BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — At Bowling Green State University, groceries are about to be done differently: at the Market at Carillon Place, there's no front register.
"This is powered by Amazon "Just Walk Out" technology," Jon Zachrich, Director of Marketing, Communications, and Technology of BGSU Dining Services said. "The way the system works is that it tracks based on if you're using a meal plan or a credit card, it tracks what they're grabbing and they will walk out. About 45 minutes later they will get a receipt of everything they purchased. "
So, shoppers scan their preferred payment method and then hit the aisles. The cameras and sensor system tracks what items where picked-up and then shoppers can simply "just walk out" with a charge to their account.
This newer high-tech system was recently added to BGSU.
"The employee here told me to walk out. I was like, 'walk out?!'" James Francis, a first-year Construction Management student at BGSU said. "I was very skeptical with the thing working, but it got every single thing that I grabbed. I was really surprised by it."
Just Walk Out is open 24 hours a day at the Marketplace in the Carillon, making shopping for the BGSU students quick and convenient.
"The convenience is awesome for students, because you may know a college student who gets up at 2 a.m. and they are ready to go for the day depending on what their schedule is. So it gives us a lot of flexibility," Zachrich said.
For students like James Francis, the convenience does wonders.
"I think this is a great thing because this will be open 24-hours so you don't have to worry about getting night shifts for employees and it's all 'come whenever you want,' " Francis said.
Using the "walk out" approach on the newer part of the campus, the university is aiming to continue upgrading and creating convenient experiences for its students.
"The university was extremely excited to do something kind of cool and something cutting edge," Zachrich said. "We've done that before with Starship Technology that brought robots on campus, which turned out really well. So, we've got a history of being on the edge of some of these things."
EARLIER COVERAGE: BGSU lauches robot delivery services
While use for this system just started at the beginning of the year, it seems the Falcon's college experience is aimed towards futuristic convenience.
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