Cash for queues: people paid to stand in line amid India’s bank note crisis
Outside the Churchgate branch of the Bank of India in south Mumbai, some of those queueing for cash have become familiar faces.
Ever since the prime minister, Narendra Modi, unexpectedly withdrew high-value 500- and 1,000-rupee banknotes from circulation, wiping out 86% of India’s currency overnight, queueing for cash has become a national sport. But for some, such as Santosh Garg, who comes here every day on behalf of his bosses at an insurance company, lining up has become a part of his job description.
“Obviously I don’t like coming and standing in line for two hours in the sun,” Garg says. “I do it because my boss tells me to. It’s not like I can say no.”
Modi’s money crunch has prompted an unexpected boom in the queue-sitting business, where people are paid to stand in line. Some people send their employees to hold their place, while others hire workers paid by the day to do the job. Tech startups such as BookMyChotu and DoneThing have also swooped in to capitalise on the queueing crisis, offering “helpers” who will hold your place in a bank queue for 90-150 rupees (£1-£1.75) an hour. The proxies wait until they are close to the head of the queue then call their temporary employer, who makes the transaction.