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BYU students start business in Provo that lightens shopper’s loads

Posted at 9:47 PM, Dec 04, 2016
and last updated 2016-12-04 23:47:01-05

PROVO, Utah -- Three young entrepreneurs in Provo are hoping their new business will lighten the load on shoppers.

These BYU students and entrepreneurs came up with a way for people to be able to shop without the drop.

The trio grew up together in Orange County, California, and Carson McCusker said they’ve turned his mother’s idea into a reality.

"I'm one of seven kids, so my mom was just sick and tired of just the chore of having to go to the mall," he said. "And so with seven kids she was hanging bags off of the stroller, off of us--without trying harm us--I mean it just got really messy."

McCusker said they care for more than just bags.

“Initially it was just shopping bags, but we’ll store coats, we’ll store strollers, carts, purses—we've been asked to store babies and animals: We don’t do that just yet,” he said.

McCusker said patrons don’t have to make return trips to the BellShop to secure their shopping.

“So if they come out of Victoria's Secret with a bunch of bags, we’ll go directly to them, take their bags for them, and bring them up here," he said. "If they come out of another store, we’ll go directly to them.”

BellShop employees give customers a ticket and a copy of the list of their items, then secure the bags in their store.

“When you’re done we come to you, to your car with those bags, so you never have to touch a bag the entire time you’re in the mall,” McCusker said.

The service covers an unlimited number of bags. The rate is $4 on weekdays and $6 on the weekend. Kari Netherton used the service and said she was a fan.

“Oh my gosh, I got to spend the whole time in the mall going from store to store, and they would meet me at the store to pick up my bag, so it was very convenient,” she said.

The students are testing their idea with a seasonal set-up in the Provo Mall. Blake Miyahara, another member of the trio, said the experience brought their classes to life.

“There’s just some things you can’t learn in the classroom,” he said. “And we’ve only been doing this for a couple months, but these couple months I've learned more about the world and just business and how real life works."

For more information about BellShop, visit them on Facebook.