Simple Crowd Control Solution: How to Roll out?

huubang on 13/04/2020 - 11:05
Last edited 13/04/2020 - 11:46

With the Covid 19 going on, Woolworths and Bunnings start to limit the number of customers in store at any time. That has resulted in a long queue outside the store, which to me is not ideal as that poses the risk for people in queue. I myself have been pissed off with any kind of long queue, in general.

I thus have started to develop a simple web based crowd control solution. I keep it simple so that I can implement it in the shortest time. The idea is you register for the queue remotely and will get notified via SMS or email when your turn is coming up. There's no app. All you need is a browser. You can both take a queue number and check in from the browser, so contactless.

Now my problem is I don't know how to get this rolled out. I can bear the development cost as my contribution to the society but in order to handle a large customer based and especially the cost to send out sms (which is currently 6c/sms), I need the store to cover that operating cost (I'm not seeking profit) but I don't know how to persuade/approach them to do that.

I have a demo (85% completed, just need a couple of touch ups and testing) that is close to operation ready here https://yellowline.azurewebsites.net/

My questions are:

1) Do you think any store manager will be willing to take this? I'm thinking of charging them PAYG based on the number of customers they have?
2) Do you personally know any store manager that is kind enough to give it a trial run?

Health & Beauty

Comments

  • kerfuffle on 13/04/2020 - 11:07
    +11

    Not everyone who goes to the supermarket has a mobile phone though (which may come as a surprise to you)

    As for someone who may give it a go, maybe try your local IGA or something.

    What are you supposed to do while waiting to enter in the virtual queue? Not like you can sit down on shopping centre furniture at the moment (remember, not everyone who goes to the shops has a car). At least queuing physically while retaining social distancing rules is doing something

    • GangGang on 13/04/2020 - 11:32

      You wouldn't leave until you get a notification. I guess if you could see the queue amount or eta for you to enter as soon as you get there would be great.

      • kerfuffle on 13/04/2020 - 11:36
        +3

        You wouldn't leave until you get a notification.

        How does that work? It takes me five minutes to drive to the local Woolies, however it might take the other person, who was in the virtual queue right before me, 15 minutes to walk there from their house nearby. Obviously, I would get there first; does that mean the person who walked there loses their spot in the queue?

        eta for you to enter as soon as you get there would be great.

        And what do I do while I wait in the virtual queue as soon as I get there? Let's say I don't have a car and as I pointed out, you can't sit on shopping centre furniture due to social distancing rules.

        • GangGang on 13/04/2020 - 13:37

          Yeah it's hard to maintain if you're talking about a 5 minute notification. If it's 20+ min you will be able to organise when to leave etc.

          I do the exact thing for woollies click and collect, before they stopped it. You get a message saying do you want to collect now, or 15 min away. So I either click "collect now" when I arrive at the shopping car park and grab a coffee so as I arrive at woollies it's ready or select 15 minutes when I'm on my way.

          If op can do a system like that, it would be great. It's too difficult though.

          • Chandler on 15/04/2020 - 10:03

            @GangGang: Yeah that was what I was thinking - users of the system check-in & out (potentially automatically based on location), system estimates how long before your turn would be up and you tell it how long before you want to be notified (to give you time to get there). Once time to go = your notification time, notify you to go.

            Great idea OP, but really needs good user adoption to work.

            If you're serious about rolling it out, it may be a case of giving your local store a free trial for x days/weeks.

  • Halo375 on 13/04/2020 - 11:09
    +1

    Supermarket - no. Specialty store like Ikea might be interested.

    • kerfuffle on 13/04/2020 - 11:10

      I read on Reddit that one of the IKEAs in Sydney can have a max of about 4300 people while adhering to the 4sqm rule per person

      • jetblack on 14/04/2020 - 08:18
        +1

        Probably true in a completely empty store. I've seen a few boutique stores with signs claiming they can have like 12 people in the store at a time… And then you look at how much space the fixtures take up and it's impossible more than 4-5 people could be in there. They're clearly just going off the store footprint, not customer-accessible space.
        No doubt Ikea could still fit a ridiculous amount of people in there while all agree to distancing, but surely not 4-5k.

