Posted on 04/19/2025 5:39:14 PM PDT by dennisw
Sam's Club stores is axing all self-checkouts from its 600 stores — in favor of controversial new technology.
The Walmart-owned warehouse chain, often seen as Costco's biggest rival, is rolling out AI-powered 'Scan & Go' tech that lets shoppers skip the line and walk straight out the door once they're done shopping.
The move is controversial because it uses a network of cameras and sensors to track shoppers and their carts.
In addition, the checkout-free experience requires all customers to use a smartphone and download the store’s app.
This could pose a challenge to older shoppers who may struggle with technology.
The shake-up is aimed at reducing checkout wait times as it eliminates the need for an employee to check receipts at the exit.
Customers will scan the product barcodes as they go around the store, put the item in their cart and then pay for the items in the app when they are done.
Rather than go to a register, they exit through an airport-style scanner with AI cameras that analyze carts to make sure all items in there have been scanned and paid for.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
“the old 5 and 10 store philosophy was “if I could get a nickel from each customer” was the way to success.”
Moving as much product in volume as possible every 24 hours equates to lower cost prices from vendors and wholesale suppliers. This savings is your first profit margin before you ever even sell it to the customer. And cash flow is king, more volume per day lowers your overhead cost percentage per day.
“I wonder if restaurants have started suggesting that you bus your own table and set the dishes by the kitchen door before you walk out.”
That came with the invention of fast food joints... But in turn it is not customary to leave a tip either. Now that is a fair trade off for our personal labor.
Food to go is what fast food used to be, the trash was your own, if you eat at one of their tables you can throw away your trash or leave it, but tips aren’t for busboys.
I bussed in many restaurants, and we cleaned the tables and washed the dishes and the pots and pans, and mopped the floors at a fixed pay.
“I bussed in many restaurants, and we cleaned the tables and washed the dishes and the pots and pans, and mopped the floors at a fixed pay.”
I bussed and washed dishes for awhile growing up in my Father’s Truck Stop. You didn’t handle it right... The Waitresses who share tips with you were the ones who always had first priority of quick clean tables for their next customers... :)
I know that was meant to be amusing but one of my huge issues with people and workers and ones that I have never wanted around me or working for me, are those who are looking to get their palms greased by fellow shady operators to affect the quality of their daily work duties.
I have been using it for a couple of years. I like it.
So the elderly a who are confused by technology are the ones using the self checkouts?’ That they are getting rid of?!?
No they are the ones waiting in line for an actual person to ring them up.
What nonsense this article is.
If they were getting rid of all human checkers and forcing everyone to use scam and go, sure could see an issue but replacing the self checkout lanes.. with scan with your phone and pay instead is not alienating anyone.
Technophobes will wait. In line for a real checked and everyone else will scan and go.
Honesrly I love this feature. I scan and pay and walk out and never wait in line. And with the new automatic arches at the exits rarely even have the door checkers have to slow me down to verify my purchase.
No that was just how it worked. The customers did it to the waitresses too. They would purposely sit in a particular “area” tables so they could get their favorite waitress. And the waitresses who treated the customers well got the better tips.
This reward for good service extended to the busboys helping make it happen too. The busboys who hustled for them also got to share in the rewards that were EARNED. It was teamwork. And it was the Customer who truly got the best benefits of the structure.
Was it morally sound? Probably not because it was based on extortion and protectionism. But if you know anything at all about business it is all about extortion and protectionism... These are the real engines that truly drive what we currently call “Capitalism”... And no they are not moral, but if you ask the business cult all is fair and acceptable in this greedy war for that one extra penny.
I use banking apps from my bank and credit union. My employment requires building large virtual machines with huge disk and memory demands. I have a 1 Gbps symmetric fiber to support that requirement. Secure stuff goes on a Linux box with very tight security lockdowns.
A couple of locations near us tax the bags used. We dislike the stupid reusable bags so I bought some very nice folding crates. We keep four in my wife's vehicle and my new mini truck has six.
We love these and have no issues going to the parking lot and putting our groceries or other purchases in the crates. They are easier to carry inside, no waste, easily cleanable, and compact when folded.
When we do our big grocery shopping I bought a cool foldable compact hand truck that can carry four of these crates stacked. Roll it into our house and a couple trips later we are done. Nice and neat. We love it.
Nonsense, without even getting into a waitress picking and choosing on which individuals she will do her job well with, the busboys either clear tables or they don’t, and they do it when it is time to clear them, not before and not after, there is no variation in what they do, it is exactly the same every time.
That crate idea is worth looking at, if we must, in my opinion though stores worked fine for generations, it was all a smooth operation, and then the left got involved.
BFLR
And there goes the cordiality... Last time I will check your section for tables ready to clear...
You just can’t help keep from starting conflicts can you?
It was a simple factual post about bussing restaurant tables from someone well experienced in that job and other levels of restaurant work and mgmt., that’s all, don’t read something into it that isn’t there.
Amazon tried this but it fizzled plus they were using 3rd world people as the “scanner”.
Do a lot of swiping right, do you?
“This could pose a challenge to older shoppers who may struggle with technology.”
That is flippant and against.
I’m 66 and everyone I know my age and older have computers.
The scammers will steal someone’s smart phone. Use the victims credit cards in the app. Then walk out of the store leaving the CC holder with a huge bill.
Not sure what that refers to, but given your tendency at ignorant posts, I’m sure it’s not germane.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.