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First Look at Uber’s Co-Founder’s Shopping Concierge “Operator”

• nostrademons 12y ago
  It's funny how shopping has come full circle since the 1850s. Back then, you went to the corner general store, you told the shopkeeper what you wanted, he went behind the counter, assembled all your items, and handed them to you. Then department stores came out in the late 1800s; they were revolutionary at the time in letting the customer do their own shopping and only offering assistance if you specifically asked. Department stores begat catalog retail, where there was no human, you just placed an order by mail and it was shipped to you. Catalog retail begat e-commerce, where the catalogs were placed online and the retailers dispensed with stores entirely. E-commerce begat the sharing economy, where in specific verticals you could just plug your search into your phone and a delivery person would appear with your items. Now the sharing economy has generated concierge services, where you tell the shopkeeper what you want, he goes behind the (virtual) counter, assembles your items, and he (or rather some abstracted, unnamed delivery person) hands them to you. All over your mobile phone network, of course.