  • Melb69 on 13/04/2020 - 11:29
    +5

    Just off the bat. I think it will only work if everyone is using the App. Most of the time I just go out randomly to where I want to go. As for frustrating lines. Enjoy the time out of the house. Learn to be patient. Before the COVID I use to enjoy just waiting in line at the checkout even with 2 items. Would even let those with a few items pass me if I had a lot of stuff to check out.

    Everyone was in a hurry. Its a good reality check. Smell the roses. So sorry OP. I don't think this has legs. IMO. The idea is there, but in reality I don't think it will really work without many factors working for you.

    • huubang on 13/04/2020 - 11:31

      Just one correction though. There's no app. You don't need an app, just open the website.

      • dizzle on 13/04/2020 - 13:23
        +2

        But it still means everyone needs to use it.

        I was shopping Thursday and they had about four people organising the queue. But what it meant was that as 4 people leave the checkout they let four people in. If they have to wait for notifications to go out, be read and people to arrive (in many cases people will have walked away so it could be 5 minutes+ for individuals to arrive) and you have to check them off so they aren't jumping the queue, it doesn't seem worth it.

        Where it would be more helpful are places that have a longer stay periods and shorter queues like hairdressers. However some already use similar systems anyway. Tommy guns, you sign in and it alerts you 5 minutes before your chair is ready. Alternateively they may be better off with the traditional appointment system anyway.

      • Hangryuman on 15/04/2020 - 07:24

        sounds like a solution looking for a problem

        last time I went to the supermarket in a shopping centre we saw a long queue so said far kit, and shopped in another store first

        by the time we came out of the other store, there was no longer any queue outside the supermarket anymore and we walked straight in

        your 'take a ticket' idea is similar to the supermarket deli counter ticket dispensers - first requested by short little old ladies or passive-aggressive types who complained about not being seen/served while more assertive/visible people got served ahead of them - outrageous!

        so they brought in ticket machines - which people like me studiously ignored - so deli counter staff would call out 'next ticket?' repeatedly - to no response from the 4 people waiting at the counter - then give up and 'OK - who was next?' - and return to normal service.

        people who want to use such an app - are usually in the far queue.

  • ego22 on 13/04/2020 - 11:35
    -1

    the only thing that works is a couple shotgun rounds into the sky. u would definitely get GoFundMe money from that idea.

  • EFC94 on 13/04/2020 - 11:37
    +2

    Why not make it an app and then the app sends a notification when it's almost your turn? Like when your Uber is almost at your location. But again, not everyone has a phone and not everyone will want to give their number or personal details to the store.

    • kerfuffle on 13/04/2020 - 11:39

      Not everyone has a phone that's capable of running apps as well

      • Roman Sandstorm on 15/04/2020 - 11:06

        Perhaps a valet service for their horses and buggies?

    • huubang on 13/04/2020 - 11:41
      +3

      Not everyone likes to install just another app. The beauty of web-based solution is you can just go to a website and do whatever you want. I myself have flooded apps on my phone and will be a bit hesitating to install just another app just for queueing purposes.

      Plus, the cost upfront to build an app is also a lot (you need to pay for licenses etc.)

      • kerfuffle on 13/04/2020 - 11:42
        +1

        Not everyone has internet on their phone. Furthermore, shopping centres usually have pretty crappy reception, especially inside/around the supermarket (and not everyone wants to connect to the free WiFi)

      • EFC94 on 13/04/2020 - 11:45

        Which is a fair point, but then it comes back to not everyone has a phone or not everyone knows how to use a computer. I'm not against your idea, I just think there's a few flaws to your plan :)

  • Hithere on 13/04/2020 - 11:40
    +3

    Will there be a queue of people waiting somewhere for a SMS telling them to join the queue to enter the supermarket?

