Costco's Automated Pay Stations Are Here — And Fans Are Underwhelmed

One of the biggest differences between shopping at Sam's Club and Costco is the time-saving and innovative Scan and Go system that Sam's Club customers can use. Costco members have long been asking for an easier and faster checkout experience that is comparable to this Sam's Club membership perk. Now, Costco has begun testing a similar system in select warehouses. In Costco's March 5, 2026, Q2 earnings call, President and CEO Ron Vachris confirmed that a major change was coming in the way of automated pay stations. But customers aren't impressed.

The way Costco's automated pay stations work is that members stand in line and a Costco employee scans the person's membership card and all of the items in their cart. When the member reaches the self-serve payment kiosk, they scan their membership card and pay. The system eliminates the conveyor belt and any interaction with a cashier. Some warehouse locations have already been testing these systems, and the feedback is mixed, with members complaining that they don't understand how the process makes checking out any faster.

One mildly annoying thing about shopping at Costco is the long lines, yet when Costco introduced self-checkout in an effort to shorten member wait times, the experiment proved less than successful. While younger customers reportedly preferred self-checkout, older customers continued to opt for traditional methods. Members have been very vocal about requesting a different option, preferably one similar to Sam's Club's. However, based on member comments, it seems that they find Costco's automated pay stations underwhelming.

Unfortunately, when comparing Costco vs Sam's Club self-checkout, it's clear to members that Sam's Club is still the winner. The Sam's Club Scan and Go system allows members to scan items via the Club's mobile app as they shop, and then pay via the app before leaving. Costco's system still requires members to wait in line for a Costco employee to scan their purchases before they can then check out at an automated pay station.

In an Instagram post from March 29, 2026, @schube93 shared a video of the new automated pay station experience at an Issaquah, Washington Costco warehouse. One commenter questioned the efficiency of the system in a comment asking, "This seems like exactly the same process but without the conveyer [sic] belt. Am I missing something?" A Costco employee confirmed in a comment that said, "I work for Costco ... we just pre-scan it and everything pops up when you scan your membership."

Yet some customers still highlight the benefits of Costco's new process. In a Reddit post about the new technology, one member commented, "Nice. So I don't need to unload my stuff from my cart!" In another comment, a user agreed and said, "That is 100% my biggest complaint about self checkout. It's bulk items. Don't make me take them out of the cart!"