Line sitting

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Line sitting is a term applied to somebody who sits in line, on the pavement, for personal gain. It often involves waiting for the release of a movie, games console, or monetary gain through being paid to hold a space for someone else.

It has been widely reported in the media that the unemployed or homeless have been paid to queue and purchase a product on behalf of another person. Notoriously a dentist from Ohio, United States employed sixty temporary workers to queue for Playstation 3's to ensure his grandchildren, nieces, and nephews all got one for Christmas.

It has been reported that some people just enjoy sitting in line, often for media attention at major events.

There are also people who enjoy queuing for the latest consumer electronics and then destroying them with a hammer or other object in front of the other people waiting in line to purchase the same item. "Smash Our Stuff" is the name a group of Canadians go by, who have in the past been paid to smash a brand new iPod Nano out of the box.

[edit] Professionally

In Washington DC it has been reported that lobbyists and politicians employ "professional line sitters" to wait in line for them at various hearings.

Greg Packer has been labelled a "professional line sitter" by the international press. However as line-sitting does not require expertise (and hence profession), he holds down a regular job and does not earn anything substantial^{[citation needed]} from line sitting- other than donations for food and change from passers-by (alongside possible donations on his weblog where a PayPal donate button is provided) he should more correctly be considered an amateur or hobbyist.