A Look Inside the New Stand at LAX

LOS ANGELES -- Security lines at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), the second-largest airport in the United States, often overflow with travelers from around the globe. Past these lines in Terminal 1 lies a safe haven for flyers who’ve forgotten their Bluetooth headphones at home or had their oversized shampoo bottles removed by security. New Stand, a New York-based “discovery platform for new products, new media and new experiences,” comes in convenience-store, cart and kiosk formats.

What started as a typical c-store selling cigarettes, food and beverages turned into a place to purchase items “that made no sense” being in a c-store, such as electronic gadgets and clothes, David Carson, founder of New Stand, told CSP Daily News. And airports aren't the only place to find a New Stand; they're also in office towers and on ferry boats, Carson said.

• New Stand was named one of CSP’s Indie Innovators for 2018. Click here to read the full list of innovators

The about 1,000-square-foot New Stand inside LAX carries a variety of merchandise, from new media and fashion to unique toys, food and snacks. Here’s a look inside the shop, including its unique checkout system …

New Stand’s cold prepared foods section stands just inside the entrance to the store. Like many traditional convenience stores, its selection features various sandwiches, wraps, sushi trays, yogurt parfaits and more.

Next to the prepared foods section customers can find the beverage cooler. New Stand’s beverages range from classic drinks such as Canada Dry Ginger Ale, Coca-Cola and Nantucket Nectars fruit juice to unique takes on water, such as Boxed Water. As with most major airports, brand options are limited by airportwide contracts.

Just a few steps past the beverage cooler, customers can find a collection of packaged snacks. New Stand shelves a variety of chips, pretzels, nuts, jerky, ready-to-eat popcorn and snack bars in this aisle. Consumers have the luxury of sticking with traditional options such as Cheetos and Lay’s Potato Chips, or exploring newer treats including ThinkThin Protein Cakes and Macrobars.

One way the New Stand at LAX stands apart from the typical c-store is in its general-merchandise section, which takes up roughly half the space. Customers can find pain medications, condoms, toiletries, books, T-shirts, headphones and even neck pillows—for travelers looking to nap during a flight—in this area of the store.

New Stand has ditched cash registers with its iPad-only checkout setup. Customers swipe their credit card on the Apple device and have the option to provide a tip. New Stand also displays FLI Chargers at the checkout station—a merchandising tactic commonly used to spike impulse purchases. FLI Chargers come in various sizes to charge iPhones, tablets, cameras, drones and more by simply placing the device on top of the FLI product.