A new Sam’s Club opening on July 21 in Columbia, SC will be one of the first Sam’s in the country to offer Scan & Go shopping.
The Scan & Go mobile app promises to make members’ checkout process faster and more convenient by allowing shoppers to scan UPC codes on items as they load them into their carts. When done shopping, customers pay directly on their phone from anywhere in the club and bypass the checkout line.
Unfortunately, Scan & Go-type technologies seem to be in continual trial mode despite the promoted advantages of walk-around budget monitoring and speedier checkout.
In 2014, Walmart introduced Scan & Go in 200 stores but ended the test because shoppers couldn’t figure out how to use the service. Kroger has been testing “Scan, Bag, Go” scanners since 2009 and last year began testing an app version.
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Shop & Stop and Giant Food have by all indications been testing the technology the longest in the U.S., rolling out handheld scanners at select stores since 2008 and introducing a Scan It! app in 2013. On Google Play, however, the Scan It! From Stop & Shop earned a mediocre 2.9 out of five stars from 647 votes, largely due to execution issues. A primary complaint is that the app needs to connect to the store’s Wi-Fi and fails to do so. A particular frustration is losing a fully-scanned shopping cart to a lost Wi-Fi connection. Certain smartphones are not compatible with the Scan It! app.
Sam’s Scan & Go, which currently only works with iPhones, is so far working more smoothly, scoring a perfect five rating from 243 votes on iTunes.
“I love it!!!!,” said one reviewer. “Everything worked perfectly and all my products were recognized with no problems. You check out and head to the door. Everyone else was waiting in line, not me! Skipped it all together. Please make one for Walmart!!!!!”
Date: July 18, 2016