Shoppers at a new convenience store in Stockbridge tap a payment card at the door, grab what they need, and walk right back out — no cashier, no scanner, no line. The Pantry at The Bridges opened inside The Bridges at Jodeco shopping center, and it's being described as Henry County's first autonomous convenience store in the area.
The store operates around the clock, seven days a week, one of only a few in the area to stay open 24/7, according to CBS Atlanta. There are no barcode scanners and no cashiers inside. Customers simply tap their payment method to open an automatic gate at entry, and the same payment method used to get in is what gets charged when they leave.
Inside, the system relies on artificial intelligence to register whatever items shoppers pick up. Shoppers can browse, take or return items, and walk out without ever scanning a single product, the station's report notes. The shelves stock everyday staples: chips, drinks, candy, household cleaning supplies, phone chargers, and personal care essentials.
A Cloud Engineer and a Critical Care Nurse Behind the Concept
The Pantry at The Bridges operates under parent company Plug Pantry, founded in July 2024 by Chief Executive Officer Kelli Fluker, a former emergency and critical care nurse, and Chief Operations Officer Jonathan Fluker, a network engineering and cloud automation specialist, according to Plug Pantry. Jonathan Fluker told the outlet that the autonomous process simplifies shopping and gives customers their time back. Construction on the flagship location began in March 2025 ahead of this year's launch, making the Stockbridge site the company's first operational store in a planned regional expansion.
The store is also identified as a Black-owned business, and per the same account, it represents local economic growth and representation in the community. It has reportedly received strong support from local residents and neighboring retail workers since opening.
Ground-Floor Retail Beneath 306 Apartments
The Pantry sits at 300 Argento Drive on the ground floor of Argento at the Bridges, which represents Henry County's first combined residential-over-retail mixed-use building, featuring 306 luxury apartments, according to The Henry Reporter. That layout puts a built-in customer base of residents right above the store, well suited to late-night shopping without needing a car.
The building sits within The Bridges at Jodeco, a 156-acre, $700 million master-planned commercial and residential development off Interstate 75 at Exit 222, as reported by Atlanta Agent Magazine. The development is anchored by major traffic drivers including Costco and Sprouts Farmers Market. Nearby residential density includes the 212-unit luxury apartment community called The Levi, along with 135 planned townhomes, creating a walkable catchment area that reduces the need for a traditional drive-thru convenience setup.
Properties within The Bridges at Jodeco carry McDonough mailing addresses despite sitting legally within Stockbridge city limits, following local municipal annexations. The Henry Reporter notes that local officials frequently refer to the annexed border area between Stockbridge and McDonough as “McBridge,” a detail that can confuse shoppers searching for the store's actual jurisdiction.
Part of a Broader Growth Story in Henry County
The store's arrival lands amid rapid demographic change in Henry County. U.S. Census Bureau data from 2024 shows the county's Black population reached approximately 51%, up from 48% in 2020, solidifying its status as one of the fastest-growing majority-Black suburban counties in the country, according to CBS Atlanta. Local leaders have attributed much of the county's commercial growth to Black entrepreneurship along the I-75 corridor.
The opening also fits into a wider national shift toward automated retail. Global retail market research published in April 2026 by Dataintelo projects that cashierless, autonomous convenience formats will represent 8% of all global convenience store locations by 2030, as convenience retailers adopt AI technology to reduce labor dependency and offset rising operational costs. Separate retail industry research published in January 2026 forecasts that automated and self-checkout transactions will account for nearly 40% of global retail transactions by late this year, per Bite Blog. Unlike standard self-checkout, which still requires scanning each item, autonomous AI stores like the Pantry track purchases automatically through overhead camera arrays and weight sensors.
The National Association of Convenience Stores reports that more than 150,000 brick-and-mortar convenience stores operate across the United States, underscoring the scale of the market that independent automated micro-markets like the Pantry are aiming to disrupt as an alternative to traditional gas-station convenience chains.
