Students heading to Loyola’s Fitness and Aquatic Center (FAC) this year will find something new: an Amazon ‘Just Walk Out’ market, launched for the 2025 school year.
The cashierless market opened on Sept. 11 and is Loyola’s third Amazon market, following Bowman Express and Sellinger Express.
To enter, customers scan their credit card or GrubHub app and walk through the gates. While customers shop, the market uses cameras and sensor fusion to detect what items are picked up. When finished shopping, the customer leaves the gated area, and the credit card or app is automatically charged.
Associate Vice President of Auxiliary Operations Mike Mansfield said the FAC market has long been a vision of the office.
Mansifeld explained that in the past, the FAC had a café for students to grab healthier food options. However, since the café’s closing due to COVID-19, the FAC has had scarce food options.
After seeing the success of Sellinger Express in 2024, Mansfield believed an Amazon storefront seemed like the perfect option for the FAC.
“We do understand that people go up there and burn energy and get hungry. They’re going to want something more than a vending machine,” Mansfield said.
The market features snacks and drinks, in addition to Parkhurst Dining’s ‘Grab and Go’ series, which includes sandwiches and other more substantial food options.
Mansfield says that on top of serving students, the Amazon storefront will serve the greater Baltimore community. The FAC hosts various swim meets and events throughout the year. According to Mansfield, having the Amazon storefront open for these events will be a game-changer.
“We’re real excited about it. We hope that it does well,” he said.
FAC Assistant Director for Sports Programming Tyler Zorn was very happy to hear about the new addition.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve had something for students [to eat] available at the FAC … it just kind of worked out perfectly,” Zorn said.
Cyrus Richardson ‘27 sees the storefront as an opportunity for students to check out the athletic facility.
“I think overall it will attract more people to the FAC, and I’m glad to see it open,” Richardson said.
Mansfield says the storefront will be restocked on a regular basis and is open to student suggestions. The hours of the market will align with FAC hours of operation.
To learn more about Amazon’s ‘Just Walk Out’ technology, visit justwalkout.com.