“Get in line” is something millions of people around the world are used to hearing on almost an everyday basis.
We are talking about queues that are seen just about everywhere these days.
People line up outside convenience stores, liquor outlets, museums, stadiums, theatres, malls, galleries, and other public places. Although the ongoing pandemic has affected turnout, there have been numerous flashes of panic buying.
Almost every day, we hear reports of long queues outside liquor stores, supermarkets, and malls.
These are people who have no option but to line up in the cold or scorching sun to get what they want. But the same can’t be said for the rich and the privileged who can get things done by hiring a professional queuer.
Freddie Beckitt is a professional queuer who earns £160 (with the Cedi equivalent being almost GHc1,130) or £20 an hour by waiting in queue for people who don’t want to. Basically, he is the one who lines up for hours to buy something from a store. In return, he gets a good remuneration.
The 31-year-old said waiting in line for long hours is never a problem for him by the virtue of being a Londoner. He can earn up to £160 on a good day. But the work needs a lot of patience of a saint and a cool head.
He said the best jobs for waiting in line are for tickets to popular events.
“I worked eight hours for a job queuing for the V&A’s Christian Dior exhibition for some very well-to-do people around their mid-sixties,” he told The Sun.
“The actual queuing was just three hours but they asked me to collect their tickets too and wait for them to arrive, so I just had hours perusing the V&A museum being paid £20 an hour, it was great,” he added.
Interestingly, his clients vary from families to young people who do not wish to stand in long queues.
Ewurama Acheampoma