    How will you stop people who don't use the app or whatever is used from just entering the queue when it's your turn?

    I try to shop when it's fairly quiet and so far (touch wood) haven't needed to join a queue of any more than 2 or 3 people, so it's no big deal waiting.

    • huubang on 13/04/2020 - 11:43
      • People don't need to queue just to join the queue. They can queue from their couch, just visit the website
      • People will be notified via SMS or email when their turn is coming
      • There is no app. All you need is a browser
      • For those without phone, they can continue doing what they are doing. The store will put a tablet at the entrance and they can just take the queue number from there. They will check in from there too.
      • For others who have a phone, they can take a number and checkin from their phone -> contactless
      • kerfuffle on 13/04/2020 - 11:45
        +1

        For those without phone, they can continue doing what they are doing. The store will put a tablet at the entrance and they can just take the queue number from there. They will check in from there too.

        And what do they do while they wait, especially for those who don't have a car to sit in to wait?

        The store will put a tablet at the entrance and they can just take the queue number from there. They will check in from there too.

        What taking of the queue number? A physical ticket? Or do you expect people to remember what their queue number is?

      • Quantumcat on 13/04/2020 - 16:41
        +1

        The store will put a tablet at the entrance

        So everyone needs to touch the same tablet and share their viruses?

      • Hangryuman on 15/04/2020 - 07:33

        I use an appointment app for my doctor - called Appointuit - it's handy

        go to a website before going to a friggin' supermarket - yeah nah.

        actually I just checked Google Maps for my local supermarket - tapped on it and scrolled down to see 'Popular Times:' - and a bar graph showing busy times and 'Live 7am: Not busy - usually up to 5 min. wait'

        so there - Google Maps beat you to it.

        you also seem to forget that humans are social animals - attracted to gatherings, until they are repelled by too-large crowds

        and that queue management is a whole field of study - with call centres carefully monitoring drop-off rates as potential lost customers vs. the cost of extra staff who would then be idle in off-peak periods

        last I looked McDonalds managed it by allowing branching queues - you queued between 2 cash registers - and the first one that became free, you walked to that one.

        so spikes in sudden demand is a whole field of internet capacity - thus the attraction of Amazon Elastic Cloud, etc.

  • whooah1979 on 13/04/2020 - 11:43

    Many shoppers are willing to spend days in a queue to buy something they want. Shoppers that don’t have the patience to wait don’t deserve to buy.

    https://www.google.com/search?q=camping+outside+of+Apple+Sto…

    • huubang on 13/04/2020 - 11:44

      Agree. But not during a pandemic. We are trying to practice social distancing

      • whooah1979 on 13/04/2020 - 11:45
        +1

        It’s not difficult to stay 1.5 m apart. If you can touch the next person than you are to close.

        • abb on 15/04/2020 - 11:02

          It’s not difficult to stay 1.5 m apart. If you can touch the next person than you are to close.

          Can you please tell that to literally everyone in my suburb?

          It's night impossible to keep 1.5m distant from other people who are trying to get close to you from all sides.

    • Hangryuman on 15/04/2020 - 07:38

      Apple fanbois - 'I wanna be the First in my block to blow $2000 on a small shiny device that will break if I drop it !'

  • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 13/04/2020 - 11:44
    +15

    A. You're creating a solution to a problem that doesn't exist - to your target audience.
    B. Wesfarmers etc. won't pay you. Even if they were interested they would just use their C&C management software.
    C. An app like this will just annoy customers. Go to the Deli. Most won't even grab a ticket to be served.

      • kerfuffle on 13/04/2020 - 11:46
        +2

        If they're not happy standing in a queue, they can visit later when it's less busy

      • whooah1979 on 13/04/2020 - 11:47
        +1

        Lots of people are not happy standing in queue.

