Automated convenience store Shop 24 to open

Shop 24 will arrive this fall on the campus of SUNY College at Old Westbury. In addition to nationally branded and freshly made products, Shop24 will provide customers with home goods and health and beauty aids. The Old Westbury Shop24, a self-contained, automated and refrigerated convenience store is the first of its kind on Long Island. Located near both the college's new Academic Building and the Woodlands Residence Halls, Shop24 is fast and easy to use. It carries up to 200 different items including cleaning supplies and large packaged goods. "Our college is continually looking for new, improved and innovative ways to meet the expectations of our students," said college president Calvin Butts, III. "With access 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, Shop24 will give our residential students a safe and convenient alternative to leaving campus late at night to make those much needed purchases." Operated by the College at Old Westbury Auxiliary Service Corp., and managed by Canteen, the Shop24 accepts cash, credit and debit cards. Starting in fall 2013, the Shop24 will accept Panther Bucks (students' flex-dollars which can be used at local retail establishments). A Grand Opening is planned for early Fall 2013 where promotional items and free products will be "vended" to lucky participants. "We've worked for years to bring this cutting-edge convenience store to our campus. I want to thank Dr. Butts and the ASC board of directors for supporting us in this endeavor" said Arthur Angst, president of the ASC. "With the diligent efforts of Ms. Cora Day, the ASC's executive manager, and Mr. Len Davis, the board's treasurer, we were able to make it happen. We're thrilled to finally have Shop24 on campus." A Shop24 purchase is an interactive and engaging event for its customers. Once the customer selects an item, a robotic arm wends its way through a maze of products and retrieves the selected merchandise. A customer can purchase up to seven items at a time and will be provided a receipt when finished. Shop24 meets all United States federal and state regulations, requirements and standards for retail operation and is ADA compliant. "We are very excited to place our first store on Long Island here at SUNY College at Old Westbury," said Jason Santoro, vice president of sales for Shop24. Additional information about Shop24 is available at www.shop24global.com. Located on the historic North Shore of New York's Long Island, the State University of New York College at Old Westbury is a selective public liberal arts college with more than 4,400 students studying in more than 40 undergraduate degree opportunities in its liberal arts and professional programs and 15 graduate programs in business, education and mental health counseling. On the College's 604-acre campus, students and faculty participate in an environment that demands academic excellence, fosters intercultural understanding, and endeavors to stimulate a passion for learning and a commitment to building a more just and sustainable world. For more information on the State University of New York College at Old Westbury, visit www.oldwestbury.edu.