Oh boy.
People are not happy with these two former Googlers who have launched a startup that seriously jeopardizes the future of mom-and-pop corner stores and bodegas.
In fact, the start-up — also called Bodega — aims to make centralized shopping locations unnecessary with their five-foot-wide pantry boxes filled with non-perishable items you might pick up at a convenience store.
Essentially, a vending machine would replace your favorite bodega. New Yorkers are shaking.
Related: New York Pizza Festival Turns Out To Be A ‘Rotten Scam’
Founder Paul McDonald explained to Fast Company:
“Each community tends to have relatively homogenous tastes, given that they live or work in the same place. By studying their buying behavior, we’re hoping to eventually figure out how the needs of people in one apartment building differ from those in another. We could customize the items in one dorm versus the next.”
When asked if he’s concerned about the effect the name of his company would have on the corner stores typically run by members of Latino and immigrant communities, McDonald said:
“I’m not particularly concerned about it. We did surveys in the Latin American community to understand if they felt the name was a misappropriation of that term or had negative connotations, and 97% said ├óΓé¼╦£no’. It’s a simple name and I think it works.”
However, the Internet has a different opinion.
Ch-ch-check out the unhappy responses (below)!!
if you replace my bodega with a fucking box i will launch you into the sun
— leon 🐣 (@leyawn) September 13, 2017
Weird that they’re calling this heinous vending machine “Bodega” and not “Gentrification Box” https://t.co/xPCozclRRD
— Tristan Cooper (@TristanACooper) September 13, 2017
Then to actually NAME it “Bodega” after the exact thing they’re trying to gentrify & put out of business? Wow. Such disrespect
— Persephone (@ASamantha) September 13, 2017
They even took the name “Bodega” and made a cat their logo. I try to keep it clean on social media, but fuck these people. https://t.co/dXBtMeKSZw
— S. A. Chakraborty (@SChakrabs) September 13, 2017
also think of all the bodega cats. bodega cat in my old hood had *2* stores. they want to put him out of not one but TWO jobs
— Tracy Clayton (@brokeymcpoverty) September 13, 2017
it’s blatant. they want the convenience of the bodega without having to interact with the people whose neighborhood they invaded.
— king crissle (@crissles) September 13, 2017
RT ├░┼╕ΓÇ¥ΓÇÖ: the actual “value add” of Bodega is that scared white people can remove an unwanted minority interaction from their day
— Nich Maragos (@nichronomicon) September 13, 2017
Wealthy tech bros are so uncomfortable interacting w working class POC that they think a glorified vending machine is better than a bodega. https://t.co/wPWhfkwBrx
— vero bayetti flores (@veroconplatanos) September 13, 2017
Wealthy tech bros are so uncomfortable interacting w working class POC that they think a glorified vending machine is better than a bodega. https://t.co/wPWhfkwBrx
— vero bayetti flores (@veroconplatanos) September 13, 2017
They could have done this and not used the named Bodega and still had success. Now they just look like jerks. https://t.co/ra9fbT4cR7
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) September 13, 2017
tfw you just heard about Bodega pic.twitter.com/0HVVRaARq4
— Daniel Radosh (@danielradosh) September 13, 2017
🤘🏾I stand with the bodega cats. pic.twitter.com/nuMxuoUx9y
— Six 🇬🇭 (@Sixfever) September 13, 2017
No one will ever get between me and Bodega Cat. It’s my happiest place.
— Brooke Hammerling (@brooke) September 13, 2017
I bet whatever study @trybodega did to get this 97% approval from Latin Americans to use “Bodega” DID NOT explicitly explain their plans https://t.co/wu5chmGZ6u
— Ben Walton (@bigteflon) September 13, 2017
Thoughts?? SOUND OFF in the comments (below)!
[Image via Bodega.]
-
Categories