        Shop online and get it delivered.

        • huubang on 13/04/2020 - 11:48

          Woolworths does not deliver to general public any more. And I tried delivery with Bunnings for small and trivial items, the website says Not for Delivery. I had to physically go to Bunnings to get the stuff

      • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 13/04/2020 - 11:47

        Your target audience is not the customers. You're not selling your idea to them. You're thinking about this backwards.

        App/website whatever. Semantics. This process would just annoy them. Far easier and quicker to just C&C or get delivered for all parties - Store and customer.

      • Hangryuman on 15/04/2020 - 07:40
        +1

        great - spend 12 months building your website - then see if you can sell it.

        Predictions from the commonsense monkey gallery over here are - not good …

  • Hithere on 13/04/2020 - 11:50

    Most people adapt fairly quickly and will soon get used to joining a queue.

    Queuing is already common in many other countries so I don't really see that it's currently a problem for Australian stores.

  • huubang on 13/04/2020 - 11:52
    +3

    Sounds like I am probably the only one who has a problem with standing in long queue with potential sick people and thus this idea is not very practical :) I'll dedicate my time and effort to something else then

    Thanks everyone for your contribution

    • kerfuffle on 13/04/2020 - 11:54

      It's not that you're the only one who has a problem. You just didn't think of every possible scenario in which your idea would exclude people, particularly those who don't readily have internet access at their fingertips. The fact that you weren't able to answer some of my questions demonstrates that.

      • huubang on 13/04/2020 - 11:55

        As I said earlier, if a person does not have a phone or internet access at all, they still can do this with the store tablet put at the entrance. They just won't enjoy the benefit of convenience

        • kerfuffle on 13/04/2020 - 11:56
          +1

          And as I asked earlier multiple times, what does the person do while waiting in the virtual queue if they have no phone or internet access at all? Loiter around the entrance flouting social distancing rules? How are they supposed to remember their queue number? Would you be issuing physical tickets like at the deli?

          • huubang on 13/04/2020 - 11:58

            @kerfuffle: Sorry I missed that. They can go to other place shopping or to their car and come back regularly to check on the queue. At least they don't need to stand in a queue under direct sunlight and with potentially sick people. My product does not make their life any worse, even though it does not make theirs any better, but not much I can do if they don't have a phone.

            • kerfuffle on 13/04/2020 - 12:00

              @huubang: You're making it worse by making them come back to check on the queue. You would be making the disadvantaged even further disadvantaged.

              They can go to other place shopping

              Like where? What if there's also a queue there? You're not supposed to go window shopping … And as I pointed out multiple times, what if they don't have a car?

              • huubang on 13/04/2020 - 12:02

                @kerfuffle: They can stay in their car or find somewhere with less risk of getting the virus.

                No solution will cover 100% of the audience. Less say the number of people who do not have a phone and thus won't benefit from this 20% then at least the other 70-80% can enjoy the benefit of it. At least I don't make those 20% suffer any much more than currently.

                • kerfuffle on 13/04/2020 - 12:03

                  @huubang: You're making those 20% suffer more than they should by making them come back to check on the queue. What part of that don't you understand? As well as the fact that not everyone has a car?

                  • huubang on 13/04/2020 - 12:06

                    @kerfuffle: No I don't make them suffer more. If they prefer, they can just stand there to check the queue as they used to do. I just offer them more options, e.g. go back to the car or find somewhere to hide. Again, if they don't like it, they can just stand there as they have been doing. Their choice

                    • kerfuffle on 13/04/2020 - 12:09
                      -2

                      @huubang: Really great solution, finding somewhere to hide …

                      • huubang on 13/04/2020 - 12:18

                        @kerfuffle: As I said, I don't have a solution for those 20% who do not have a phone. The best I can do is not making their life harder. They can choose to stand in the traditional way.

