We’ve all been there: You’re sandwiched between two parties of people that could have probably done with one less shot at the pregame, waiting in the freezing cold to get into the bar where your friends are. As your boisterous linemates stumble on their stilettos, you gaze longingly at the dude about to pass his ID over to the bouncer and receive entry. I would seriously pay to be in his shoes, you think to yourself.
Cambridge-created app BetrSpot, which launched in the App Store this week, has your solution. The app provides a way for you to offer a stranger money for their prime spots, whether a place in line at the Massachusetts RMV, a coveted comfy chair at your favorite coffee shop, or a window seat on the train. Conversely, if you’re lucky enough to be in possession of one of those places, you can set a price and put them up for grabs, too.
“Imagine a circle around that place where you’re standing. There’s a value for that,” BetrSpot’s founder Andrew Rollert told me. Prior to working on this bootstrapped project, Rollert was working on a startup called SpotScout, which helped people find empty parking spots on the street and garages. Soon, though, the entrepreneur realized that the idea could be expanded to all valued spots.
This peer-to-peer commerce play dropped in the App Store for both iOS and Android on Friday. After the app's successful, 200-person closed beta, Rollert’s hopes are high for BetrSpot’s performance now that it's public. The most powerful use of the app so far took place during perhaps the most dreaded day of the year in terms of waiting and lines: Black Friday. Rollert said that three spots were sold near the front of the line at a BestBuy in Watertown, Mass. for $2,500. Many of the deals, however, fall in the $5 to $15 range, and are done via the app.
But how does that exchange of place go down without causing a riot? BetrSpot gives you the picture of the person who posted the space or offered the bid, as well as a common question for the users to ask when they make contact to ensure they have the right person, ease any awkwardness and breach the human behavioral change. “When you see two people having some sort of conversation, they look like they’re friends, they know each other,” added Rollert. When one steps out, and the other steals his spot in line, no one asks questions.
A question that does have to be asked, however, is if BetrSpot might breed a new set of scalpers. Would a person post up at a packed bar on St. Paddy’s day and wait for bidders to begin streaming in? Finding your match in the crowd could still be tough, though.
But as Rollert said, grinning, “If you can’t find the person or figure out how to download the app, then you probably shouldn’t be in the bar in the first place.”
