A 23-year-old man from Manchester has turned queuing into a paying profession, earning £250 for standing in line on behalf of others. AJ Hubbins, who works in TV and film production, takes on queue jobs for concert tickets, store openings and product launches, describing it as 'the most British job ever'.
His first paid queue was for the opening of a Sephora store in Liverpool, where he arrived at 8pm for a 9am opening. He had only a small folding chair and no food or water, but soon learned to bring supplies after ordering a pizza to his spot in the line. He now takes a better chair, a mat, food and drink.
Hubbins finds jobs through the marketplace Airtasker, which has seen a 50% increase in queue requests over two years. He negotiates payment individually, with £250 typical for an overnight wait. He finds the queuing community sociable, making friends who save his place for toilet breaks.
Despite the UK's strict queuing etiquette, he says the atmosphere is relaxed and fun. Some seasoned queuers arrive with tents, sleeping bags and pyjamas. 'It’s like a whole living room set-up,' he said. He once played charades and trivia with fellow queue members.
Not all jobs are easy: cold nights and sleeping in a camping chair are challenges, and he gets irritated by poor organisation. But he notes that promoters sometimes provide ponchos and umbrellas, and entertainment like musicians or free samples.
Hubbins says the die-hard fans he has seen include a mother who brought her primary-school children to queue straight from school, waited all night, took them back in the morning and returned to the queue herself. He added: '£250 for essentially not doing anything is good money.'
