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Joseph and Moon Ray, from Austin, Texas arrived in New York
to wait for iPhone6 for their sponsor
|
There are indeed different kinds of
entrepreneurs. Meet Joseph and Moon Ray - professional line waiters in the US. Among the lot, this couple takes the
cake: they get paid by companies to wait in line to buy new products for their
sponsors while advertising for them as the same time! Very clever indeed!
Welcome to the world of Jason and Moon Ray, from Austin, Texas.
Surprised? YES!
A new service is helping New Yorkers
who are too busy or lazy to get their hands on trendy new products by hiring
out people to wait in line for them.
Joseph and Moon Ray, a married couple
from Austin, Texas arrived in New York to stand in front of Apple's store for
the iPhone 6, and are being sponsored by an app company called Video Medicine.
Wearing sponsored T-shirts, the professional queuers have waited for as long as
six weeks to get their hands on Apple's newest phone - which won't actually be
released to the public until September 19.
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Tech fans believe the new iPhone
6 will have a bigger screen, better battery life and super-fast wifi
|
Tech fans the world over are poised for the big reveal of the
new iPhone 6 on September 9.
But some people are turning the event into a business
opportunity - by being paid to wait in line outside New York's flagship Apple
Store weeks ahead of the launch.
Wearing sponsored T-shirts, these professional queuers have
waited for as long as three weeks to get their hands on Apple's newest phone -
which won't actually be released to the public until September 19.
Other Apple enthusiasts are also getting sponsored by tech
companies to line up weeks before the release.
Joseph Cruz from Staten Island, NY had arrived the day
before, securing the first and second position along with his cousin.
Working with companies for sponsorship, the Apple fans can
have their iPhones paid for as long as they agree to wear the branding of the
company they are dealing with.
The Rays have come prepared, travelling with a tent, solar
panel to charge their phones and sleeping bags.
Grinning, he tells the camera: 'Now I got US$1,250 in my
pocket, free iPhone and free food. What more could you ask for?'
As the date of the big reveal edges closer, rumours
are swirling about just what the iPhone 6 will include.
A frenzy has been created by leaked photos
and specifications that appear to show different things.
Some believe larger screens will be a feature of the new
phone, while others are on tenterhooks about iWatch wearable devices.
Battery life is also
expected to be much better, while a new super-fast WiFi chip, improving
internet speeds dramatically.
 |
Sleeping rough: Jason Ray and Moon Ray put away
their sleeping bags outside the Apple Store in Manhattan
|
Other Apple enthusiasts are also getting sponsored by tech
companies to line up weeks before the release. Joseph Cruz from Staten Island, NY had arrived the day
before, securing the first and second position along with his cousin.
Working with companies for sponsorship, the Apple fans can
have their iPhones paid for as long as they agree to wear the branding of the
company they are dealing with.
The Rays have come prepared, travelling with a tent, solar
panel to charge their phones and sleeping bags.
Grinning,
he tells the camera: 'Now I got US$1,250 in my pocket, free iPhone and free
food. What more could you ask for?'
As
the date of the big reveal edges closer, rumours are swirling about
just what the iPhone 6 will include. A
frenzy has been created by leaked photos and specifications that appear to
show different things. Some
believe larger screens will be a feature of the new phone, while others are on
tenterhooks about iWatch wearable devices. Battery life is also
expected to be much better, while a new super-fast WiFi chip, improving
internet speeds dramatically.
 |
King of the queues: This iPhone
fan has queued for the device's new release every year for five years
|
Lining Up for the iPhone 6?
It's Been Outsourced Already
In
Australia, there is a rather different dimension to the Line Sitter.
Ingenious
Australians — who because of their time zone can get their hands on the iPhone
6 before the rest of the world on the day it's released — are already
outsourcing the task.
