The 24/7 self-checkout Avenue C mini-market in the UBC Walter Gage student residence has closed and been replaced with vending machines due to unsustainable levels of thefts.
The store first opened in 2021 as a first-of-its-kind in Vancouver and sold food, drinks and a small amount of household products.
.As previously reported by The Ubyssey, the self-checkout store faced rising levels of shrinkage (or ‘theft’). This was confirmed by Colin Moore, the food services director at UBC, to be the reason for the store’s temporary transformation into vending machines as shrinkage rose to “unsustainable levels” for both UBC and their partner, Canteen Canada, who operated the market.
Despite the shrinkage and eventual closure of the store, Moore said “[the store] has served the community very well” and that “it served 1,000’s of customers all day long and was a huge improvement from the market that was there before.”
In the past, several emails were sent to the residents in the surrounding buildings when the store was still running. These emails alerted residents about the potential consequences of theft, and although the shrinkage declined as a result, Moore confirmed that it was not enough to keep the market open as it was operating previously.
In addition, Moore said no individual warnings or ramifications for theft were issued to shoplifters, despite there being security cameras in and around the market.
There is another Avenue C shop on campus within the Neville Scarfe building. This store is similar to the one that used to be in Gage, but Moore said that there are no plans to close this location now or in the future.
Moore made it very clear that the Gage Market is still running and open for business, just in a new form.
“We’ve renewed the market and updated it with some new innovative vending options … yes, it’s more secure, because it had to be, but it’s been updated and is now open.”
When asked about future plans for the Gage Market, Moore said there are plans in motion to hopefully open a new autonomous mini-market in the same location this coming fall.
He also noted the “community and customers are going to be pretty excited about what we have to offer,” so residents should keep their eyes open for a new autonomous mini mart later this year.
“We are pretty excited about where we are going with the market,” said Moore.