Sam’s Club’s CEO, Chris Nicholas, said, “It’s kind of the physical manifestation of a journey we’re trying to go on as a company.”

Sam’s Club is going towards a tech-savvy route, as shown by the new store in the Dallas area. It’s doubling down on the key innovations with this store that is reopening after being damaged two years ago by a tornado. The location will be a testing ground for Sam’s Club’s latest features and emerging technology.

Nicholas said, “The idea is that over time, we will be 100% digital engagement as a business, and you’ve got to prove that things work before you scale them.”

The Future of Shopping

The new online-only section in Sam’s Club where the registers once stood; Photo: Sam’s Club

Like its parent company, Walmart, Sam’s Club attracts customers of all incomes and ages. The membership club focuses on accommodating various customer groups with convenient shopping options. According to the company, about half of the new members in the most recent quarter were Gen Z and Millennials.

The membership club recently rolled out new exit technology that eliminates the need for a receipt checker. Customers walk under an archway powered by computer vision and artificial intelligence, similar to Amazon‘s “Just Walk Out” system.

All of these changes don’t come without hesitation. For example, a mom in the Dallas area tells CNBC she’s “a little wary of the new technology.” Tiffany Zuniga switched to Costco after the tornado damaged the Grapevine Sam’s Club. She says she hopes the technology doesn’t come at the customers’ expense. “Sometimes it can get a little dicey if you scan the wrong thing or need help,” she said. “Hopefully, they will have enough staff on hand.”

The Sam’s Club in Grapevine is preparing locals for the store’s reopening with advertisements encouraging people to download the Scan & Go app. When it does reopen, workers will be at the door ready to help any customer download the app, the company said.

Nicholas said the number of store workers in Grapevine will remain the same, but some will have new roles.

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