What many see as lost time became a business idea for Robert Samuel: he stands in line for others – and earns a small fortune doing so.
How did this unusual business idea come about? In 2012, during the launch of the iPhone 5, Robert Samuel, then an employee at AT&T in New York, offered on Craigslist to stand in line for someone.
Although the original customer canceled, Samuel successfully resold his spot – and did so twice. Ultimately, he earned about 300 USD that day without moving from his place. This success inspired him to monetize waiting (via Vice).
From a harebrained idea to a successful CEO
How did he develop his business model? Today, Samuel runs “Same Ole Line Dudes“, a company with numerous employees that specializes in standing in line for customers in New York City – whether for concert tickets or (limited) product releases. The official job titles are: line stander, queue stander, line sitter, or queue professional.
The prices range from 25 to 40 USD (~ 20 to 33 euros) per hour, with a minimum of two hours. Additional fees apply for bad weather (3 USD per hour), nighttime waiting (15 USD), or last-minute requests (20 USD) (via SameOleLineDudes).
Who are his customers? The customers of “Same Ole Line Dudes” come from all walks of life – but two groups particularly stand out. On the one hand, there are so-called “stay-at-home moms”, who take care of the household and children during the day, but still do not want to miss exclusive shopping experiences or restaurant reservations, according to founder Robert Samuel in an interview with ZDF (via ZDFheute).
On the other hand, many tourists use the service, who spend only a few days in New York and do not want to waste time standing in long lines. A regular customer told ZDF: ‘I don’t want to spend my time in line – I always want to be first in line.’
In contrast to the United States, the business model has not been successfully established in Germany despite several attempts so far.
In a metropolis like New York City, where waiting is the order of the day, Robert Samuel has practically ‘invented’ a service that directly addresses the time pressure of many people and allows them to use their time more efficiently. Monetizing waiting might be one of the easiest ways to make money. Others choose rather more strenuous paths: A millennial shared that he works three jobs at the same time. He feels no guilt for this, as his employers could let him go at any time.
