No Thanksgiving Plans? Have Someone Pay You To Stand In Black Friday Lines
A new side business, called line-sitting, is growing in popularity, where people pay others to wait in long lines for them and then take their spot later.
By NathanG on November 21, 2018
Gone are the days of waking up at 3 A.M. to wait in a Black Friday line. Now, people can pay someone to wait in line for them.
According to Yahoo Finance, the business of proffesional “line sitting” has exploded in the last couple years. People who don’t want to wait in a line can hire a professional “sitter” to hold their spot in line. From phone releases, theater tickets, and Black Friday lines, those who wish to skip the wait can hire a stand-in and then rejoin them once they reach the front.
Jennifer Goff, founder and CEO of a line-skipping service called Skip the Line, explained the appeal of this business. “People don’t have a lot of time,” she said. “This is a service that really helps them to be able to do what they want to do.” Goff began her business when she noticed the huge turnout and line waiting for a Game of Thrones pop-up bar. Before she made a business model, she shared how she would approach people in line and offer to hold their spot to make a little extra money. She would then keep them updated through texts and photos while they went off to enjoy themselves.
Darren Hromadka, another line-sitting entrepreneur, also saw a need for the service and founded the InLine4You app. Through the app, “hoppers” post a request and how much they can pay, and “spotters” can claim the job. Many spotters reportedly average $25 an hour, with the transaction completing once the hopper takes the spotter’s place in line.
What do you think about this service and new business? Would you consider making it a side hustle?
To read more about the business of line-sitting, click here.
