The Reade Ave. Market, commonly referred to as the RAM, made several changes to better serve students’ needs in Fall 2026, said Mason Goul, AVI’s director of retail.
A major change was the removal of the racks in the middle of the space. Now, students can more easily see the store’s inventory, Goul said.
AVI also reduced the number of products sold in the RAM, he said.
“There are things that weren't moving, that were sitting on the shelves for all year, so we really wanted to cut that down,” Goul said.
All of the most popular items were kept: most candies, gummies and energy drinks, Goul said.
The RAM no longer carries chips, cheese dip and many home goods, such as detergent, Goul said.
Storage is limited in the Market, he said. Many products are stored in the loading dock behind the LaRita Boren Campus Center, a space shared with Chick-fil-a and Freshens. To add space, AVI moved the wall of the store forward, making room for a storage area. Now, the store can move inventory off the loading dock.
AVI added products as well, such as Red Bell. They selected items unavailable at drink dispensers and vending machines — Powerade, Monsters and the like.
In addition, AVI’s grab and go program expanded to a second location in the store, where students can quickly grab food and drinks.
The grab and go program takes either a meal swipe or dining dollars, and provides an entrée, side and canned drink.
The most dramatic change to the RAM is the replacement of the cashier at the check-out with a self-serve kiosk.
The fact that the RAM cashier also worked for Freshens, Goul said, led to unintentional neglect of the check-out kiosk. This cashier’s responsibilities now include only cleaning and stocking the store.
While theft was an initial concern with the self-checkout, those concerns have proven unfounded, he said. Inventory levels are consistent with sales.
These changes have been met with approval from the student body.
“I really like it, especially for right now,” Will Riegler, a sophomore construction management major, said. “I just got done with the flag football game, and so I don't want something really heavy, and so I feel like it's just really easy to get a little wrap and be able to put it in the fridge and eat it in an hour.”
Similarly, Lauren McGavic, a senior film and media major, said she likes the ease of the program. While she appreciates the workers at Freshens and Chick-fil-a, it’s a lot faster to get the food yourself, she said.
McGavic, however, also criticized the new inventory.
“I honestly kind of think it's a little bit of a downgrade,” she said. “They used to have a lot more last year, and like obviously my freshman year, things were a lot different too. So I definitely think they've minimalized their selection for sure.”
That criticism did not extend to the introduction of Red Bull. Students, McGavic said, need their caffeine.
AVI is always open to feedback, whether that’s over what drinks to stock, which sandwiches to offer or what snacks to sell, Goul said. Protein bars are an example of what the process looks like — student athletes wanted a specific brand of protein bars, and AVI replaced their previous stock with the desired one.
“We do have access to a lot of different things that we can order from, and we just want to carry the things that people want the most,” Goul said. “So if there is anything that students want, let us know immediately, and we can get that in there for you guys.”
