Why Wait?
Female Founders Create Website Aimed at Limiting Wait Time in Stores
Published on May 28, 2020
Consumers often felt frustration and chaos at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, caused by long lines and low supplies.
But thanks to a new website created by two female founders, including a Bauer alumna, waiting in long lines can become a thing of the past.
Mae Woods (BBA ’14), along with software engineer Pan Khantidhara, joined forces to create Howbsy.com, a free website that shows grocery store, banks, pharmacies and hardware store wait times.
“It’s no secret that the lineups at stores have become our new normal. It didn’t occur to us to make this website until Pan’s mom came home a few weeks ago really frustrated with how long the lineups were,” Woods said. “Pan then called me with the idea to build a website that would show store wait times and I thought it was a great idea. Together we brainstormed what the website would entail. Pan built the website in five days, while I worked on a marketing strategy. We have had over 100,000 users already and it continues to grow.”
The website, which now serves Vancouver and Houston, it is continuing to expand, hoping that it will help communities limit exposure.
“We built this website to help our community during this time. My co-founder and I are not essential workers and this was our way of giving back,” Woods said. “We hope to help people optimize their shopping experience and limit the time they are exposed outside during the quarantine.”