This Man Gets Paid Thousands For Doing Nothing
Imagination is the mother of inventing a new job
Imagine waking up in the morning and having to go to a job to get paid for doing nothing. How about getting paid to dine and drink tea for free?
This man took home thousands of dollars for advising as a “Do Nothing” rent for sale gig. His name is Shoji Morimoto and this thirty-something man from Japan is making hard cash from strangers who ask him to do different tasks, ranging from accompanying a customer to her favorite restaurant or saying farewell to another customer at a train station.
People pay him 10,000 yen (about $85) and he averages up to 2 customers a day. He’s not there to entertain people and will be there as someone who only speaks when spoken to, or will be a sounding board for someone who needs to vent out his frustrations.
In an article in the Washington Post, Morimoto explains that he was hired by a woman to accompany her as she filed divorce papers. Another time, he went to a favorite restaurant with a woman for 45 minutes, where he only nodded, gave curt answers, and never started a conversation.
The customer was satisfied, and she said, “I felt like I was with someone but at the same time felt like I wasn’t, since he existed in a way where I didn’t have to be attentive to his needs or think about him,” said the woman, 27. “I felt no awkwardness or pressure to speak. It may have been the first time I’ve eaten in complete silence.”
He has reportedly fulfilled 4000 inquiries and has become somewhat of a cult figure, spawning a television series and books.
“I was often told that I wasn’t doing enough, or that I wasn’t doing anything, so this became a complex for me. I decided to take advantage of this and make it into a business,” he said.
He started out on Twitter, sending out a Tweet: “I offer myself for rent, as a person who does nothing…”
My take:
The fact that his business is thriving tells me something about society in a sense. Some people are lonely and feel that they need to hire strangers to accompany them to various places. That’s what friends are for. Hey, if you haven’t spoken to your friends or relatives for a while, give them a call. It only takes a moment and you could make someone’s day and maybe even save them some money.
Personally, I think this man’s gig is so cool and if he’s up to it, he can do a franchise. Just being silly.
Actually some saavy folks get hired to lineup for others to buy concert tickets or other things. Other people, I have heard, get paid to take tests for lazy students. There are also companies that write research papers for rich students. It’s crazy what some people do when it comes to making money.
That’s all today.
What do you think about these kind of gigs that are off the norm? Are they good for society?
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