Now Reading: Delhi startup Carrymen offers trained bag carriers for hire
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Delhi startup Carrymen offers trained bag carriers for hire
A Delhi-based startup called Carrymen has gone viral after finance creator Bhanu Pathak posted about it. The service sends a trained person to carry shoppers' bags, luggage, and even help with a baby while the customer shops hands-free. It operates in markets including Sarojini Nagar, Khan Market, Lajpat Nagar, Sadar Bazaar and Old Delhi.
Carrymen was founded in April by Ritu Kandari Srivastava and Kanishka Malhotra, both mothers of toddlers, who struggled with shopping while carrying children. Assistants can be booked via WhatsApp for as little as Rs 79 for 30 minutes, with an hour costing Rs 149, for up to four hours. The service has sparked debate online, with some calling it a smart innovation and others accusing it of exploiting cheap labour.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The idea taps into a familiar pain point for Indian shoppers in crowded bazaars but also revives a recurring question about service jobs that look like personal attendants. India already has a vast informal workforce of porters (coolies) in railway stations and mandis, but formalising such help for middle-class consumers is new. The startup's pricing, Rs 149 an hour, is low enough to raise sustainability questions unless volume is high. Watch whether regulatory scrutiny under labour laws or the Shops and Establishments Act follows, or if the model scales beyond Delhi markets.
Source: livemint.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Methodology and corrections.
