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Robert Samuel Saw an Opportunity in Apple Queues and Created a Profitable Business That Serves Customers Willing to Pay to Avoid Waiting
Would you pay someone to stand in line for you? In New York, this has turned into a million-dollar business. The one who transformed this unusual idea into a profitable company was Robert Samuel, a former AT&T employee who saw a golden opportunity in the Apple queues.
It all began with the launch of the iPhone 5 in 2012. The lines at Apple Stores have always been known to be long and filled with eager fans. At the time, there was no way to reserve the device online. You had to endure hours of waiting to guarantee the product on launch day.
This was exactly what caught Samuel’s attention. He decided to publish an ad offering a simple service: stand in line for someone else. The idea was that the customer would only need to show up at the store at the right time to pick up the device without facing the crowd.
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First Test with the iPhone 5
The response to the ad was quick. Within a few minutes, Samuel landed his first customer, who agreed to pay around 500 reais for the service. The plan was simple: he would wait in line and hand over the spot to the buyer at the time of sale.
However, just before being attended, the customer notified that he had managed to get the iPhone through another means and canceled the purchase. Samuel did not give up. He saw there a chance to try something new. He sold his spot in line to another interested person and soon repeated the operation two more times.
By the end of the day, he returned home with around 1,500 reais in his pocket. All that just for waiting, something that many people try to avoid at all costs.
Birth of Same Ole Line Dudes
After this first experience, Samuel realized there was a market for this type of service. A few months later, he officially founded Same Ole Line Dudes. The proposal was simple: anyone who wanted to avoid a line could hire him—or someone from his team—to do the job.
The company grew rapidly and began to cater to various types of demands. In addition to Apple product launches, the services expanded to include lines for concerts, cultural events, theater plays, and even food launches.
One of the most curious examples is the Cronut, a mix of croissant and donut that became a craze in New York. The demand was so high that people would spend hours in line to secure the treat. Samuel and his team also began to serve this type of public.
Line, Delivery, and Combined Packages
Over time, the company’s services adapted. Today, the packages offered by Same Ole Line Dudes include not only waiting in line but also delivering the product.
According to the company’s website, the four-hour waiting service starts at 500 reais. Meanwhile, the packages that combine waiting in line and delivery, as in the case of the Cronuts, cost around 325 reais. Prices vary based on demand and the type of event.
Even with changes in how companies like Apple conduct their launches, Samuel’s business continues to thrive. For example, Apple has adopted an online reservation system. Today, it’s possible to schedule a time to pick up the iPhone in-store, which has significantly reduced in-person queues.
The Cultural Impact Remains
Despite modernization, there is still a line for those who can’t make a reservation. And it was precisely this gap that kept Samuel’s business afloat. Additionally, New York is a city full of events and passing trends. There’s always something new emerging—and someone willing to pay to avoid waiting.
Samuel himself often repeats a phrase that sums up his entrepreneurial spirit: “When people complain, stop, think, and see if there isn’t an opportunity there.” It was this mindset that took him from a regular job at AT&T to running a company that, according to Datanyze data, earns over a million dollars a year.
Entrepreneurship in Patience
The story of Robert Samuel shows that not every idea needs to be revolutionary to succeed. Sometimes, it’s enough to look at everyday life and find a common problem that no one had the courage—or patience—to solve.
Today, more than a decade after that first iPhone 5 line, he continues to make money waiting. And, apparently, many people still prefer to pay rather than waste time.
Even if companies change their policies and lines aren’t what they used to be, the experience of avoiding the hassle remains highly valuable for those with packed schedules.
In the end, Samuel discovered something simple yet powerful: time is money—and there are those who pay well for it.
With information from Xataka.
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