Sam's Club - Skip The Line (Article)

WeberWho

The link below talks about how Sam's Club is letting consumers scan their own purchases with their cell phone to "skip the line". I love the idea of scanning items as you put them in your cart and essentially hit pay after your last item placed in the cart. I'm not sure how this will work overtime. Will it save any actual time when the check out employee has to "actually" check your cart and compare to the receipt? Who knows. I'm in Sam's Club once or twice a week since I'm only a few miles down the road. With being so close I typically only grab 5-6 things at a time. Even the self-checkout lines get backed up. This will definitely help the consumer out but could be a potential headache for Sam's. I'd like to see it become a reality in more stores  

http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/07/18/sams-club-wants-customers-to-skip-the-line.aspx

RRP

It will be interesting to see how it plays out. I personally use SAMS self check out all the time as it is quicker than standing in line behind people with full carts. Also they now station an employee right there to count and mark our recipts right there so again that speeds up the out the door hassle. BTW I always use self check at Kroger and Lowes as well.

Focker

I'm stubborn, old school, and wait in line for a cashier to ring me up.  Even for one item.

Have used self-checkout once.

stlcharcoal

10-15 years ago they had someone in the line that would prescan everything with a price gun, and then they'd have you all rung up when you got the checker.  It worked great, not sure why they stopped.  Maybe if they would just use more than 3-4 of their 15+ lanes, people could get out faster. 

SmokeyPitt

This is definitely interesting and could be a time saver.   App info here:
http://www.samsclub.com/sams/html/mobile/help/scan-and-go.html?mobiledetect=false

It looks like so far only available for iphone (IOS).  Android coming soon.  I installed the app and it shows my club is eligible so I will give it a try. 

RRP

stlcharcoal said:

10-15 years ago they had someone in the line that would prescan everything with a price gun, and then they'd have you all rung up when you got the checker.  It worked great, not sure why they stopped.  Maybe if they would just use more than 3-4 of their 15+ lanes, people could get out faster. 

They still do that here on busy weekends.

RRP

Focker said:

I'm stubborn, old school, and wait in line for a cashier to ring me up.  Even for one item.

Have used self-checkout once.

LOL  - and who is it here that keeps referring to the obvious older age of forum members not liking change and modern methods? 

DaveRichardson

Then who are they going to argue prices with?????

Ladeback69

I have noticed in a few drive through restaurants having a person out from where you would normally order with a tablet to take your order so it would be ready faster and paying would go faster.  Sometimes you could pay with them through the tablet.  I remember this in Chicago at Portillo's having this and recently in Branson, MO at frozen custard place.   I like the phone idea to speed things up and you don't have to pull things out till you get to your car.

Eggcelsior

Focker said:

I'm stubborn, old school, and wait in line for a cashier to ring me up.  Even for one item.

Have used self-checkout once.

This. Self-checkout is for teens afraid to by condoms in front of people or men who are self-conscious about buying tampons for their significant other. 

Focker

Eggcelsior said:

Focker said:

I'm stubborn, old school, and wait in line for a cashier to ring me up.  Even for one item.

Have used self-checkout once.

This. Self-checkout is for teens afraid to by condoms in front of people or men who are self-conscious about buying tampons for their significant other. 

Yes sir.  

That self-conscious ship sailed for both you and I many moons ago.  Hahaha

stlcharcoal

Ladeback69 said:

I have noticed in a few drive through restaurants having a person out from where you would normally order with a tablet to take your order so it would be ready faster and paying would go faster.  Sometimes you could pay with them through the tablet.  I remember this in Chicago at Portillo's having this and recently in Branson, MO at frozen custard place.   I like the phone idea to speed things up and you don't have to pull things out till you get to your car.

I saw somewhere that if you have a bunch of kids, you could go through the drive through at Chik-fil-A, order, and they would set a table for you.  So when you come in it's already on the table and you don't have to wrangle kids while standing in line.  The same article said you could order ahead of time through your phone via their app.

Davec433

I worked at Safeway in the 90s and full time Journeymen level checkers made $19 an hour, 2 weeks paid vacation and full benefits plus they were union so good luck getting rid of them.

Not surprised Grocery and big box stores are automating to slim down on labor costs.

RRP

our local WM had 8 self check out kiosks for about a year and suddenly closed them. I have a retired friend who is a meeter/greeter there so I asked him what happened. He said there was a significant increase in theft related to those units whereby people didn't ring up all their items and the detectors at the doors were keeping him and his fellow greeters busy. And of course only higher priced and/or easier to conceal merchandise like ink cartridges were tripping the detectors so it was anybodies guess how many food items were being stolen! He said just the same they would be installing new ones after they enhanced an overhead surveillance equipment and sure enough they opened 12 of them and there is always a line now even at them.

GregW

I've never used self checkout.
I know it's not much of a job, but I would hate to see someone lose their job as a cashier because I used the self checkout. 
I'm sure if a merchant could figure out how to operate a store without a single employee they would do it.

RRP

GregW said:

I've never used self checkout.
I know it's not much of a job, but I would hate to see someone lose their job as a cashier because I used the self checkout. 
I'm sure if a merchant could figure out how to operate a store without a single employee they would do it.

I hear you - but how many employees do you see at gas stations anymore? I patronize 3 different ones and not a one has more than 1 employee per shift. 

stlcharcoal

Costco here in STL dumped the self checkouts about a year ago.  Members were always having issues with them, trying to pay with check, and the person monitoring the 4 lanes was always busy.  It weighed the item on the conveyor belt along with measuring the size, so if people didn't position it in the middle or tried to set/scan another item before it went through the "gate", there were issues.  I rarely had any issues with it, but I understood how it worked and how it needed to be used......other got PO'd and loud about it.  They told me it taking more time (on average) because of all the people that insisted on using it, but had to have an employee stand there and scan their stuff.

I once got in a pretty heated argument with a guy at the local grocery in the self checkout.  He was [unsuccessfully] trying to use the self checkout and started yelling at the teenager that was monitoring the four stations.  The kid tried to help this a-hole, but all the guy did was start cussing at him.  So I walked over, took his stuff, threw it in his cart, and told him to go over to another lane where they could assist "#$#@% morons."  He must have thought I worked there at first, but then when he realized I didn't then he started cussing at me from the other lane, saying he was going to kick my azz in the parking lot, etc.  I paid for my stuff, walked to my truck watching my 6, and drove off.  He would have been dumber than I thought, and gotten a rude awakening, had he pursued that threat.

EggNorth

Isn't it interesting that we the consumer have to do all the work for free?   I would use the self checkout if they gave me a few dollars coupon or something.  I guess someday we will have to unload the transport at the store if we want something.

The local grocery store has on-line shopping, when you get to the store just text and someone takes it out for you, not for me but someone with young kids it could be nice.