Watch CBS News

'It's Not A Bodega,' New Yorkers Aren't Buying Idea To Replace Corner Stores

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- New Yorkers aren't buying a high-tech alternative to the city's ubiquitous corner stores.

Developers call it a 'bodega' but the newfangled idea from the west coast  was falling flat on its face on Fulton Street, Wednesday morning.

"I like my phone, but I don't think I wanna deal with a box too," one woman told 1010 WINS' Carol D'Auria.

That's what it would be; a giant box, a giant vending machine like a 5 foot wide computerized pantry that would sell non-perishable items like toilet paper and chips, it would replace your local bodega.

Sandra said they can call it a bodega all they want.

"It's not a bodega. A bodega is community. It's people coming into community, buying whatever they have to buy, establishing relationships, that's not a bodega," she said.

The vending machine's logo is a cat -- the kind you would see in a bodega.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.