WASHINGTON – Beauty is in the eye of the briber.
Throughout human history, singles have tried it all: going to bars, consulting psychics, ordering friends to set up blind dates and posting dubious profiles on dating sites.
Now, technology is taking us to the most basic of instincts: bribery.
A new bribe-for-a-date app called Carrot Dating allows those looking for love to peddle everything from flower bouquets to a tank of gas in exchange for a real live date.
“We have different options,” says founder Brandon Wade. “They can choose from a list of activities: entertainment, dining or gifts.”
Since the launch earlier this month, about 30,000 people have downloaded the application.
“Instead of having to walk up to someone in a bar situation with a pickup line, you can use the app,” he says. “It takes the fear of rejection out of the equation.”
The would-be daters can’t just dream up whatever they want and dangle it in front of a beauty. The site offers about 20 different bribes.
Wade concedes he’s faced criticism that the concept is sexist.
One particular line in the news release could serve as a possible explanation:
“It’s a concept so simple that even animals understand — give a dog a bone, and it will obey,” it reads. “Give a woman a present, and she’ll …”
Then, there’s the option of giving plastic surgery as a bribe.
Wade says it was meant to be a joke, but guys have tried it with poor results.
“They got it slammed in their face,” he says.
The most popular bribes have been flowers and dinner, in that order. Women have initiated about 25 percent of the bribes, Wade says.
The person receiving a bribe is not charged in the transaction. The suitors are charged about a dollar to dangle the carrot.
Watch a video about the app below:
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