Sam's Club Streamlines Shopping with AI Receipt Check System

When you buy a bunch of stuff at big stores like Sam’s Club, they often want to check your receipt at the exit to make sure you paid for everything. So, when you go and buy a bunch of stuff, you usually have to show your receipt at the exit. It’s like a final check to make sure you didn’t accidentally take something without paying. Walmart, which owns Sam’s Club, is trying to make this process faster using artificial intelligence.

Instead of showing your receipt to a person, they want to use artificial intelligence (AI) to check what’s in your shopping cart automatically. This means you won’t have to wait to show your receipt when you leave the store. This helps save time for both customers and the store’s staff.

The AI receipt-checking system is currently being tested in a few places, like nine locations in Dallas and one in Joplin, Missouri. The company didn’t say how much they spent on this new technology.

Sam’s Club is also trying out other tech ideas, like letting customers scan and pay for items using their phone, skipping the checkout line altogether. The goal is to use technology to make shopping more convenient for members.

Walmart believes that saving even a few seconds is worth it. Other stores already check receipts at the exit. But sometimes, people feel this is unfair or even based on race. For example, some customers say they get checked more if they’re not white.

Now, Sam’s Club is trying a new system. Instead of a person checking your receipt, you’ll walk through a gate-like portal, and the AI will use cameras and digital technology to make sure you paid for everything. They’re testing this in 10 stores and plan to use it in all 600 Sam’s Club locations by the end of the year.

This use of AI is becoming more common in stores, especially since the pandemic changed how people shop. Walmart already uses AI for managing their stock and predicting what customers will want to buy. Amazon also has a similar system called “Just Walk Out.”

So, the idea is to make your shopping experience quicker and more convenient using technology, and Walmart is joining in on this trend.

In addition to this, Sam’s Club and Walmart are introducing other AI features, like a smarter search function in the Walmart app. This feature helps customers find products more easily. They are also using AI for a service called InHome Replenishment, which predicts when customers need to buy certain items and adds them to their online cart automatically.

Walmart is also planning to use drones to deliver items to customers in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. This means they can reach more households faster than other retailers using drones. This is part of their efforts to bring new and innovative services to their customers.

NewsletterYour weekly roundup of the best stories on AI. Delivered to your inbox weekly.