Walmart’s checkout experience operates at a level most retailers will never reach. Thousands of lanes exist across countless locations; there are self-checkouts and self-checkout kiosks, and there’s even a mobile app that supports a personalized checkout experience, with QR code scanning that links directly to the register upon entry. Have you ever wondered how the Walmart POS system keeps lines moving and prices, promotions and receipts all synced? Learn how to simplify these components using publicly available information and actionable takeaways any retailer can implement.
Why It’s Important to Understand the Walmart POS System
The way Walmart combines staffed lanes, self-checkout options, and app-linked payments represents a clean approach to modern retail checkout. It’s not about glitz and glamor, with fancy technologies behind the scenes and at the register. Instead, it’s about throughput, stabilization and cost control on a national basis. When the flow is slower than it should be, it’s felt very publicly. When something is practical, it’s rolled out to thousands of lanes for millions of customers almost immediately. That pressure cooker makes this helpful information (even if you run 10 lanes instead of 1,000).
What Components Make Up “Walmart POS”?
Typically, when people refer to “Walmart POS” systems, they’re talking about three interlinked components. First, the in-store checkout stack for associates, lanes, and special stations (including a robust fleet of self-checkout machines). Second, Walmart Pay accessed through the Walmart app, which connects the user’s account to the register by scanning a QR code on-screen. Third, Sam’s Club’s Scan & Go program, where members can scan items they’re buying via their app as they shop throughout the warehouse and then use AI at the exit rather than a door check to confirm they didn’t steal anything. These systems are interconnected with similar goals. Reduce lines and make receipts accurate[1][2].
Physical Payment Methods: Why Walmart Doesn't Use Tap To Pay Instead of QR
Walmart is one of the notable holdouts against Apple Pay and Google Pay in America with brick-and-mortar stores. Instead, they encourage customers to use Walmart Pay, which uses QR technology to connect their phone with the terminal (and vice versa). This keeps a consistent experience across all types of lanes and easily integrates payments into their app’s account/receipt collection processes as well. It goes either way —you love it or hate it—but it’s consistent across styled lanes. Multiple reports from various media publications have tracked this policy into late 2026.
What the POS Experience Looks Like for Shoppers
At a staffed checkout lane, a worker scans your items, and you can pay using your card or Walmart Pay by scanning the QR code displayed on the screen. The process is similar at self-checkout, but it is more streamlined and encourages you to take your time. At Sam’s Club, the experience can be even faster. Members can use the app’s Scan & Go feature to scan their items as they shop. They can then pay for their items directly in the app and walk out without any manual checks. However, the exit still involves an evaluation of their purchases to ensure accuracy. It almost feels like you’re just walking out at that point!
Data, Receipts, and Reconciliation
Point-of-Sale systems are not just about accepting payments; they also play a crucial role in maintaining accurate records after busy transaction periods. For instance, Walmart Pay sends an electronic receipt to the app, linking it to a customer’s account in the backend. Similarly, the Scan & Go feature associates a list of scanned items with a digital receipt, which AI verifies against visual confirmation during checkout. This helps prevent mismatches and speeds up end-of-day reporting, eliminating the need to wait for physical confirmations or checks. By reducing paper usage and minimizing manual double-checks, the process becomes smoother for both customers and back-office staff[3].
Why These POS Systems Make Sense For Other Retailers
The lesson isn’t to imitate Walmart; instead, it’s to understand the thought process behind their strategies for managing thousands of associated lanes, app connections, and so on. Instead, evaluate which one or two workflows you feel comfortable supporting across the board. Make digital receipts easily accessible for your customers. Implement self-checkout options during peak hours to alleviate staffing demands. If your business operates on a membership model, consider adopting app-first checkout systems with camera-assisted exits. None of this requires a large budget; instead, it relies on making consistent user experience choices, whether it’s between self-checkout and traditional registers or between app usage and receipt verification.
Risks, Tradeoffs, and Customer Sentiment
There are tradeoffs at play. Some customers really want Apple Pay or Google Pay to be accessible. Some would balk at scanning QR codes at terminals. You’re balancing speed, cost, and demographics vs. data consistency. It has been proven time and again that, despite some people being disgruntled that Walmart does not accept phone tap-to-pay, Apple Pay, or Google Pay as viable options, Walmart has decided that maintaining a single flow through their app is well worth it[4]. Find your sweet spot—or make a decision intentionally, rather than letting it happen by default.
How Does Walmart's POS System Handle Millions Of Transactions Daily?
An Extremely Large Self Checkout Fleet
Self-checkout happens through NCR hardware that has been used in collaboration with Walmart for years. The kinks are worked out in terms of speed, speed of service offering, and service coverage vs maintenance. An extensive fleet means spare parts exist easily enough, user flows are consistent across stores and quick upgrades can happen universally. Self-checkout means there are fewer lanes staffed at peak hours (and associates can pivot in off hours to focus more on inventory and personal sales efforts).
