- Persons are being paid as a lot as $40 an hour to attend in line for others—and Robert Samuel, proprietor of Identical Ole Line Dudes in NYC, has a employees of 45 taking up the gigs. Ready in line for something from the Sean “Diddy” Combs case to high-fashion pattern gross sales, Samuel sometimes rakes in between $25 and $37.50 hourly, and individuals are keen to affix his operation.
There are a variety of unconventional methods to show a dime right into a greenback—and one entrepreneur struck gold by taking up the on a regular basis annoyance of others.
Robert Samuel runs a line-sitting enterprise in New York Metropolis referred to as Identical Ole Line Dudes; prospects name and ask for somebody to carry a spot for them in line, with hourly charges sometimes starting from $25 to $37.50, relying on the request. The 49-year-old’s enterprise began with the “cronut” frenzy in 2013, and now Samuel and his 45 workers queue up for hours for legal trials, sneaker launches, Broadway tickets, pattern gross sales, and eating places.
Within the metropolis—the place there’s a brand new passing craze each week—meaning regular enterprise rolling in all yr. Proper now, requests are surging for the Sean “Diddy” Combs trial from media retailers just like the New York Instances, Washington Submit, and information bloggers. Samuel’s hourly charges for that trial are $32 an hour.
Line-sitting could also be an occupation that few individuals know exist, however Samuel took a vibrant thought and turned it right into a profitable firm and 13-year-long profession. With enterprise booming, individuals have the possibility to reel in $40 an hour ready in line for others.
“All the time be observant round every thing round you. When individuals complain, simply put your considering cap on and see when you have an answer to what they’re complaining about,” Samuel tells Fortune. “You’d most likely shock your self and be on the verge of the subsequent steps.”
You may make upwards of $40 per hour on the job
Samuel mentioned that he all the time has a gradual stream of candidates. And the way large his worker base is is determined by the happenings in New York. However even when the “Diddy” trial wraps, he mentioned there will probably be one thing across the nook, just like the wildly fashionable summer time occasion Shakespeare within the Park.
Identical Ole Line Dudes prices a two-hour minimal of $50, with an additional $25 per hour onwards. The enterprise additionally has an inclement climate price of $3 per hour in case of rain, snow, or intense temperatures. There’s an extra $15 cost for any line request going from midnight to 7 a.m., and a $20 rush price for same-day inquiries. Hourly charges are 1.5 occasions greater through the vacation season, and for “hypebeast” sneaker drops, like Supreme. At $37.50 an hour, these shoe occasions can get rowdy, and are extraordinarily unpredictable with provide.
In setting his personal costs and ruling NYC’s line-sitting scene, Samuel says he makes excess of he did at AT&T. Plus, he will get to be his personal boss. However in case you’ll be able to’t snag a job working with the Identical Ole Line Dudes, there’s additionally the possibility to change into a line-sitter by yourself phrases.
Line-sitters on fashionable employment web site Taskrabbit cost wherever from $20 to over $40 per hour for his or her companies. A few of them have taken on dozens upon dozens of those waits, exhibiting a gradual stream of want for the service. Upcharging additional {dollars} for issues like climate, these taskers promote standing in line for so long as 24 hours to meet a consumer request. At their independently-set charges, these prolonged jobs can imply an almost $1,000 paycheck in only one sitting.
From AT&T salesman to launching a line-sitting enterprise
Samuel’s work trip all began in the course of his final 9-to-5 gig as a gross sales consultant for AT&T.
It was 2012, and he was bummed he was going to overlook his fee verify because of the timing of the brand new iPhone 5 launch. To make himself really feel higher, he posted an advert on Craigslist providing to attend in line to snag the extremely sought-after cellphone. Someone employed him for 3 hours, and as soon as Samuel was on the entrance of the road gearing as much as pay, his consumer knowledgeable him that he had positioned a web based order as a substitute.
Not sure of what to do subsequent, he circled and bought his spot in line for $100. Samuel immediately acknowledged the alternate as a money-maker, and returned to the queue to promote one other spot for a similar worth. Alongside the cash from the Craigslist advert, he walked away with $300 that day.
“I mentioned, ‘Effectively, what can I do? Wait a minute. I made tons of simply sitting on the sidewalk,’” Samuel mentioned. “So I made social media accounts, and progressively it took off from there.”
For the primary 9 months, Samuel was working his enterprise solo. He took on each line-sitting gig that got here his manner, and eventually got here into the funds to rent staff when the media coated his story in 2013. It was within the thick of the croissant-donut “cronut” craze, when everybody was fiending for the intensely fashionable bakery merchandise. It all the time bought out within the blink of a watch, so Samuel would wait in line for a lot of hours, decide up the pastries, and ship them to individuals. Identical Ole Line Dudes can nonetheless be employed to choose up the sweets as we speak—at $65 for 2 cronuts.
Now, Samuel and his workers tackle an entire host of jobs. They’ve coated Sam Bankman-Fried’s trial, Ghislaine Maxwell’s case, in addition to Donald Trump’s arraignment in New York Metropolis. Drawing in purchasers from all world wide, most of his enterprise revolves round holding a spot in line for fashionable pattern gross sales. He was even flown out to do Warren Buffett’s most up-to-date Berkshire Hathaway shareholder assembly in Omaha, Nebraska, earlier this month.
Samuel’s inquiries can vary from strictly enterprise to a life-long want to see a Broadway present—and he loves his job, as a result of he will get to make individuals’s goals a actuality.
“It is the fantastic thing about bringing pleasure to individuals simply by doing one thing so simple as ready in line,” Samuel says.
This story was initially featured on Fortune.com
