I wonder if that only really works becuase Sam's club can just revoke your membership if you steal

Apple stores work the same way, except that it is truly “scan and go”, whereas Walmart makes you show a digital receipt. What happens if you steal? I dunno, without checking I’m pretty sure you need an Apple account to use the app, so maybe that gets revoked. Or maybe Apple’s stuff simply works well enough.

At least at Sam's, cameras glimpse in your cart and seems to apply some kind of trust score. Usually, the person at the exit just waves me by, sometimes if the cart is really loaded with odd items or I've already bagged some things they'll want to take a peek.