Now waiting in line is my job... Earns 5 million won per month by waiting tables instead of ‘Duchokku Restaurant’

"I'm looking for someone to help me line up in Hongdae when we move from December 31st to January 1st."

On December 26th last year, this article was posted on Carrot, an online used goods trading platform. This job posting, which offered a cost of 30,000 won, attracted 30 applicants.

On the night of December 31st last year, before the New Year, there were long lines waiting to enter bars, restaurants, and game rooms in the middle of Hongdae despite the cold wave of minus 8 degrees. Among this procession was Mr. Park (43), who has been working professionally as a line queuer for over 5 years. He said, “Recently, there has been a significant increase in requests to wait in line at restaurants such as luxury hotel restaurants and bars. People earn an average of 4 to 5 million won per month, and during COVID-19, there are people who earned up to 8 million won due to the most work, so there are even cases where waiting in line is their full-time job.”

It was easy to find related articles from various places, such as a post posted not only in Hongdae but also on Dangjae in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do, saying, “I’m looking for a bar stand in Sangnam-dong on January 1st (Changwon-si) for 50,000 won.” The content was diverse, such as “I was born in 2007, and I want to enter as soon as 12 o’clock,” and “I don’t want to waste time with the opposite sex, so I’m looking for someone to stand in line for me.”

Likewise, ‘line-waiting part-time jobs’, which were previously limited to purchasing limited editions of luxury brands, have recently expanded into restaurants, bars, bakeries, etc. and are becoming popular nationwide. It emerged in the late 2010s, and as demand increased before and after COVID-19, it expanded into a form of professional agency part-time work. Recently, as the number of customers has increased explosively at Daejeon's famous bakery 'Seongsimdang' and several cafes selling 'Dubai Chewy Cookie', a dessert popular among young people, the demand for people to stand in line at these shops is also increasing.

The general line waiting allowance is the minimum hourly wage (10,320 won), but higher wages may be added depending on the date or situation. Mr. A, the owner of an agency that specializes in providing waiting services, said, “Outdoor waiting is more expensive per hour, and during peak seasons such as the end of the year and the beginning of the year, the premium is about 50%.”

Experts analyzed that the development of platforms and changes in the perception of modern consumers are behind the rapid increase in the number of people who do not hesitate to pay for the price of goods plus the act of waiting in line. Choi Cheol, a professor of consumer economics at Sookmyung Women's University, explained, “In the past, it was common to go out of your way and endure inconvenience to consume, but these days, consumers recognize time and effort as specific transaction costs and are willing to pay additional costs.” Lee Eun-hee, a professor of consumer studies at Inha University, said, “With the development of the Internet and platforms, it is easy to match suppliers and consumers for even minor services,” and predicted, “Services such as waiting in line at bars, which are segmented demands, will continue to appear in the future.”

There is also controversy about this line-queuing service. Kwak Jun-ho, a lawyer at the Cheong Law Firm, said, “The act of waiting in line itself is not problematic under the current law, but there is room for moral criticism about settling for limited goods with money.” Jeongmin Cheon, an attorney at Daeryun Law Firm, pointed out, “The reality is that there are no regulations on organized agency behavior,” and “There are some stores that explicitly prohibit queue queuing, and if you do not comply with the store’s request to vacate, there may be a potential for legal disputes.”

Reporters Han Chan-woo and Lee A-mi han.chanwoo@joongang.co.kr

[View full article]
Now waiting in line is my job... Earn 5 million won per month by waiting tables instead of ‘Duchokku Restaurant’ (Shortcut)