On Monday, November 18, the long-anticipated Falcon Express, Seattle Pacific University’s new market located at Weter Hall, opened its doors to students. The Falcon Express, the new name for the C-Store, was closed for much of the Autumn Quarter before featuring a soft opening on Friday, November 15.
The market was originally slated to open at the beginning of the Autumn Quarter when students were coming back from summer break. According to the Executive Director of University Services, Lynn Ernsting, the setback in the Falcon Express’ opening was caused by the uniqueness of Amazon’s “just walk out technology” that the market features.
“[The] initial delay was because of some miscommunication between all the partners at play about some of the requirements for the space, the actual infrastructure that is needed to have an Amazon just-walk-out technology installed,” Ernsting said. “So once we determined that there was miscommunication about what we needed the setup to be in that space, we had to wait for a contractor to come in to bring the space up to that level to actually then move on with installation.
The Falcon Express was inspired by a site visit Ernsting did at another institution, in the spring of 2023, that had similar markets. However, the process of C-Store becoming the Falcon Express has caused some irritation on campus.
Keighlee Bunker, a first-year student majoring in psychology, shared some of the frustrations that she had seen on campus:
“I’ve heard quite a few frustrations from multiple people about the fact that it’s already the fifth or sixth week and it’s still not open yet.”
With the Falcon Express now open though, many students are excited to try out the new store. Sophia Chavez, a freshman majoring in social justice and cultural studies, finds the technology in the new store quite interesting.
“It’s definitely something to get used to,” Chavez said. “Not having a cashier and not giving your card to swipe is something new and futuristic.”
The soft opening of the Falcon Express was on Nov. 15, the market was open for a few short hours, with partnering organizations visiting campus and sponsoring the event — handing out free drinks and items to students. The event was done to highlight SPU’s new beverage provider, Swire Coca-Cola, and introduce students to the store, according to Ernsting.
“Pair[ing] it with our beverage launch with Swire Coca-Cola, the Monster team [came to our] campus. They [had] music and games and giveaways, and then we’re going to have the store open,” Ernsting said. “We [had] people there to help students, staff and faculty understand how to use the space and what to expect of an engagement with the market.”
Supervisor of the Falcon Express Sean Anderson feels that the Amazon walk-in-and-out is an efficient form of purchasing goods through students’ GET Mobile app — where students’ dining dollars can be found — which have generated barcodes students scan upon entry.
“From the moment you walk in, the cameras track you. The shelves have sensors on them,” Anderson said. “They’re scales, so they know exactly what came off the shelf. And if you put it back on the shelf, it’ll take it out of your shopping cart.”
The store boasts a diversity of brands, with a total of 450 different items according to Anderson.
“There’s healthy stuff, there’s junk, there’s everything you can think of,” Anderson said.
The Falcon Express provides convenience for those who do not want to go off-campus for their shopping. However, the costs of purchasing from the Falcon Express is also a concern for some students.
“We are college students, and we don’t get a lot of money for the Falcon funds. So spending like $15 every time you’re just shopping for a couple things is a pretty exorbitant amount of money,” Chavez said. “It’s more expensive than regular gas station prices.”