The TaskRabbit-like
marketplace Airtasker has been flooded with requests for people to stand in
line at Apple's flagship store in Sydney, offering a cash incentive ranging
from US$100 to US$800 — likely almost as much as the device itself.
 |
Image: Airtasker
|
Pre-release
rumours suggest iPhone 6 will be available in two sizes — a 4.7-inch and a
5.6-inch model. The actual release date is expected to be 10 days after the
announcement.
Stipulations
on the Airtasker requests range from "be first or don't bother" to
"rock up at 5am." For US$200 more, you'll need to get in line at 12am
on the morning before the release. While to score an US$800 reward, you'll be
in for a long wait. This Airtasker user, Jess G, requires you be in line from
September 9 onwards.
"You will need to take
your place ASAP to ensure you're the first in Sydney otherwise this task is
pointless for me," Jess G wrote. (Four Airtaskers have already offers to
provide the service.)
 |
| Image: Airtasker |
It
is not the first time punters have used Airtasker to save themselves precious
time by getting someone else to do the queuing. When the Game of Thrones
exhibition came to Sydney, queue times reached four hours long — so one
individual outsourced the task for US$150.
In
2012, Airtasker recorded 35 iPhone 5s were purchased using a helper via the
site, saving users a grand total of 8,400 minutes.
Meet
the professional 'line sitters' who get paid US$25 an hour to queue up for
trendy releases
Back in the United States, Robert Samuel and his team at Same Ole Line Dudes will
wait for sample sales, Broadway tickets, Nike sneaker releases, Apple product
launches, talk shows, early morning audience lines and celebrity meet and
greets
Robert Samuel came up
with the idea for his business, Same Ol Line Dudes, after selling two spots in
line for the iPhone 5 launch and making an impressive US$325.
These days, he and his team
rake in US$25 for the first hour they spend in line and US$10 for each
half-hour after that. 'It's a phenomenon,' he told Racked.com.
 |
Good things come to those who wait: Robert
Samuel (pictured) founded Same Ol Line Dudes, a company that lets you hire
people to stand in line for you and wait for Cronuts, iPhones and other trendy releases
|
'I did an interview with
German Public Radio a while ago and I explained FOMO: fear of missing
out,' said the former
AT&T employee.
'Especially [in] New
York, you have friends and you're hanging out and it's like, "Did you see
that new exhibit at MoMA?" "Do you know what a Cronut is?"'
Indeed, the Cronut is
particularly hard to come by because only 200 are made per day, and there is always
a line of at least 40 people outside before the Dominique Ansel bakery even
opens its doors.
Mr Ansel recently had to
crack down on scalpers who were buying Cronuts in bulk - which is against the
two Cronut per customer limit - and selling them on Craigslist for up to US$40
each.
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Lucrative business: Mr Samuel (pictured in line
for a Cronut at Dominique Ansel) and his team rake in US$25 for the first hour
they spend in line and $10 for each half-hour after that
|
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Sought-after: The Cronut is particularly hard to
come by because only 200 are made per day, and there is always a line of at
least 40 people outside before the bakery even opens its doors
|
But Mr Samuel sticks to
the rules. 'I have two or three uber rich clients,' he reveals. 'One wants
Cronuts a lot [for] whenever friends come to visit from out of town.'
So he gets to the bakery
hours ahead of its 8am open time, armed with his usual tools for staying
occupied: a portable charger, two iPhones, an iPad mini and hand warmers.
For the longer waits,
like the launch of Isabel Marant for H&M, he brings a sleeping bag and even
a tent.
'It just pops up, and
people will look like, "Oh my God, it's that serious,"' he jokes,
adding that a lawn chair, the Metro and HBOGo also come in handy.
 |
Tricks of the trade: To stay occupied, he brings
a portable charger, two iPhones and an iPad mini (pictured: the line for
autographs by NFL stars Jim Brown and Cam Newton)
|
The longest he's ever had
to wait in line was a whopping 19 hours for the new iPhone 5. 'That was how the
whole idea of line sitting came about,' he reveals.
At the time, he had just
lost his job at AT&T and was thinking of inventive ways to supplement his
income.
