Hate to Wait? Hire Someone Else to Do It

Most of the Gofer Girls' time is spent on simpler fare, like delivering packages, filling prescriptions and paying bills for clients who are out of town. Clients are especially appreciative when Ristorucci and Co. take on soul-deadening assignments like trips to the Department of Motor Vehicles and long waits for cable installation.

John Winslow has been winning the waiting game for nearly 24 years. A co-founder of Washington, D.C.-based Linestanding.com, Winslow began sending bicycle messengers to wait in line for Congressional hearings back in 1985 and has watched his business grow exponentially. For $36 an hour with a two-hour minimum, his team will hold spots in line for high-powered lobbyists, lawyers, lawmakers and anyone else seeking a say in public policy.

"There are certain issues that tend to generate a lot of hype and a lot of interest, and certain companies with powerful lobbyists start competing to be first in the room," he says. "That's what keeps companies like mine out there for 12 hours a day and lining up at midnight."

If you wander the halls of hearing rooms throughout D.C., you'll see people queued up along the walls dressed like couriers and holding name placards similar to those used by airport taxi drivers. Many are Winslow's line standers. He says they're there to make sure their client gets in, not to keep others out, and they're not guaranteed a spot in the room. The rising number of Congressional hearings tied to the economic downturn has made Winslow's service more valuable.

"It tends to be one of those businesses that are impervious to economic trouble," Winslow says. "Those kinds of things tend to generate a certain amount of hearings, which is good for us. The more hearings the better."

Professional haggler Phil Landers, who has survived several recessions, has been picking fights with car dealers since he and his wife were ripped off by a dealer in 1986. After serving as his family's special automotive envoy for several years, Landers started his Chicago-area No More Haggling business.