                        • kerfuffle on 13/04/2020 - 12:20
                          +1

                          @huubang: So who gets priority to go in then? The virtual queue or the physical queue?

                          Not a 'Simple Crowd Control Solution' after all if you haven't catered to the entire crowd.

                          • huubang on 13/04/2020 - 12:25

                            @kerfuffle: I think you misunderstood. There's only 1 queue but it can serve the traditional customers. Traditional customers can just stand there, waiting for their turn and then go in as usual. Other customers do not have to stand there.

                            • kerfuffle on 13/04/2020 - 12:28
                              -1

                              @huubang: There's a physical queue (for the 20%) and there's a virtual queue. I don't know what your Maths skills are like, but that's two queues to me.

                              • huubang on 13/04/2020 - 12:29

                                @kerfuffle: There is just 1 queue that serves everyone. People have a choice to stand there or go somewhere else. If you think there are 2 queues, it's either you misunderstood or you have to check your Maths skills

        • spackbace on 13/04/2020 - 17:01
          +1

          they still can do this with the store tablet put at the entrance

          Sanitised after each and every person uses it…? Is there a queue for this tablet?

      • ThithLord on 15/04/2020 - 08:52

        You just didn't think of every possible scenario in which your idea would exclude people, particularly those who don't readily have internet access at their fingertips

        Or just flat out wouldn't do this - I completely doubt you'd have anywhere near enough uptake for this to work.

  • Hithere on 13/04/2020 - 11:56
    +1

    It's maybe not a bad idea but just not the right solution?

    • huubang on 13/04/2020 - 11:56

      So what do you think will be a right solution yet still easy to implement?

      • dizzle on 13/04/2020 - 13:37
        +2

        To be honest I think you're looking for a solution that's either not necessary, or more complicated than current solutions.

        For somewhere like Coles and Bunnings you can't predict 5 minutes out whether they will be ready for you to go in or not. So people will either gather around the entrance (just like the queue) or walk away and it takes them time to get there when they are notified. OK so 20 people just left, let's wait 5 minutes for the next in the queue to arrive…Not really feasible with too many people in and out. You may as well move the ticket machine from the deli, and they announce the next number in line.

        Smaller places may use it, however many will have such low traffic that they don't have queues anyway. I can only think of this replacing places that book appointments.

  • Hithere on 13/04/2020 - 11:59

    At this point of time I don't see any solution.

    But then, I'm a dumb a**e. haha

  • DingoBilly on 13/04/2020 - 12:23
    +1

    As others have stated - this isn't really an issue.

    I myself if I see a queue go for a longer walk -> Usually the line dissipates within a short amount of time + I get some more exercise.

    Otherwise, at max I've seen people probably have to wait 10 minutes. It's not really the end of the world. Your solution is unfortunately over-complicated/impractical compared to the current solution which is simple and everyone is used to (waiting in line).

    • huubang on 13/04/2020 - 12:26
      -1

      Maybe. Apparently not for me. Not my personal experience. At my place, I had to queue for an hour under direct sunlight at 12pm in front of Bunnings store just to buy a replacement for my sink basket waste, which can't be delivered.

      • kerfuffle on 13/04/2020 - 12:28
        +2

        You could have gone to Bunnings outside of lunch time …

        • huubang on 13/04/2020 - 12:31

          For curiosity, I actually came back the same day and close to their closing time. The line was half but still quite long.

          The tricky part is how can one know when will be a good time to go? I tried 8am and 6pm and 12pm, there was always a queue there. I'm not sure about other time.

          • kerfuffle on 13/04/2020 - 12:33

            @huubang: Since you're so internet savvy, have you tried using the Popular Times function on Google? For example, Bunnings Alexandria is at its peak right now, being 'A little bit busy'. I'd imagine that you would probably be expected to queue for an hour, just like you did the other day

            • huubang on 13/04/2020 - 12:36

              @kerfuffle: Of course I did but it's not very accurate though, e.g. at 6pm it said usually not too busy but there was actually a queue there. The reason for that is the amount of people present at the store is not that a lot, but because they restrict the number of people that can enter the store, there is a waiting queue. Google doesn't cater for that

  • Mechz on 13/04/2020 - 14:48
    +3

    I'd just go to a different supermarket instead of having to deal with this.

