Sam’s Club will reportedly undergo changes in the coming months, and some shoppers are voicing their displeasure on social media.
What Is Changing at Sam’s Club?
If you haven’t noticed, Sam’s Club has been in the process of implementing changes to its stores and the shopping experience there for the past year or so.
The first changes came to the process of shoppers leaving the store. Sam’s Club installed scanners that checked items in carts, eliminating the need for customers to show their receipt to an employee before exiting.
Shopper with full cart outside Sam’s Club
Next, it was announced the chain would move away from issuing physical membership cards to all customers. Instead, digital cards via the Sam’s Club app would be accepted.
Sam’s Club said it hoped to eliminate the use of plastic by this move. Customers can still request cards at the Member Services Desk at each store.
The most recent change has checkout stands being removed at all Sam’s Clubs
Why Is Sam’s Club Removing Checkouts?
Sam’s Club is about to remodel all 600 of its locations according to a recent report from Supermarket News.
The outlet says the stores will remove “traditional checkout lanes” in favor of shoppers using Sam’s Club’s Scan & Go app to check out before leaving the store. Self-checkout lanes will also be eliminated as part of the remodel.
According to Supermarket News, “one in three Sam’s Club members uses Scan & Go” with usage of the technology increasing more than 50% in the past three years.
Some Sam’s Club shoppers have taken to Facebook to voice their concerns about the move.
What Sam’s Club Shoppers Are Saying About Store Changes
Sam’s Club recently made a post on its official Facebook asking customers how they currently use Scan & Go. There was no mention of the elimination of checkout lanes in the post.
That didn’t stop customers from sounding off in the comments.
“It’s terrible customer service to do away with all forms of checkout except scan and go,” Faren Garza wrote.
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Linda Parson Root lamented that customers without smartphones would likely struggle to adapt.
“Many are on a fixed income and won’t pay outrageous prices for a smartphone to shop. Sincerely, the elderly don’t need Scan & Go.”
While some in the comments blasted the move, others recognized it as an opportunity to welcome new shoppers who may have been previously frustrated by long checkout lines.
“I refused to shop there because of the long lines,” Sue Powell wrote. “Now it is super easy to get my stuff and go.”
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