Bhubaneswar: A Delhi-based startup offering on-demand assistants to carry shoppers’ bags through crowded marketplaces has triggered intense debate online, with opinions sharply divided over whether the idea represents smart urban innovation or the commercialisation of cheap labour.
The startup, CarryMen, provides human assistants who accompany customers in busy shopping hubs and carry their purchases while they shop. The concept has quickly gained attention on social media after videos of the service operating in Delhi’s packed street markets went viral.
The company markets itself as a convenience-driven urban service aimed at helping shoppers navigate chaotic commercial areas such as Sarojini Nagar Market and Chandni Chowk, where carrying multiple bags through narrow and crowded lanes can be physically exhausting.
Supporters of the idea described it as a practical solution for modern city life, particularly for elderly shoppers, tourists, families, and customers making bulk purchases. Many users argued that the service simply formalises a type of labour that has existed informally for decades in Indian markets, railway stations, and transport hubs.
Others, however, criticised the model as a symbol of widening urban inequality and privilege. Several social media users questioned whether outsourcing the task of carrying shopping bags reflected a growing dependence on low-paid labour for convenience services targeted at wealthier consumers.
Critics also raised concerns about worker dignity, wages, and the ethics of gig-economy business models that rely heavily on informal or physically demanding labour. Some argued that such startups blur the line between employment generation and exploitation, especially when basic urban infrastructure and public transport systems remain inadequate.
The controversy has also reignited broader discussions about India’s rapidly expanding app-based service economy, where tasks ranging from food delivery to personal assistance are increasingly being transformed into commercial convenience platforms.
Despite the criticism, the startup continues to attract public curiosity, with many observers noting that the service reflects changing consumer behaviour in densely populated metropolitan cities where convenience-based businesses are rapidly evolving.
The debate surrounding CarryMen highlights a larger social question facing urban India — whether hyper-convenience services represent genuine innovation or simply expose deeper economic and class inequalities embedded within modern city life.
