OLLU students get 24-hour, cashier-less market stocked with snacks, fresh produce, essentials

Store goes by honor system, has security cameras

SAN ANTONIO – When Our Lady of the Lake University senior Loren Deleon needs a snack for those late-night study sessions, she doesn’t need to go far from her dorm.  She heads to the Cyber Café, a 24-hour, self-service market on campus.

“I get Twizzlers and Smart Water,” she said. “I get hummus, too, to balance it out.”

OLLU and its dining service, Chartwells Higher Education, joined forces to offer students a round-the-clock, cashier-less convenience store that’s stocked with everything from fresh produce to frozen pizza to batteries.

Students use their ID cards to gain access to the building. They do their shopping and scan and swipe to check out. It’s all self-service and goes by the honor system. There are, however, security cameras keeping watch.

“The store has really gone from being just a convenience store to a market,” said Cat Fragoso, with OLLU’s student services department.

The students had a big say in what is stocked on the shelves and in the fridges.

“We looked into adding fresh vegetables and fresh fruit and other things like that,” said Joseph Vasquez, president of the Student Government Association.

The most popular purchases include Frebreze air freshener, Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, tofu, Flaming Hot Cheetos and Dasani bottled water, according to the university.

While students appreciate the variety, they love the convenience.

“You can be up late studying and you want something to eat but do not (want to) leave campus, we have options here on campus,” Vasquez said.


About the Author:

Marilyn Moritz is an award-winning journalist dedicated to digging up information that can make people’s lives a little bit better. As KSAT’S 12 On Your Side Consumer reporter, she focuses on exposing scams and dangerous products and helping people save money.