The Spartan Market, which is open Tuesdays and Thursdays during Lunch A and select school events, will soon be accepting debit cards for all purchases.

The Spartan Market—which is run by the Marketing I and Marketing II courses and assisted by the Future Business Leaders of America Club—sells a variety of Pembroke Academy products, including t-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, sweatpants and lanyards, all bearing the school’s logo.

The decision to start taking debit cards stemmed from a brainstorming session in the Marketing course, along with a survey of student and staff customers.

“With the growing market trends of online sales and the use of credit/debit cards for most purchases, not to mention the convenience of using plastic, it was a logical improvement,” said Ms. Cunningham, who teaches marketing and advises the Spartan Market.

The market will implement a Retail Point of Sales system where they process sales with a card reader. The system also tracks inventory and reports through a “secure encryption” that assures that all transactions are safe, said Ms. Cunningham.

The Spartan Market is designed to teach students about the retail experience where they learn the basics of business operations, money management and inventory control.

Ms. Cunningham expects the decision to accept debit cards will help grow the business.

“It is definitely more convenient and should increase our sales, exposure and profit,” she said.