Walmart’s Next Move Could Change Shopping in Montana

Have you ever finished scanning your groceries at Walmart and be like “Cool, do I get an employee discount now?”

Walmart may finally be rethinking the whole “you work here now” thing. Word on the street is they are even going as far as possibly removing self-checkout machines altogether at stores nationwide, including here in Montana.

Read More: How Walmart's Store Of The Future Is Changing Shopping In Texas

Why? Theft. A lot of it. Police departments across the country have been scrambling to respond to messages from Walmart stores. They weren’t singling out Montana, but let's face it, our little stores are definitely in that conversation. And Walmart’s had enough.

Now it’s trying something called Scan & Go, which is already operational at select Sam’s Club locations. Essentially, you scan items on your phone while you shop, pay in the app, and walk out of the store without visiting a register. It’s sort of like those Amazon “just walk out” stores, only without the weird overhead cameras that make you feel like you’re shoplifting even when you’re not.

Here’s the thing: I kind of want to do it. It sounds slick. No standing in lines, no trying to remember if bananas are #4011 or #4012, and no cringe-inducing “help is on the way” screen when the machine gets confused by a bag of lettuce.

The real issue is whether Montana shoppers are prepared for this form of tech disruption. Will your aunt in Helena be fine scanning ground beef on her phone? Will that dude in Florence, who still writes checks, be able to survive?

Maybe. Maybe not. But if Walmart would rather send the robots into retirement and replace them with something speedier, cleaner, and less stealable, I’m all for it.