  • ozb10 on 13/04/2020 - 21:19
    +2

    The idea is good, I also don't like lining in queue, but I don't really think it is that useful given the circumstances now. Some issues I see:

    1. If people are already there, it's not like they have other things to do in the shopping centre. Roaming around the centre is also kind of "non-essential" movement, if that person is infected, they will just spread it everywhere. In a queue you are limited to the closer contact with the people in front and behind you. With free roaming, you may cross path with even more people, given the virus could remain in the air for a few minutes.
    2. People might come in groups of different sizes (with kids), do they have to each have a phone number or can they register for a group?
    3. What happen if the next in queue does not show up, how long do you hold up the rest of the queue? what if they are late by a minute, do they join back at the end? I can already see people abusing staff for this.
    4. As others have mentioned, not everyone has a phone or know how to use your website/app to register. Besides, even if the staff can assist them to get a "ticket", it can be unfair in a sense that people can register online before they get there, so it is not really first come first serve.
  • Yizzur on 14/04/2020 - 07:48
    +1

    FWIW- I don't think this is a great sokution for supermarkets. Too many variables and to be honest, not a compelling enough issue for most. I'm fortunate enough to have a couple of supermarkets within short walking distance, for me if there's a queue I'll just come back later. As others have pointed out too, I don't trust other people to abide by a ticketing system or otherwise, so if I need to wait Inwould prefer to physically hold my place in said queue.

    I do think it's a good idea for other businesses though. I reckon that just about anywhere that normally has a wait time would benefit from it, think barber shops, medical centres, even retail stores that require a high level of customer interaction or an appointment (dress/suit fittings, large electronics). I imagine Apple probably have their own version for their Genius Bar but if you could find a smaller business that offered a similar kind of service, or wanted to, I think that's where you want to be.

  • activ8newbs on 14/04/2020 - 10:47

    Hi,

    Can you PM me? I may be able to assist. I'm unable to message you

    • huubang on 14/04/2020 - 14:50

      Done

  • Celia9 on 14/04/2020 - 13:04

    At theme parks with popular rides, they sometimes offer similar, return at certain hour and go in the shorter line; and at Taipei zoo for panda exhibit, everyone given raffle ticket with a time printed, to return at said time, enter panda viewing line. A friend worked on wristbands for water parks, doing faster swiping entry or etc. Is the water park still open? Well, wristbands were $.

    Your modern shopping idea is fun, but may need an enforcer at door to turn people away and etc. In which case, why wouldn't staff just do the ushering people along role?

    More features more attractive imho. Could add QR scanning etc of items put into trolley for faster self check out, link rewards program membership # and cc details etc?

    Exciting, good luck :)

    • kerfuffle on 14/04/2020 - 13:09
      +1

      Could add QR scanning etc of items put into trolley for faster self check out, link rewards program membership # and cc details etc?

      Woolworths already did that with Scan and Go

      • Celia9 on 14/04/2020 - 13:36

        Exciting! I didn't know, online shop mostly, out of touch D:

        scan code, at checkout, scanned items 3d printed, packed and waiting..?

  • HeWhoKnows on 14/04/2020 - 14:53
    -1

    Even more simple answer

    Dont bother queuing up
    The queue doesnt last all day
    Just come back at another time.
    Even better, go somewhere else youmplanned to go and then come back

    Usually just 5 or 10 min can make the difference!

