QuikTrip Opens Checkout-Free Store
TULSA, Okla. — QuikTrip Corp. (QT) is introducing its first checkout-free convenience store, powered by Amazon's Just Walk Out technology.
Guests visiting the new store can insert their credit card at the entry gate, shop as they normally would and then exit the store. When they leave, the credit card they inserted upon entry will be charged for the items they took from the shelves.
Amazon's Just Walk Out technology leverages a combination of computer vision, sensor fusion and deep learning that determines what items shoppers take from or return to shelves, then enables them to skip the checkout.
The nonfuel store, located at 101 E 2nd St. in Tulsa in the BOK Tower at One Williams Center, opened to the public on Aug. 12.
"We are excited to expand our presence in Tulsa with our second non-gas location nationwide and we look forward to introducing this new innovative store experience to the downtown Tulsa community," said QuikTrip Corporate Communications Manager Aisha Jefferson-Smith. "Amazon's Just Walk Out technology is designed to eliminate checkout lines, enabling guests to enjoy a frictionless shopping experience and get what they need quickly."
Customers of the check-out free store will find a variety of QT snackles, including:
- Nitro Coffee Station with freshly brewed coffee;
- A complete menu of grab-and-go items like fresh doughnuts, salads, wraps and QT's signature pizza by the slice; and
- QT Kitchens customer favorites, including mac and cheese, breakfast tacos, hardwood smoked barbecue sandwiches and more.
QT, which celebrated a company milestone with the opening of its 900th convenience store, located in Corsicana, Texas, last July, is also focusing on network expansion. The company recently made its first foray into Colorado, opening a store in the area city of Firestone in June.
The retailer announced plans to enter the Mile High City in 2019. A year following the announcement, QT said it planned to open 50 to 70 locations in the Denver metro area and is actively seeking local general contractors to help with the construction of those stores in the next five years.
In addition to Colorado, QT is planning to open locations in three more states: Tennessee, Arkansas and Alabama.
Expansion plans are also underway for the state of Oklahoma. Late last year, The Oklahoman reported that the c-store retailer was planning its first store in the Oklahoma City metro at Interstate 35 and Hefner Road, near the Frontier City amusement park. A second Oklahoma City area store in Moore is also planned.
QT is further expanding its reach with the introduction of remote travel centers, which now includes more than a dozen locations. Designed specifically for highly trafficked areas of the United States, the main difference between a traditional QT convenience store and a remote travel center is the size. Standard c-stores range from 4,100 square feet to 5,700 square feet, while remote travel centers on average are roughly 8,000 square feet.
The convenience operator's remote travel center locations feature an expanded QT Kitchens concept and accommodate more gas pumps and diesel bays.
Founded in 1958, Tulsa-based QuikTrip has grown to a more than $11 billion company with 950-plus convenience stores in 16 states.