from Hacker News

Retail stores are turning into e-commerce fulfillment centers

by cdepman on 7/19/20, 7:49 PM with 2 comments

• by markwaldron on 7/20/20, 12:33 AM

  One of the "Requests for Startups" items for YC is for Brick & Mortar 2.0 [1]. I'm curious to see if retail stores being used as fulfillment centers is a more longterm trend after the virus has been tamed. Where would a startup best fit if this does become a trend.

  I know when I'm in the market for a new electronic accessory, I'll often go to Best Buy when I just want to see and feel what I'm shopping for. If I decide in-store that I want to purchase something, I'll scan the barcode on the back and see if it's cheaper elsewhere and many times it is. Is there a want for more showrooms for certain high-priced items, even if they aren't things like mattresses and exercise equipment? Could somewhere like Best Buy exist with a much smaller showroom with a handful of TV's and most of their items in a warehouse?

  1: https://www.ycombinator.com/rfs/#brick