  • ajca256 on 14/04/2020 - 17:29
    +1

    Please don't get us wrong - I think most of us, to a varying degree, agree with your problem statement. Queuing is not fun and without careful social distancing/crowd control, can actually be bad in term of avoiding the spread of virus. I like your enthusiasm in using your expertise (I guess you are a software engineer) to provide a solution. I hope I can offer a useful feedback.

    What I like about your solution is the fact that you register yourself to queue by using your mobile phone or email, without additional complex registration. You will need to think about security, other than the fact that you've considered HTTPS, I don't know what else have you considered. Without entering the details, you are relying on the generated ticket number and security code - there's a pain in that. People will lost that and there'll be argument at the door from people claiming that they have registered and due to system problem, their registration is gone. So this brings to a dilemma of, would you rather people arguing at the door or would you make e.g. mobile phone mandatory. If you make mobile phone mandatory, what kind of e.g. retention period consideration have you put. Anyway, those are important, but can be ironed out. I think you head the right direction by using web than app. It reduces the amount of "work" that people need to do, hence lowering the barrier of entry.

    I hope you get what I'm pointing out. For a solution to be workable, you need solve the problem without increasing the barrier of entry. Let me give you few examples of barriers of entry.

    You have identified one barrier of entry - operating cost. Even though this will be borne by shops, will the shop need to pass the cost to the consumers? Okay putting cost aside, as I actually don't think it'll be too bad … who will administer the system? If the system is down, who will bring it back up?

    Another barrier of entry is what other has pointed out - not all people are savvy enough to use the tool. You offered a solution of putting a tablet in front of the shop. Who will look after the tablet (cleaning, ensuring it's not stolen, restarting if it crashes, etc?).

    Another barrier of entry, let's assume a technically savvy user, is that this will actually be "more work" for them. They need to login to the website, wait for their turn, etc. Okay, that additional steps might be worth it, because the person doesn't have to queue anymore. But does that mean the shop will need to be under utilised - i.e. the shop need to have a capacity for that user while waiting for that user to arrive to the shop? If you look at other comparable system - i.e. a doctor surgery. Even if you already book a timeslot appointment, chances are when you arrive to the surgery, you will still need to wait. The reason for that is that the surgery needs to have a degree of "over subscription" otherwise there'll be too much wasted idle. So for the shop to operate optimally, they will need to over subscribe too, when the savvy user arrives, he or she will still need to queue - although probably for a much shorter time. If the shop doesn't do that, the shop will be underutilise, and the end is that less people can enter the shop at the end of the day. Over subscription is a very evil problem in IT, so I hope you'll find this interesting. The more you oversubscribe, the more the waiting time. The less you oversubscribe, the more under utilised your resource will be. So, putting it simply, trial your product with smaller shops, not larger chains (bunnings, coles, etc). You have more chance of getting it to work.

    The last point I want to make that other has made. Your problem statement is real. But is it compelling enough for a solution, or people will be happier to just accept? There's no product that will solve problem without any additional cost or effort. Is the cost or the effort worth it?

    Good luck. From my experience designing/implementing IT solutions to other, I know my buyers will be thinking about all of the above barrier of entries like the above. So you'll need to be prepared to answer them no matter how good your product is. P.s. I think you have a good plan from technical engineering perspective, just need to cover the operational aspects.

    • ajca256 on 14/04/2020 - 20:23

      Someone negged me while I was trying to give constructive feedback from the perspective of someone who actually have experience launching IT products. Oh well.

      I'll give another example why this kind of solution has risk that the OP might not have think of. As a shop business owner, if someone pitches this solution to me, my first question would be how much will this cost me to operate. OP has identified that it costs 6c per sms. If this is a real website, within a day, a script kiddie would build a script that submit a lot of random phone numbers to it resulting a huge sms bill to the shop. The script kiddie will then send an email to the shop asking for ransom to be paid.

      As silly as it may sound, this is pretty close to a real story that happened to one of my peers. There are strategies to deal with this but I did a small quick test, the OP has not implemented this on the prototype.

