The bodega cats of Instagram: fur flies over automated food cabinet startup
Bodegas' resident felines are symbolic of the relaxed environment that people appreciate about their local corner store. Could their bricks-and-mortar homes be put out of business by the latest tech startup? Won't somebody think of the cats?
Two former Google employees' proposal to replace corner shops with automated cabinets promoted an outpouring of scorn on social media last week, but in among the gags ("vending machines already exist") and the slurs was a semi-serious concern: won't somebody think of the cats?
Bodegas' resident cats are symbolic of the personable, one-to-one service and relaxed environment that people appreciate about their local corner store - the kind of service and ambiance it's hard to replicate in a pantry for non-perishables. The Bodega entrepreneurs' choice of logo, a cat's face, was perceived to be just as inappropriate as their chosen name.
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