Best Concepts: P.O.D. Warehouse makes shopping for essentials easy at Arizona State

Over two years ago, Arizona State University (ASU) closed its “Walmart on Campus” location, eliminating the only convenient grocery outlet on campus and forcing students, faculty and staff to travel a mile off-campus for the nearest available grocery store.

In response, ASU campus dining services provider Aramark developed a grocery-style warehouse concept using its convenience retail framework to craft a convenient solution, the P.O.D. Warehouse. Located near the Vista Del Sol apartment complex and residential halls, it provides the ASU community and nearby residents with easy access to fresh groceries, on-the-go-meal solutions, everyday essentials and other popular retail categories, with ASU students able to utilize their meal exchange options and dining dollars to make purchases.

The store features an open layout incorporating self-checkout registers and pick-up lockers that allow customers to quickly secure pre-placed orders. By partnering with a grocery supplier instead of traditional c- store distributors, Aramark is able to source grocery products like fresh package chicken and ground beef, pre-packaged salad kits, fresh produce and family size frozen entrees. A self-serve salad and soup bar will be available once COVID-19 restrictions allow the station to open.

Related:FM announces 2022 Best Concept Award winners

P.O.D. Warehouse is located near the ASU Vista Del Sol apartment complex and residential halls, providing easy access to fresh groceries, on-the-go-meal solutions, everyday essentials and much more.

Rotisserie chicken, fresh-made sushi,and fresh baked breads and pastries made at the on-campus bakery have been popular among students living on campus, whose needs are also met by the store stocking electronics and recreation items like speakers, headphones, gaming devices, skateboards and even bikes.

Branded with the school’s colors of maroon and gold, ASU’s P.O.D. Warehouse became an extension of the campus dining experience, offering students on meal plans the ability to purchase full meal solutions using their meal exchange options, or they could pick up a meal on the go when unable to visit the dining hall. As an integral part of the ASU campus, Aramark was able to drive strong promotional awareness of P.O.D. Warehouse through the ASU website, dining services pages, email blasts to students and staff, social media and external signage.

ASU’s students, faculty, and staff have apparently taken to P.O.D. Warehouse, with Voice of the Consumer and Dining Style surveys showing highly positive results. That’s despite the challenges and decreased population from the pandemic, which suggest that to-date financials are not reflective of a normal year given the limited number of commuter students and faculty on campus and with student housing running at only 50% of capacity.

Related:31 college unit managers and supervisors who made a difference over the past year

Nevertheless, Aramark reports that store figures still yield a strong outlook with a weekly average of 7,660 customers, a $7.70 check average and approximately $60,000 in sales, resulting in nearly $2 million generated over 36 weeks. Most notably, the self-checkout registers have been a big hit among students, with over 70% of credit card transactions occurring through self-checkout, thus both improving customer satisfaction and increasing speed of service.