A SAM’S Club customer criticizes the store on social media for replacing people with technology.
The customer posted a rant on X against the membership store’s latest upgrade.
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“Sam’s Club has removed all cash registers and switched to self-checkout only,” the shopper wrote.
“So not only do you have to stand in a huge line at the checkout… you also have to stand in another line to wait to leave.
“If you try to replace people with technology without providing evidence of the scale of the solution, this is what you get… It’s crazy.”
Attached to the post are two pictures of the incredibly long queues at the retailer.
The author was responding to a commenter who said that “scan and go” was the best course of action.
“The line above is the one that wraps around the club with people trying to leave,” the buyer said.
Customers lined up outside the doors, waiting for their receipts to be checked after using the self-checkout machines – a security policy Sam’s Club has long used.
One shopper responded to the post, saying that cashiers at his Sam’s Club are advising shoppers to use the app instead of going to the checkout line.
“Our Sams still has cashiers, but they tell you bluntly: use the app, pay with the app, then it will be better,” they wrote.
“That’s what we did – we scan the item number when it’s put in the cart and then we go out. They do a little spot check and then it goes to the car.”
The original poster responded to the commenter that the lines to exit the store were just as long as the lines at the self-checkout kiosks.
“The problem here is that the line out the door is just as bad as standing in line,” they replied.
“There is literally a backlog halfway to the meat departments all day long.”
A new Sam’s Club member responded to the post, saying they already knew they were “going to get in trouble.”
“I’m going to get in trouble. I just got a membership here. But I haven’t gone yet,” he wrote.
“If they ask me to scan my items myself or wait in line to check my receipt, they are stupid.
“I leave the self-checkout and the store. What are they going to do? Attack me?”
Another commentator simply stated: “A people business cannot survive without people.”
Latest changes to self-checkout
Retailers are developing their self-checkout strategies to shorten checkout times and reduce theft.
Walmart customers were shocked when self-checkout lanes at several locations were made available only to Walmart+ members.
Other customers reported that the self-checkout lanes were closed at certain times and more cashiers were offered instead.
While customers feared that shoplifting was the reason for the changes, a Walmart spokesperson said store managers were simply experimenting with ways to improve checkout performance.
One bizarre experiment involved an RFID-supported self-checkout kiosk that was intended to eliminate the hotly contested receipt check.
However, this test run was discontinued.
At Target, the number of items at self-checkout lanes is limited.
Last fall, the brand tested new express self-checkout lanes with a maximum of 10 items in 200 stores to increase convenience.
Starting in March 2024, this policy will be expanded to 2,000 stores in the United States.
Customers have also noticed that their local Walmart stores are limiting the number of customers at self-checkout lanes to 15 items or less.
IMPORTANT CHANGES
The self-checkout lanes are just one of many complaints Sam’s Club members have had about the retailer recently.
The store recently announced a major change to its membership program: members will have to pay more for shipping.
Sam’s Club Plus members have always had free shipping on their orders, but starting August 19, the company will charge a flat fee of $8 for shipping on orders valued under $50.
The change significantly reduces the value of membership, which already costs members $110 per year.
“Congratulations @SamsClub on one of the dumbest business decisions ever,” one X user posted about the change.
“Free shipping is the MAIN REASON most people have the Plus membership.”
