Because of price fixing, Venezuelan stores are frequently out of basic items and when there is stock coming in, people have to wait in lines. Rather than wait themselves, some Venezuelans are paying people to hold their place in line.
From Yahoo/Reuters:
In shortages-hit Venezuela, lining up becomes a profession
There's a booming new profession in Venezuela: standing in line.
The job usually involves starting before dawn, enduring long hours under the Caribbean sun, dodging or bribing police, and then selling a coveted spot at the front of huge shopping lines.
As Venezuela's ailing economy spawns unprecedented shortages of basic goods, panic-buying and a rush to snap up subsidized food, demand is high and the pay is reasonable.
"It's boring but not a bad way to make a living," said a 23-year-old man, who only gave his first name Luis, as he held a spot near the front of a line of hundreds outside a state supermarket just after sunrise in Caracas.
More at the article including the wonderful fact that President Maduro's party has a 22% approval rating and there are elections coming up later this year.
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