The cashless, frictionless shopping model has been a pilot opportunity usually seen in larger urban metro markets such as Seattle, Chicago and New York—all to appeal to tech-friendly clientele. But Amazon’s tech-forward, customer-friendly shopping model is branching out, with an independent convenience-store retailer in the sleepy Upper Midwest community of Minot, North Dakota, adopting the “Just Walk Out” concept.
Enerbase Cooperative Resources opened what’s believed to be the region’s first c-store to offer this contactless payment technology, debuting in August 2024 at its new South Broadway Cenex retail location in Minot.
Justin Stevenson, marketing director for Enerbase, which has 15 retail locations, told CSP that the South Broadway unit “had been an outdated station and needed a complete overhaul.” When the overhaul occurred, so was the decision to make the store a state-of-the-art local destination stop. Just Walk Out was the retail shopping solution they selected.
The beauty of operating it is that it does not require a large number of workers. “We require only two employees at any given time to staff the inside of the store, not including the fuel island,” he said of the tech that deploys a scan of customers’ hand to identify them and allow for contactless payment.
Enerbase has tentative plans to expand, Stevenson said, based on garnering results at the South Broadway Cenex-branded location. The company adopted the contactless technology to “focus its efforts on delivering high-quality, personalized service and add services to the forecourt,” said Enerbase CEO Ricky Aberle. “While shoppers browse inside, support staff are at the ready to fill tanks and wash windshields for no additional cost.”
Aberle added that the chain is “always looking for ways to improve operations and deliver the best service to our members and customers. Bringing this technology to the c-store allows our team to focus on providing the best experience for the factors we can’t automate, like welcoming guests, answering their questions, changing their oil and checking their tire pressure.”
Enerbase, one of three parent cooperatives of Dakota Agronomy Partners, created an exact 3D model of the store to map the placement of the system’s cameras. To account for all customer needs, it built a lobby space adjacent to the Amazon entry gate where customers can pay for their fuel inside, purchase age-restricted items and easily access restrooms without needing to create a contactless payment account.
“Customers are really intrigued and curious about the contactless system and appreciate that we’ve got staff who can walk them through the process,” said Aberle. “It’s hard to find a station that will pump your gas and clean your windows these days. With the highest level of convenience out at the pump and inside the store, we’re able to offer the best of the old and the new.”
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.