Vancouver's first 24/7 self-serve grocery store is set to open next month — here's what to know before you go
The future of grocery shopping is almost here. Vancouver will soon be home to Aisle 24, a Toronto-based zero-contact grocery store chain.
But what does it mean to be a zero-contact grocery store? And more importantly, how the heck does it work? Dished spoke with Ken Oki, managing director of Smart Installs (Aisle 24’s partner), to learn all the details regarding this store’s B.C. debut.
How it works
“Aisle 24 market is essentially an unattended market where users can come shop for daily essentials and convenience products,” explained Oki. “It’s unattended, meaning there’s no staff on site, and it’s self-checkout, so you just self-scan yourself out.”
Because it’s an unattended market, Oki explained that it can be open 24/7. However, to do this, they can’t leave the front door open, so users will have to use an app to open the door.
“To use the app, customers have to have a credit card and take a couple of selfies to verify their identity through a third-party facial recognition human verification company that, with that imaging, determines that you are actually real and not some sort of AI bot that’s trying to create an account,” said Oki.
Once you arrive at the main door and have an account in Aisle 24’s app, simply tap “Access,” and it will unlock the main door. From there, you’ll enter a vestibule with another door. Once the main door closes, the second door will open, which grants you access to the retail space.
Once inside, customers can shop to their heart’s content and then visit the self-scan checkouts to purchase their items.
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What’s available
As for what will be available to purchase, Oki said that each Aisle 24 location offers different products depending on the community. He said that for the downtown location, they will definitely be catering to the Asian population there.
“It really depends where we are,” said Oki. “We want people in the community to tell us ‘Hey, you know what? I’m always looking for this, and I can never find it in the middle of the night when I need it the most, or during the day, and it’d be nice to have it really close by.’ The success of stores in Ontario are the ones that actually cater to their audience in the market.”
When it comes to specific items at the Vancouver location, Oki said that they cannot reveal the full list of vendors yet, but did mention that they are partnering with multiple local vendors. Additionally, this location will feature a large walk-in cooler to accommodate its extensive selection of drinks.
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Future expansion
And speaking of different communities, Aisle 24 has some ambitious expansion plans for B.C. as well. More specifically, it plans to open 25 to 35 locations in the next five years. Areas the chain has its eye on include Richmond, Burnaby, and Victoria, to name a few.
Aisle 24 Robson is expected to open its doors on May 9. On opening day, visitors can expect free samples, a DJ, and coupons. Additionally, Aisle 24 Robson will be offering 15 per cent off the entire store during its first month.
Aisle 24 Robson
Address: 1400 Robson St., Vancouver
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