GRAPEVINE, Texas — The Sam’s Club in Grapevine, which was damaged by a tornado in 2022, is reopening this week and it will be the first to use new “scan and go” technology.
The approximately 150,000-square-foot store at 1701 W. State Highway 114 is the first “scan and go” only club, in which customers pay in app and show the exit code on the way out, rather than go through a cashier line. It’s expected to open Thursday after it was damaged by a tornado in December 2022.
Shawn Grenier, a customer, told WFAA he looked forward to the new technology.
"I think it’s kind of nice, hopefully it makes the whole line process go faster," Grenier said.
On Wednesday, the club held a "soft reopening" for members, giving them a chance to walk through the store and shop for the first time since it closed.
Monica Wilkinson, a Sam's Club member, lined up early for Wednesday's soft reopening.
"A lot of people have been anxious for it to reopen," Wilkinson said. "We've been coming here for a lot of years, so it was kind of sad after everything happened."
The new store also has other new technology for moving orders and making food more quickly, including a “pizza robot” for making pizza, according to a press release.
“Grapevine will serve as an innovation center to test new initiatives, both technology and non-technology, from which Sam’s Club will apply learnings at current and future clubs,” Sam’s Club said in a statement.
The store has also been reworked with more space, increased pickup parking (32 dedicated parking spots compared to the standard 14-16 at most clubs), more exit areas and more. It’s expected to have 270 associates.
The Sam’s Club member-only fuel station and car wash opened early this year in March.
"We are delighted to welcome back Sam's Club to our community,” Grapevine Mayor William D. Tate, said at that time. “Sam’s Club has been a valued establishment for nearly 20 years in Grapevine, and the reopening will not only bring convenience to our residents but also contribute to the economic prosperity of Grapevine. We appreciate Sam's Club's commitment to investing in our city and supporting local businesses."
There are nearly 600 Sam’s Clubs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.