Lajpat Nagar on a Saturday afternoon is not for the faint-hearted. The lanes are narrow, the crowds are unforgiving, and by the third shop, your arms are already giving up. By the fifth, you have stopped pretending to enjoy yourself. Somewhere between the kurta stalls and the bedsheet vendors, shopping stops being fun and starts feeling like a endurance test.

A Delhi startup noticed this a long time ago. And decided to do something about it.

You shop. We carry.

CarryMen is a shopping assistance service operating in Lajpat Nagar, built around one straightforward idea: shoppers should be able to enjoy the market without being weighed down by it. The founders, both Delhi locals, grew up navigating the same crowded lanes and watched the pleasure of shopping drain away under the weight of bags, long walks, and physical exhaustion.

"People love shopping, but they hate the physical stress that comes with it," a spokesperson for the startup said. "We wanted shoppers to enjoy the experience instead of worrying about carrying ten bags while eating momo in the middle of a crowded market."

For Rs 149 per hour, with packages available for two, three, or four hours, a trained assistant accompanies shoppers through the market. They carry bags, help navigate stores, wait in food queues, assist customers to parking areas or metro gates, and help find spots to sit and rest. Shoppers keep their hands free and, ideally, their stress levels manageable.

Who is actually using it

The service has found its most consistent users among elderly shoppers, particularly women buying clothes, curtains, bedsheets, and household items. Many, the founders noticed, were not looking for luxury, just small practical comforts. Someone to carry their bags. Help ordering food. A place to sit when their feet gave out.

Here's what else the startup is offering:

- Portable camping chairs so assistants can set up a foldable seat in the middle of the market when a customer needs a break

- Umbrellas for heat and rain

- Mobile charging support

- Power banks

- Hydration assistance 

The service has also proven useful for shoppers who face specific physical challenges. Pregnant women navigating crowded markets while carrying bags have booked it. Parents with toddlers, one hand on the stroller, another on bags, a child mid-meltdown near the chaat stall, have found it useful too. The startup also offers stroller rentals alongside the assistant for an added hourly charge.

One practical detail worth noting: the weight limit per assistant is 12 kg. Beyond that, a second assistant can be hired.

Early traction

CarryMen launched in April and completed over 50 bookings within its first month. Growth has come primarily from word of mouth and organic social media interest rather than influencer marketing. Expansion to Chandni Chowk is already in the planning stage.

"It's not just about carrying bags," the spokesperson said. "It's about reducing stress and making markets more comfortable for everyone, especially families, elderly people, and women."

The service addresses the logistical side of a very familiar problem. What it cannot replace is something else entirely, the father who quietly takes every bag because he simply wants to be there, the brother who dislikes shopping but shows up anyway, the husband outside the trial room who has been waiting an hour and will wait another without complaint. No startup can package that. But for the aching shoulders and the overstuffed hands, Rs 149 an hour is a reasonable start.

(With inputs from Megha Chaturvedi)

Published on: May 25, 2026 1:22 PM IST