Walmart Pay Links The App to The Register
Walmart Pay is a digital alternative to tapping one's phone at an NFC terminal at checkout. A QR code exists on the register and gets scanned by the app (which stores your card/gift card) and a digital receipt is routed directly to your account. The point of this system is to avoid entering credit card numbers manually while linking purchases to customer profiles. This is immensely beneficial for returns and rewards programs as well as digital receipts that don't fade into wallets' crevices.
Scan & Go Provides Another Path at Sam's Club
At Sam's Club, Scan & Go allows members to scan items via their app, pay in their app, and simply go through AI-powered gates that assess their cart against a digital receipt. There is no traditional exit check - fewer bottlenecks exist - and faster exits out the door. According to Walmart's internal blog, exits are 23% faster after rollout which is truly significant on busy weekends.
AI and Computer Vision Support Flow
While you won't see it reflected in a receipt, AI does work behind the scenes to make transitions easier. Computer vision helps match contents in the cart to what's listed on the digital receipt during Sam's Club exits. Modeling reduces misses in Scan & Go, plus increases in scanning speed and accuracy. This isn't sci-fi. It's simple math. The faster you can accurately verify something, the more carts per hour get processed.
Inventory Sync Based On RFID For Certain Categories
Walmart requires certain product categories from suppliers to be RFID tagged, making counts quicker and more accurate. Shelf stocking happens in a more timely manner (and with better data). Better inventory data isn't just useful in the back room but stabilizes pricing efforts, reduces voids and helps apply POS/transaction promotions accurately during checkout. When you do millions of transactions daily, exceptions mean less.
Hardware And Handhelds Keep Associates Efficient
For associates behind counters and on the floor, rugged mobile devices like tablets or wands help with counts, price checks and assisting customers with whatever they need. You feel this during busy times. The less time a worker spends wrestling a device, the more time they can spend clearing a snagged transaction or opening another lane.
What's Next?
You can expect AI to be more present throughout the checkout process at places like Walmart and Sam’s Club. Walmart Global Tech continues to publicly pitch AI agents/more innovative technology experiences in stores. The more cost-effective and transparent these options become, the more camera-assisted verify flows exist, as do accurate exit verifications/missed scannable items without awkward interaction when something doesn’t match up.
FAQs
Q: What is the Walmart POS system?
A: It’s essentially a combined version of staffed registers, self-checkout kiosks, lane systems throughout stores, and run options as well as an app-based payment option called Walmart Pay; An additional program exists at Sam’s Club called Scan & Go whereby members scan via their app what they’re buying as they go throughout the warehouse and then AI can check them at exit instead of manually checking any paper receipts they’ve received from check-in.
Q: Does Walmart accept Apple Pay at the register? What about Google Pay?
A: No. As of 2025, Apple and Google Pay are not accepted at any U.S. Walmart stores. Instead, they recommend using Walmart Pay, which connects your app-accessible account or payment source (via QR scans) and further supports digital receipts, essentially indicating they are valid in-house systems rather than payment based on another company’s style.
Q: What is Sam’s Club AI exit?
A: After someone pays via Scan & Go in the app, cameras/existing computer vision approach the exit access gate(s), checking against what’s in the cart with that digital receipt validating payment; It’s verified without checking paper receipts, making exits approximately 23% faster after implementation during critical change windows at early rollout periods.
Q: Is RFID part of checkout or just inventory?
A: RFID technology mainly enhances the accuracy and speed of inventory counts, which in turn improves checkout processes. With better inventory data, retailers can more effectively implement pricing promotions and manage backroom operations, reducing exceptions as they adapt to compliance requirements. By 2023, suppliers had expanded their capabilities in response to Walmart’s mandates, with full compliance in specific key categories since 2024[5].
Q: Who makes the self-checkout machines inside Walmart?
A: Historically, NCR has provided hardware at scale with continued options being tested by advanced designs/software use – but for now, NCR has worked for years with self-checkouts/substantial industry reports back up NCR as a provider proven historically with observed logs/release notes connected outside public knowledge.
Q: Why doesn’t Walmart use tap-to-pay with phones but prefers QR?
A: Tap-to-pay functionality includes Apple Pay and other third-party payment options. It simplifies the shopping experience across different categories, including staff checkouts, self-checkouts, and later digital receipt needs. While many enjoy tap-to-pay access with Apple Pay and Google Pay in various locations, it has been consistently confirmed that, for now, it’s best to use Walmart’s own payment system.
Sources
- Walmart. “Walmart Pay: How to Pay With the Walmart App.” Accessed November 2025.
- Sam’s Club. “AI-Powered Exit Technology Deployed at 120+ Locations.” Accessed November 2025.
- Retail Dive. “Sam’s Club to bring AI-based receipt verification to all stores.” Accessed November 2025.
- MacRumors. “Walmart Still Doesn’t Accept Apple Pay in the U.S.” Accessed November 2025.
- PCI Security Standards Council. “PCI DSS Quick Reference Guide.” Accessed November 2025.
