Sam's Club Scan & Go App Review

Brad and I have been Costco members since we were engaged.  We joined to buy some of the things we needed for our wedding.  We continued to be members because we purchased most of our meats and bulkier items there.  Well recently the yearly membership fee went up, and we started to question whether we should make the move to Sam's Club.  I loved Costco so much, but it was becoming more expensive for us.  Plus it was located on the far end of town, so we had to make a special effort to go there.  Sam's Club is much more centrally located.  The nail on the coffin for Costco was a coupon book we purchased from a neighbor's child.  It contained a coupon for a Sam's Club membership.  For joining, you received a $15 gift card.  And membership was already cheaper than Costco.  So the combo was too much of a deal to pass up.  Our philosophy was that we could re-join Costco next year if we hate Sam's.

So this isn't meant to be a comparison of the two or even a sales pitch for Sam's.  I wanted to review one of the benefits you get from being a Sam's member...the Scan & Go App.  One of the things I hated at Costco was the line to check out.  It was awful.  Well Sam's has an app where you can literally scan your items as you shop, check out in the app, and exit the store.  

How it Works:

Before going to the store, I first downloaded the app.

Next I signed in using my Sam's Club membership information.  I also went ahead and set up my credit card so that I did not have to do that in store.  The app is very user friendly, and all of those things are easy to find within the app.

Once you arrive and log in on the app, it will detect you are at a Sam's store and tell you to start scanning.  Once you find an item you want to scan, just tell the app to start scanning.  Then you will use the camera within the app to scan the barcode.  If the app won't read the barcode, you can also look up the item.

Once it scans the barcode and accepts it, it will show up in your cart.  You can always delete an item if you change your mind while shopping.  In addition, you can change the quantity so you don't have to scan numerous times.

Once you are finished shopping, you click check out in the app.

Then you can double check your items, confirm your payment method, and click pay.

Once you pay, you will have a barcode appear.  Unfortunately I did not get a picture of this.  Make sure you have the up and ready as you leave the store.  The employee at the exit will scan this barcode and verify your items against it.  Once finished, you will get an option to rate the app.  I did give it 5 stars because I loved it so much.

You can also easily go back and view receipts if you need to.

My Review:

So I have never been a fan of self checkouts in stores.  There are multiple reasons.  But the number one reason is because I feel like every time I do, I end up needing some sort of assistance.  Something doesn't ring up; Something doesn't "weigh" enough; The produce doesn't weigh; etc.  So I was slightly hesitant about the app being similar.  Luckily on my first use, I did not run into any problems resembling self-checkout.

First, I love how easy the app is to use in general.  I did not have any trouble logging in and setting up my account before going to the store.  Once in the store, I didn't have any issues scanning the items I purchased.  That isn't to say that issues aren't possible because I am sure they are.  Checking out was also a breeze.

Second, it made the entire trip at Sam's much quicker.  I only went in for two things, and I did end up buying three.  You wouldn't think a whole lot of time would be saved, but it did seem that way to me.  I didn't have to wait in a line to check out.  I didn't have to unload my buggy onto a conveyer belt.  And I was able to just walk right out using my app.  The time saved was very important seeing I had an almost two year old in the buggy!

Third, it makes you more aware of what you are buying.  Normally when Brad and I check out of any store, we guess at what our total price is going to be.  Because you scan as you go, you can see your total as you go.  If you went in the store with a budget in mind, you can easily remove something from your cart if you realize that item puts you over your budget.  

With every great thing, there has to be a few bad things to accompany it.  The only real "bad" thing about this app is that the receipt is literally only stored on the app.  It would be nice if it sent you an email copy of your receipt in addition to the storage on the app.  This isn't such a negative that I wouldn't use the app again, but I do feel like that is an easy improvement to make.  

While this isn't a knock at the app, I can see how it would be difficult to use the app if you have a lot of items you are buying.  I do feel like you can easily still scan those items as you add them to your grocery cart, but it could also become cumbersome if you decide to put something back or you forget if you scanned something.  One or two things doesn't present a problem...twenty items is another thing.

All in all, I will definitely use this app on future visits.  It makes the trip much easier and quicker.  I think it may even help save us money over multiple uses instead of having the sticker shock when we check out.  It is really easy to set up, so if you are a Sam's member, I highly recommend it!