Newly with JIS card to Samoska 24/7. Container shop on campus announces news

The first university container self-service store in the Czech Republic was opened in May this year on the campus of UWB in Bory by P.V.A. systems. It offers food and drugstore to students and employees of the university. In addition to the mobile app, people can also get inside using a JIS card.

Energy drinks, popsicles and fresh pastries - that is what customers of the self-service container shop on the UWB campus in Bory have been most interested in so far. On average, 70 shoppers visit the store every day. So far, only individuals with a bank identity have been able to get in, using a QR code. Now, students and staff of the university can also enter using a JIS card.

"We feel that entering the store using the app is a bit of a barrier and many people are put off before entering. Extending the entry options with JIS cards will significantly facilitate and speed up the entire purchase," said Patrik Nachtmann from P.V.A. systems and a graduate of the Faculty of Applied Sciences of the University of West Bohemia, which participated in the project together with this company.

The operator adjusts the range based on feedback from students and university staff using an online questionnaire. It is expected that the expansion of the system to include access to the JIS card will significantly increase the number of customers and make shopping more convenient. The store is operated by P.V.A. systems, which takes care of supply and all operational matters. The range is restocked three times a week and fresh pastries and cakes are replenished daily. A planned new addition is the expansion of the range to include fresh gluten-free sandwiches and baguettes from PVA Foodbistro, which is also operated in Pilsen by P.V.A. systems.

"Students and PhD students of the Faculty of Applied Sciences are also involved in the development of smart technologies of the shop," said Luboš Šmídl from the Department of Cybernetics of the Faculty of Applied Sciences of UWB. For example, their work includes a system of automatic recognition of goods in the checkout zone, which is already working in practice and makes it easier for customers to select items at the self-service checkout.

Of course, security against thieves is also part of the system for the 24/7 shop. The shop is equipped with a smart camera system and all purchases and entrances to the shop are evaluated. The fact that only identified customers have access to the store means that in the event of an incident, the identity of the shopper can always be established (either by using a bank identity or JIS card). "In the six months the store has been open, there has already been a theft where the person in question has been stealing apples one by one. Apparently, he thought we would not find out. He was subsequently contacted and paid a contractual fine of eight thousand crowns for the incident," said Patrik Nachtmann.

The shop is intended to serve not only students and employees, but also the public. Shoppers can enter Samoska 24/7, as its name suggests, at any hour of the day. When it opened in spring 2024, it was the first store of its kind in the country. The second container store in the country opened this October on the campus of the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice. There are several dozen stone shops with 24/7 operating hours using technology from P.V.A. systems in the Czech Republic.

The JIS (Unified Identification System) card can also be used by students and staff of the University of West Bohemia, for example, for public transport, where it can be combined with the Pilsen card.