      But OP, I really like your attitude where you see a problem and do something about it. So good luck again and don't give up, even if you can't get this to launch, you'll learn a lot by trying.

      • huubang on 15/04/2020 - 09:40

        Thanks ajca256. I host this on Azure which I believe has enough mechanism to prevent DDOS. But you are right, the cost will increase to serve a larger base of customers. However, my solution costs fraction compared to other mature solutions because I'm only charging operating cost. I sacrifice my time and effort for development and maintenance. I cannot cover operating cost because it's too much.

        And you are right, I learn a lot from this :)

  • piece on 15/04/2020 - 01:52

    Life is complicated enough, especially in times like this.

    But good effort though, and good luck.

  • poppit88 on 15/04/2020 - 04:25
    -3

    There are micro-managers the world over! This is no exception. There was no issue until these latest guidelines arrived (and god only knows from where!) I'm now queued back to back with people waiting to get to a supermarket! I take a picture every time and tell the drone counting (and I doubt they can count) I'll sue (insert supermarket of choice) if I get Wuhan Flu! Because this is seriously the most people I have probably been around for gosh, 3 months plus!

  • Trying2SaveABuck on 15/04/2020 - 06:40

    Great idea good luck

  • tessel on 15/04/2020 - 06:52

    You'd be surprised at the number of people who wouldn't be able to visit the website and register their details etc. This plus not everyone has a smart phone. I work in customer service and people of all ages have issues doing stuff online and I'm not talking about overly complex things, literally clicking on boxes/check boxes etc and reading basic instructions.

  • Hangryuman on 15/04/2020 - 07:15

    here's an effective design - watch from 1min30 - https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2hwqok

  • MISSMAC on 15/04/2020 - 07:33

    Push notifications instead of sms maybe ? I thought of this too but wondered why they didn’t just have 20 minute time slots you can book to avoid a Full car park worth of people. I’ve needed to go to Bunnings for a while but can’t bring myself to as every time I go the place is packed.. people parking on the street even it’s so busy.

    • kerfuffle on 15/04/2020 - 07:35
      +1

      Push notifications instead of sms maybe

      That would require installing an app, which is what the OP was trying to avoid.

  • wallet72 on 15/04/2020 - 08:02

    if queueing and access is such an issue, why don't supermarkets and/or government just implement a system of 'appointments'? When it's your appointment, you have an hour to shop.
    Off the top of my head…
    'odds and evens' shopping days (based on your unit or house number)
    You have to book, just like you would for a doctor
    Capacity is limited and controlled by the supermarket you want to go to
    You can book an appointment at multiple supermarkets on your day if you want

    yeah, it would be a pain and it would mean people would have to start planning their shopping trips, but it sure beats the crowding and fighting we see now.

    Not a perfect idea, and I hate it, but it's a small bit of suffering to potentially save lives.

  • esty on 15/04/2020 - 09:18

    they do this already at my local KBBQ restaurant :).

  • steelchain on 15/04/2020 - 09:22

    Don't listen to all the naysayers, this is a good idea and I like your solution.
    I'm a professional software engineer and I teach coding in my spare time…
    Your biggest issue would be getting it in front of the people in the store chain that can pay you.
    I would approach your local member with the idea and see if they can help you with it.

  • FareEvader on 15/04/2020 - 11:05

    I admire your efforts but this isn't anything new. A lot of restaurants already have a system where you enter your details and receive to notify that your table is nearly ready and to head to the restaurant.

    If you want your product to succeed, everyone will need to use your product. This will require the right connections to roll this out and the right marketing. This could mean someone in Government recommending your product or a big chain endorsing your product.

    One roadblock I foresee is data breaches - how safe is one's information using your system.

  • pformag on 15/04/2020 - 11:30

    There are only long lines now, because the weather is good and Easter breaks. Wait for the rain, and the lines will be less. Also, Bunnings is just being silly.

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