Breaking up with someone can be a hard thing to do. There’s always the chance they won’t take the news very well which can lead to uncomfortable situations. We’d all like to avoid that as much as possible, but unfortunately if you’re actively dating, you’re probably going to have to dump someone at some point.
That’s why Canadian brothers Mackenzie and Evan Keast decided to launch The Breakup Shop, a service that will break up with someone for you, using the method of your choice. The inspiration for the company, according to Mackenzie, was based on the fact that there are plenty of apps and services to help you start a relationship, so there should be one to help you end a relationship as well.
Breakup methods range from a quick Snapchat for $5, to a text message for $10, to an actual phone call from one of the “Heartbreakers” for $29. Of course they can’t guarantee the person who was just dumped through a breakup service won’t call or text you in a rage, but at that point you can at least rest easy knowing you didn’t just ghost them. You made an effort.
If you’re feeling guilty about the breakup, there’s also the option to send your newly minted ex a parting gift. Available gifts include a bouquet of daisies and carnations, The Notebook on Blu-ray, Call of Duty: Ghosts for PS4, a box of cookies, and a Netflix gift card. To be honest, a couple months of free Netflix would probably be just the thing to soften the blow of getting dumped through a third party.
The Keast brothers say their service is targeting millennials— people who are used to communicating through text and social media already. It may seem like just another way for millennials to confirm the stereotype that they’re lazy, but according to the brothers, “There's kind of this quaint, antiquated of version of what dating and relationships should be and people attach the same kind of flak to Tinder and say, 'Why can't people just go out to a bar?' The reality is, we don't live our lives that way anymore.”
How popular this service will actually turn out to be remains to be seen (it was launched earlier this month), but it seems like after the novelty wears off, most people will remember ghosting or sending your own quick, emotionless text is easier, quicker, and well, free.
