My Experience of shopping at Walmart Scan & go store

I tweeted last month reading about Walmart scan & go stores, and they really excited me. I have been saying this in the open that I love the efforts which Walmart is putting into fighting the retail battle with the initiatives in place.[click the link to read that story].

Did you read it? [Read on for my experience at the store with Images]

The problem:  

there are fewer stores where Walmart has started piloting the 'Scan & go' concept.

The good: 

 and most exciting aspect is that they didn't create a new format for a store, so essentially this concept is good for a full-size typical Walmart stores/supercentres which typically are huge.

So, it was but natural that I have been looking forward to checking such a store out. 

Wouldnt you! 

Last week, On a client meeting trip to Duluth, as we were chatting about the retail space and ideas, my client mentioned that there is a new Walmart store nearby his home which has started some scan yourself concept. 

It immediately caught my attention!

He probably saw me gushing over it, as I explained how I have been reading about it, and wanting to check it out.

One thing led to another, and little you know, in 20 mins we were standing outside the Walmart in Cloquet [address: 1308 Highway 33 S, Cloquet, MN 55720].

Yes, That can happen on a client meeting!!!

Initial Impressions:

Walmart is pushing these stores with a lot of messaging. 

They know that there is going to be a lot of learning curve for its shoppers as they acclimatize to some of the newer ways of shopping, and I think they are doing all the right things.

Claps!

The entry to the store itself opens with a big banner which tells you that 'Scan & go' is being used here.

The Carts are little redesigned for the purpose as well.

There is a small tray attached to it which helps you put down the scanner guy machines.

They have also attached the bag tray for you to put the bags which will make it easier to pack items as you pick them.

Neat though!

You just need to pick up bags and insert them in, as you begin.

At the entry of the store itself, they have a scanner gun station.

This Station is where you can pick up the scanner gun and place it in the cart which will help you scan items as you shop.

The other option is[if you are ahead of the game] to use the 'scan & go' app on your cell phone and you don't need any scanner devices.

How cool is that!

I also noticed a cup holder on the carts, which is a new addition.

Probably to facilitate the fact that customers should now have their hands free to scan and pack instead of drink their coffees and shop!!!

I would like to get paid for doing all this work for you Walmart!

This station also does few other things.

It has some printed material to guide shoppers on what the hells going on with 'scan & go'. Very useful info.

Secondly, it has some paper bags for you to pick up and pack yourself, on the lines of whole foods.

Again good job Walmart bringing paper bags in!!!

Scan & go shopping carts with tray to hold the scanner gun

The scan & go cart redesigned to hold your cups so you can shop and pack

Thirdly, this place is also manned by a 'Scan & go' host which is a person there to guide people on what is this new shopping method, how to go about it, etc.

We were having fun with this lady as she started explaining to us the details.

We told her that we are here from out of town to experience the store and we will be taking a lot of photos.

Incidentally, I realized that I probably knew a thing or two more than her on 'Scan & go' concept.

Like, She wasn't sure if I can complete everything with my phone without needing the scanner gun.

Our Scan and go, host.

So, after the Walmart host gave us a warm introduction to the concept, I powered on my Walmart Scan & go app and off we go.

Once past this point of store & excitement, the whole experience and everything else is exactly the same. So, you need to get down to shopping.

Since I was traveling just for a day, shopping wasn't on my mind.

So, we made our way to the bakery section to pick up a couple of things which I could take with me during my travel back.

We picked up a couple of items, but scanning them through my phone and it worked fantastically.

Feeling triumphed, we made a short round and then headed back.

When you are ready to checkout, the Scan and go app advises you to go back to the 'Scan & go' checkout area.

Felt a bit weird "Are you in the scan & go checkout area? if not head there"!!!

These areas are very similar to the self-checkout which is seen in all Walmart stores.

Once we got there, we had to wait in line for few others who were checking out but it was just a couple of minutes!!!

Then on the terminals, you need to scan the barcode via your phone.

Now, if you are also a technie you are also think this:

I can see this step being a handoff of my shopping cart from my app or scanner gun onto the terminal.

If I am on the app, I can just pay for by my already saved payment method on my app.

Or, I can swipe on this terminal machine and complete the payment.

For me, it was a breeze and didn't even take more than 10 seconds. The receipt came flying into the app. 

Super Cool!

When we were walking out, the Scan and go, host, asked me with a smile if I liked what I saw.

I gladly acknowledged and also told her that I didn't use the scanner gun once, and instead did everything with the phone!

She smiled back. We all learnt something new that day!

Big scan & go area banner

Separate lines created to facilitate the scan & go function

My receipt from the experience. The receipt came digitally on my app without the need of printing anything in the store.

Parting thoughts on the experience:

1. I noticed a lot of people in the store using Scan & go. This is a fantastic sign of how quickly people adopt new & simpler experiences.
2. I also saw quite a few people in regular queues for checking out. Who cares for self-checkout! This also tells me that it's not going to be anytime soon where we will see a full cashier less store, of the size of Walmart.
3. While I am super excited about what Amazon did with their fully automated store, I find Walmart's model and approach of 'Scan & go' to be a fantastic model and something which can be replicated quickly and offers better results at lesser technology investment. As I write this, Walmart has rolled out Scan & go to another 100 stores in the USA.
4. Data is the king. I see this model as a fantastic model for them to get customer information and tie everything together. Let me explain. Walmart gets information on things I shop online, in-store through the application and can begin deciphering what items are bought at what frequency. My payment method can be shared across as well. This will not only continue to help them build better joint experiences but also study their customers & personalize shopping offers & experiences. 
5. Today, their grocery buying through app[offered in selected stores], reorder feature, buy online pick up in store, scan & go [offered in selected stores] are siloed to some degree.
6. Finally, I believe these stores are guinea pigs for Walmart to drive more investment. Ultimately, Along with adoption, the self-checkout or Scan & go type of models will also lead to a lot of theft or fraudulent activities. hence, I believe they have piloted in smaller places, where the population density may not be super high, not in low-income group sections to observe how these models work. But, it would depend on if the investment in this technology and reducing cashiers outweigh the costs of thefts and paying wages.
7. I immediately noticed that one could accidentally take the scanner gun with them if the 'scan and go' host is not vigilant or customer tries to do so. Similarly the self-check or scan and go provide that opportunity for people to scan the wrong item and take a higher worthy item. It would be interesting to see how this pans out.

Finally, I came out happy from the experience thanking my client for bringing me in. It was a good experience.
I am glad that Walmart is pushing the ball forward in this area and willing to experiment and cross new frontiers of technology, business and process transformation.
All the best.
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