Last month, Marymount University in Arlington held a grand opening ceremony for Saints 24, a shop powered by Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology. Marymount said it is the first higher education institution in the U.S. to have an on-campus convenience store that uses the technology.
Located in the lobby of Gerard Phelan Hall on Marymount’s main campus in Arlington, the new store uses technology designed to eliminate checkout lines. Customers simply use their credit card at the entry gates of Saints 24, and the technology automatically detects what is taken from (or returned to) store shelves, creating a virtual shopping cart. When customers have completed their shopping, they can leave the store without stopping to check out, and their credit card will be charged for the items.
“At Marymount, we are proud to be known as ‘Arlington’s University,’ as no other college or university has its main campus within Arlington County,” said Irma Becerra, Marymount president. “And in recent years, we have seen Arlington rise even higher in importance for our nation’s economy — with no better example than Amazon’s decision to locate its HQ2 right here. Becoming the first university in the U.S. to collaborate with Amazon in incorporating its Just Walk Out technology at an on-campus convenience shop demonstrates how Marymount is leading the way in fostering an innovative and exciting student experience that appeals to the tech-savvy college students of today.”
In initial planning for the Saints 24 store, Marymount administrators surveyed student leaders in the university’s Student Government Association to hear firsthand what products they would most like to see in a new convenience shop on campus. Their recommendations led to an available item list that includes food options featuring freshly prepared sandwiches, wraps, salads, sushi, yogurt and ice cream, as well as other items such as toiletries, feminine hygiene products and more.
