NEW PALTZ, N.Y. -- The State University of New York (SUNY) at New Paltz has partnered with Pepsi Cola of Hudson Valley and Shop24 Global LLC to provide students, faculty and other consumers a Shop24 "ultra-convenience store," a self-contained, refrigerated and robotic c-store designed to enable 24/7/365 consumer purchasing.
Shop24 units dispense a variety of items such as snacks, cleaning supplies, medicine and even full meals "closer to the customer and in a fraction of the time it takes to go to and shop at a traditional convenience store," said the company. The more than nine-foot-tall machine offers up to 200 traditional c-store items ranging in weight from less than an ounce to eight pounds.
Shop24 accepts different methods of payment including cash, credit cards, debit cards, campus dining cards, Flex Cards and supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) cards 24 hours a day.
"Shop24 is on the cutting edge of automated retail, and we at Pepsi are excited to be involved as the daily operator for SUNY New Paltz's unit," said Tom Strahle, vice president and COO of Pepsi Cola of the Hudson Valley.
"We are excited to be offering a service for students that improves on campus living through access to essential items at any hour of the day," said Steve Deutsch, executive director of campus auxiliary services.
Shop24 "does not discount the need for grocery and convenience stores," it said, "but knows that consumers want to have their purchases quickly in this fast-paced world."
Jason Santoro, regional vice president of Shop 24, added, "We are extremely proud to be serving such an incredible institution as SUNY at New Paltz and Pepsi Cola of Hudson Valley, as well as helping the students and faculty to have many of their favorite items closer and faster than ever before."
Columbus, Ohio-based Shop24 recently installed a unit at Ohio Northern University in Ada with Kroger. It has units installed at other universities, as well as apartment complexes.
(See Related Content below for recentCSP Daily News coverage.)
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.