The University of British Columbia (UBC) has opened Gage Market, the first fully autonomous convenience store in the world to feature secure gates. Located in the lobby of Gage Commons, the Market offers an innovative, 24/7 cashier-free shopping experience, setting a new standard for retail on university campuses.
Photo credit: Brian Helberg/UBC Media Relations
"Gage Market offers a look at the potential future of shopping, where technology and convenience go hand in hand," said Colin Moore, UBC's Director of Food Services.
Open to students, staff, faculty, and visitors, Gage Market operates using Amazon's Just Walk Out technology, which eliminates the need for checkout lines. Overhead cameras and shelf sensors track when items are picked up or returned. Products are automatically added to or removed from a shopper's virtual cart, ensuring customers are charged only for what they take.
To access the store, customers simply swipe a valid credit card to open the secure gates. Once inside, they can shop freely and exit when done. Their credit card is automatically charged for the items they take upon exiting.
"We're excited to introduce this tech-forward market to campus, offering a shopping experience that's open 24/7 and giving our customers the freedom to shop whenever it suits them," Moore added.
Gage Market offers a variety of products, including sweet, salty, and savory snacks, gourmet hot beverages, cold drinks, ice cream, fresh and frozen meals, personal care items, and much more.
Looking to the future, UBC plans to monitor the success of Gage Market to evaluate the potential for additional autonomous stores on campus. "We'll closely monitor the performance of Gage Market and evaluate the possibility of adding additional locations to UBC's campus in the future," said Moore.
