First Look: Sam’s Club’s digital-first store of the future
Sam’s Club has opened a store that will serve as an innovation center to test new technology and non-tech initiatives from which it will apply learnings to current and future clubs.
One of the first things shoppers are likely to notice in the newly opened, 150,000-sq.-ft. Sam’s, located in the Dallas suburb of Grapevine, Tex., is that there are no traditional checkout counters or self-checkout kiosks. Instead, customers must use the retailer’s app-based Scan & Go tool, which allows members to use their mobile devices to scan items as they shop, complete payment and skip the checkout line entirely.
To help members quickly exit after finishing shopping, the store features three automated “exit trusses” (arches) that use artificial intelligence and computer vision to digitally check a customer’s cart and verify their online receipt. The standard Sam’s has only two.
The area typically occupied by the checkout has given way to a dedicated space, described as an “omnichannel showroom,” that showcases Sam’s online-only items. Members can scan QR codes and go straight to the items in the app. At opening, a 12-ft. Christmas tree and a Mercedes SUV were among the items on display.
Additionally, approximately 6,000 sq. ft. of space has been dedicated to getting online orders ready for fulfillment, either via pickup or delivery. That’s four times the standard fulfillment space allotted in other Sam’s.
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Photos courtesy of Sam's Club. -
Photos courtesy of Sam's Club -
Photos courtesy of Sam's Club. -
Photos courtesy of Sam's Club. -
Photos courtesy of Sam's Club.
Other fulfillment-area features include the use of refrigerated totes for online orders and high-speed doors for faster picking. Sam’s has also added a dedicated manager and two team lead positions for fulfillment.
Outside, shoppers will find 32 dedicated parking spots for curbside pickup, more than double the 14 to 16 spaces found at most clubs. The store is also piloting an “experiential merchandising” layout that includes a large sushi island in the fresh department, gourmet cheeses, a floral department and a “quality assortment” of wine.
Other store features include the following:
- A pizza robot that can produce more than 100 pizzas per hour;
- Fresh tortilla machine in bakery;
- Cubbies in the café for quick, convenient order pickup;
- Vertical tire carousel for increased storage in the Tire and Battery Center;
- The biggest cake case in the company to make restocking easier for associates;
- Reimagined café designed in conjunction with a restaurant expert to allow employees to cook and serve more efficiently; and
- Automated forklifts in the receiving area.
Based in Bentonville, Ark, Sam’s Club is a subsidiary of Walmart Inc. and operates nearly 600 clubs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
