![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/55293397907_bff6fc4990_o-20f4.jpg\")
\n\t\tAJ Hubbins has made thousands from standing in queues for other people (Cover Media)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tAJ Hubbins has made thousands from standing in queues for other people (Cover Media)<\/p>\n
The first time he stood in a line for money, AJ Hubbins was woefully underprepared.<\/p>\n
He was queuing for the opening of a new Sephora store and had nothing with him: no food, no water and not even a coat to keep him warm during the 13-hour overnight wait.<\/p>\n
It sounds boring, and AJ initially dreaded the tedious task, but he was surprised to find he actually enjoyed the experience.<\/p>\n
As a professional queuer, AJ is paid to stand in line on behalf of other people for concert tickets, pop-up stores, product launches and shop openings.<\/p>\n
The job is more common in large cities, where demand and waiting times can be extreme.<\/p>\n
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Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates<\/a><\/strong> newsletter or get Breaking News<\/a> <\/strong>alerts the moment it happens. <\/p>\n \t\t The 23-year-old, from Manchester<\/a>, said: \u2018I will queue for absolutely anything. My first queuing job was for the grand opening of Sephora in Liverpool, and that was 13 hours. But I will queue for anything: concerts, tickets, new products and so on.\u2019<\/p>\n For his first queuing job, AJ was asked to stand in line to become one of the first 500 people to visit the store and collect the free goodie bag and he was paid \u00a3250 to essentially stand, and sit, around.<\/p>\n He arrived at 8pm to find around 100 people already lining up for the 9am opening<\/p>\n \u2018I had a small foldable chair, but not much else. I was a little underprepared. I had no food, so I had to order a pizza to my place in the line. Now I am a bit more geared up for it,\u2019 AJ said. <\/p>\n Despite the UK\u2019s strict unwritten codes around queuing (single file, no pushing, no jumping), AJ found the queuing community relaxed and fun, and by making friends around him he was able to nip out for food, drinks<\/a> or toilet trips while others reserved his place.<\/p>\n \u2018Now I bring everything,\u2019 he said. \u2018I bring a better chair, a mat to sleep on, food and drink.<\/p>\n \u2018It is a lot easier if you make yourself comfortable with the people around you in the queue, because you\u2019re going to be with them for quite a while. And it is sociable. It\u2019s easy to communicate with people. It\u2019s quite fun.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t AJ stands in queues to supplement his work<\/a> in TV and film production, and he finds jobs through the local services marketplace Airtasker.<\/p>\n According to Airtasker, the average Brit spends 15 full days a year standing in line, and almost half (44 per cent) say they waste up to three hours a day waiting around.<\/p>\n Over the past two years, the platform has seen a 50 per cent increase in requests for people to queue on behalf of others.<\/p>\n \u2018Once I arrived at Sephora, the queue grew very rapidly,\u2019 AJ said. <\/p>\n \u2018There were probably about a thousand people there. You just make yourself comfortable. I saw a few families with tents, which made me realise that perhaps I should have been more prepared.\u2019<\/p>\n Some seasoned queuers even came in pyjamas and slippers with sleeping bags and camping mats.<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s like a whole living room set-up. It\u2019s pretty crazy,\u2019 AJ added. \u2018Eventually we started mingling. I ended up playing games with people like charades and Heads Up! <\/p>\n \u2018I realised how terrible I was at general trivia. It was good. Quite exciting. I met quite a few people in the queue who do this quite regularly, and I was getting queuing tips from them.\u2019<\/p>\n When he got to the front of the queue, he accepted the goodie bag containing shampoo, conditioner, make-up samples, skincare products and face masks, and took it home for the client.<\/p>\n \t\t Now AJ queues regularly for cash, negotiating the price with each client individually. <\/p>\n He says the events are usually quite well organised, sometimes with musicians entertaining the crowd or organisers handing out free samples to people in the queue.<\/p>\n \u2018\u00a3250 for essentially not doing anything is good money,\u2019 AJ said. \u2018And it can be a fun experience, with everyone being social and getting to know one another. The atmosphere is usually amazing.\u2019<\/p>\n But it\u2019s not all easy. It can be cold at night and hard to sleep in a camping chair in the elements, although some promoters provide ponchos and umbrellas in the rain<\/a>.<\/p>\n And AJ admits he gets irritated when event organisers fail to manage things effectively or openings run late.<\/p>\n AJ has been fascinated by the die-hard fans he has witnessed. One mum came with her primary school-aged children straight from school<\/a> to stand in a Sephora queue in their uniforms, waited all night, took them back to school<\/a> in the morning and then returned to the queue herself.<\/p>\n \u2018It was bizarre. I was a little sceptical about her parenting<\/a>,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n \u2018And I do get quite a few looks. I\u2019m often towering over all these fans and teenagers, so I can sometimes look a little out of place. I just enjoy listening to all the gossip. People start to talk and then you get lots of insights into their lives, which is pretty fun. So you don\u2019t usually get bored.\u2019<\/p>\n It\u2019s not the only quirky job AJ has found on Airtasker. He has helped panicked lovers buy last-minute Valentine\u2019s Day gifts, rushing around on 14 February to pick up roses and chocolates when customers were unable to do so themselves. And he hires Airtaskers himself when needed, including finding someone to help him move house.<\/p>\n \u2018He was really good, professional and friendly,\u2019 he said. \u2018I enjoy the work. It\u2019s varied, you meet people and it\u2019s taught me things. I always thought of myself as a pretty patient person, but standing in queues for hours has made me really patient.\u2019<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/coverimages55715414-43a8.jpg\")
\n\t\tAJ says he was always a patient person \u2013 but standing in queues has really stretched his abilities (Picture: Cover Media)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/coverimages55715412-cedb.jpg\")
\n\t\tAJ waiting patiently in the queue for the opening of Sephora in Liverpool (Picture: Cover Media)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/coverimages55715415-9539.jpg\")
\n\t\tOne of the gift bags AJ claimed for a client (Picture: Cover Media)<\/p>\n
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