Stand-up comic made $19 an hour on Taskrabbit waiting in line: 'This job requires absolutely zero special skills'

Stand-up comedian Casey James Salengo has picked up some interesting side hustles.

In the fall of 2022, just after signing up for hustle site Taskrabbit, the 37-year-old was hired to deliver a birthday fish to a man while saying “Branzino boys for life.” The task took about two hours and paid $32 altogether.

These days, the New York-based comic juggles stand-up, delivering flowers, cleaning houses and various other jobs. He does a few out-of-town gigs per month in nearby states including Connecticut, New Jersey and Delaware. And though he spends less time on Taskrabbit, specifically, he managed to do some other unique hustles early in his tenure on the site.

Another odd side gig he got hired for: Standing in line for someone.

‘I actually bought some doughnuts for the group’

Salengo’s client, Halia F., was a woman who couldn’t be pulled away from work to stand in line at a clothing sample sale. The gig started at 11:30 in the morning and took place in midtown Manhattan.

Salengo’s view in line.

Courtesy Casey James Salengo

“The weather was nice when I did it,” he says. “I actually bought some doughnuts for the group around me so it was quite pleasant.” He was there for three hours and spent the time talking to the other people in line, playing Sudoku on his phone and drinking coffee. Halia then showed up after three hours to claim her spot.

At the time, Salengo was charging $19 per hour for the gig. Altogether, he got paid $57 for doing it.

‘It all went without a hitch!’

Halia was pretty happy with Salengo’s work. She left him a review saying she loved that he made friends with other people in line and would use him again.

Salengo would recommend anyone looking for an easy gig to sign up on Taskrabbit and do it. “This job requires absolutely zero special skills,” he says. “The line doesn’t even move. A corpse could do it.”

When it comes to side hustles, “you can make a living however you want if you’re just willing to get weird with it,” he says. Other easy side gigs to consider include house helper, pet sitter and online focus groups. Peruse the tasks people take on on sites like Taskrabbit, Thumbtack and Sidehusl.com to get some ideas of what you can do.

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