'I live a few blocks from
the Apple store on 14th Street, so I said, "Let me wait in line for somebody
else and make them happy," he recalls.
A man gave him US$100 to
wait in line before cancelling his request, saying he would buy the phone
online instead - but he let him keep the money.
So Mr Samuel sold his spot
in line for another US$100. Then he collected milk crates from his house and
sold them for US$5 each to people who had been in line for hours and wanted a
place to sit down.
All in all, he made US$325
that day and realized he may have stumbled upon a lucrative business.
Now, he has seven people
working for him as professional waiters and 15 more who have expressed their
interest.
'People want these things
like it’s the end of the world,' he told the New York Post in November.
 |
Professional waiters (from left) Ron Smith,
Adonis Porch, Robert Samuel, Tristan Venavle and Tajon Johnson stand outside
the Dominique Ansel Bakery with their Cronuts. Photo: JC Rice
|
'When I show up to their
offices with a sleeping bag in one hand and the Cronuts in another, they know
they're getting their money's worth.'
Man turns waiting in line into a business
Chelsea resident Robert
Samuel has made a business off lazy New Yorkers, hanging tight for those
desperate for Cronuts or the latest Apple iPhone but unwilling to wait.
“People want these things
like it’s the end of the world,” Samuel, 38, told The Post. “When I show up to
their offices with a sleeping bag in one hand and the Cronuts in another, they
know they’re getting their money’s worth.”
Samuel rakes in up to US$300
a week by lingering in the outrageous line outside Soho’s Dominique Ansel
Bakery. For US$60 on weekdays, he picks up two of the croissant-donut hybrids
and delivers them to clients. That’s US$240 for eight Cronuts — which cost US$5
apiece.
He’s usually first in
line when he arrives at 5 a.m., and soon has buddies who fall in line. Because
there’s a two-pastry-per-person limit, he hires friends to idle in lawn chairs
for larger orders.
Samuel launched his
company — called SOLD Inc., or Same Ole Line Dudes — last fall after losing his
job. A former AT&T salesman, Samuel posted a Craigslist ad offering to wait
for the iPhone 5 for US$100.
That’s when he realized
line-sitting could be a part-time job. Out-of-towners have hired him to wait
for “Saturday Night Live” tickets from midnight to 7 a.m. and to hold their
places for concerts.
Carl
Pierre of IntheCapital writes, “Linestanding.com is one of the premiere
professional line-standing companies, and even though it sounds a tad bit
weird, their business is booming. In D.C., there are an increasing number of
high-demand hearings and events on Capitol Hill that necessitate waiting in
line for tickets, something many congressman, lobbyists, and interest groups
don't care to invest any personal time doing. So what's the solution? Hire
somebody to stand in line for you.
“As
odd of a service as it seems, Linestanding.com has a growing clientele list.
The average rate for a professional line-stander can go between US$10 and US$15
an hour, but the rates differ depending on what they're waiting in line for. A
good example is the much anticipated Supreme Court health care hearings, which
are beginning to rack up attention and lien-standers. Mark's company uses about
30 line-standers that work in shifts to hold 15 spots for three days, charging US$36
per hour with a 2-hour minimum.
“Even though it sounds
absurdly lazy, this business is really appealing to many lobbying groups and
politicians. Especially with the presidential election continuing to ramp up,
services as esoteric as line-standing are becoming more and more prolific and
used in the District. Okay, I'll admit, standing in line for somebody as a
living seems like the most ridiculous job you can possibly have, but we here at
IntheCapital believe entrepreneurs and innovation should be celebrated at all
levels, including guys who make an honest living holding somebody's place in
line.”
Original articles used to prepare this report
appeared in InTheCapital, Daily Mail, New York Post and Mashable. Carl Pierre of InTheCapital, Sarah Gordon of MailOnline,
Kate Briquelet of New York Post and Jenni Ryall of Mashable are gratefully
acknowledged.
