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Walmart Expanding 'Scan & Go' iPhone Self-Checkout to Over 200 Stores

Wednesday March 20, 2013 8:12 am PDT by Eric Slivka

Reuters reports that Walmart is expanding its iPhone-based Scan & Go self-checkout system to over 200 of its stores, up from 70 currently. The company began pilot testing on the project, which allows users to scan items into an iPhone app as they shop and then easily pay for their items at a checkout station as they leave the store, last August.

For now, "Scan & Go" only works on Apple Inc devices. An Android version should be out soon, Walmart said.

With more than half of its shoppers using smartphones, Walmart is trying to make shopping more convenient for shoppers who embrace mobile technology. More than half of the customers who have tried the "Scan & Go" feature have used it more than once, [Walmart senior vice president Gibu] Thomas said.

The Scan & Go program is currently in place at a number of Walmart stores in Georgia and Arkansas, with individual stores in Vancouver, Washington and San Jose, California also participating. The current expansion will bring the program to a number of new areas in the central and western part of the United States.

Walmart is bringing "Scan & Go" into a dozen more markets: Denver, Colorado; Phoenix, Arizona; Omaha, Nebraska; Dallas and Austin, Texas; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma; Wyoming; Bozeman, Montana; Seattle, Washington; San Jose, California; and Portland, Oregon.

The report notes that while customers are able to record their purchases on their iPhones, they still must pay using traditional methods at self-checkout stations, and the company declined to comment on whether it has plans to offer more integrated mobile payment methods such as directly through the app itself.

Scan & Go is offered through the standard Walmart iOS app, with users able to access a special mode of the app when they visit Walmart locations supporting Scan & Go.

Top Rated Comments

(View all)

notjustjay

14 months ago

What could possibly go wrong with letting Wal-mart customers scan and bag their own items? :eek:

Rating: 10 Positives

japanime

14 months ago

Fantastic. I know lots of folks don't care for Walmart. But the adoption of iPhone technology by a major company is nothing but a good thing.

Rating: 8 Positives

GenesisST

14 months ago

Wow, I was interested when I read they were expanding this because I notice a new self checkout station being installed at my local Walmart thinking this is what it's for. Unfortunately Florida is not on the list :/ oh well

Yeah, Florida has a good track record with "technology" (in the broad term of anything invented after 1 AD)... Hanging chads anyone?

:D

Rating: 4 Positives

Myiphone7

14 months ago

FREAKING awesome folks.

Rating: 3 Positives

Shop

14 months ago

Loss prevention nightmare.

Rating: 3 Positives

winston1236

14 months ago

Take that NFC

Have you even used nfc?

Rating: 3 Positives

derondantzler

14 months ago

It's actually pretty awesome and a time saver.

The way that it actually works is:

[LIST]
[*]Scan the items you want with your phone.
[*]When you're ready to checkout, you go to a self-service checkout and transfer the Scan & Go basket to the register by scanning a QR code on the register.
[*]You pay and go.
[/LIST]

Contrary to previous posts, you don't have to weigh anything (like the traditional self-service checkout method requires).

Theoretically you use the re-usable shopping bags, and bag everything as you scan, so the shopping experience is seamless.

Can't wait to see this in more stores.

Rating: 3 Positives

HenryDJP

14 months ago

I'm 100% familiar on how this works. Could someone please make sense of it all for me? Is this a typo or am I not understanding how this works?

....which allows users to scan items into an iPhone app as they shop and then easily pay for their items at a checkout station as they leave the store

What am I missing? If you have to go to a checkout station what is the benefit of using the iPhone app? :confused:

Rating: 2 Positives

x13gamer

14 months ago

but can we still extreme coupon with the app?

Rating: 2 Positives

Boatboy24

14 months ago

That's exactly where I'm confused here. I'm feeling like if we have to go to a checkout station then it would seem like more work to put items into your basket, then scan each one into the iPhone app, then go to a self-checkout station. What's convenient about that?

It's incredibly convenient for Wal-Mart.

Rating: 2 Positives

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