24/7, unstaffed grocery store pioneers new way to shop

Located in New Prague, Minnesota, Farmhouse Market is an unstaffed grocery store that provides members with 24/7 access via keycard and self-checkout.

Farmhouse Market’s founders moved from Minnesota’s largest metropolitan area to a small rural community. What they found they missed most was the variety and availability of healthy foods. Most food grown in the United States is shipped to cities, leaving many towns and villages without access to their local produce. Farmhouse Market found a way to reduce the overhead cost of staffing by becoming fully automated and members-only.

Membership costs USD 99 for the first year, and then USD 20 for every year afterwards. All members sign a legal agreement setting out agreed standards of use before receiving a keycard that provides 24/7 access to the store. Cameras are used throughout the shop, and customers use self-checkouts to pay. The store stocks organic, local products from nearby farmers and makers. Non-members can shop during the Market’s limited, staffed weekly opening hours for the general public.

Subscription services are exceptionally popular, delivering everything from tampons to freshly baked bread. How else could curated collections use memberships to bring people in the doors?