Everyday I’m Hustling: the start of an interesting side hustle

My side hustle kind of fell into my lap, but I am grateful it did. Since crafts or making things in general are definitely not my forte, Etsy was definitely never going to be on my list. But I do act, so I can talk to people like no body’s business. :p So when I got signed with a new acting agency a couple years ago, I was intrigued to learn of the interesting side hustle they offered: being a brand ambassador.

Once I was on their acting roster, I started getting emails right away for “samplings,” which turned out to be alcohol samplings. No information was given at the time except the location date and times…and payrate of course…which was the most intriguing part of the whole situation. I put my name in for several right away and got assigned to my first in a Winn-dixie in a tiny little town about 45 minutes from my house. Two days before my gig, I got a text from the scheduling girl with a laundry list of instructions including that I would need to purchase a small folding table, black table cloth, an ice bucket and sampling cups. I was assured I would be reimbursed for these so off I went to Target to find my essentials. Little did I know, these would soon become a permanent fixture in my trunk. My first gig went swimmingly. I had more fun than I expected and met a lot of interesting characters. I recall one man who jokingly asked if he could get a lawn chair and camp out and drink samples the whole night to which I replied, “I mean, they are paying me to hand out samples, not to gatekeep.” That was also the night I texted my best friend and was like “You need to get in on this.” She did.

Our next assignment, we got to do together and it’s a wonder we’re still brand ambassadors after that weekend. Hangout Fest is where we were assigned. More specifically, the bright pink Shein tent. I remember how much prep went into this the week before. We had to find and purchase white shorts, a white crop top, a white tank top, sunglasses, and any other essentials such as sunscreen and undergarments we would need since we would mostly be wearing Shein bathing suits.

Little did we know what we were getting ourselves into. We left that Friday afternoon filled with a bit of excitement for what the weekend would hold and the nice paycheck we would soon have after 3 full days of work. The festival was about and hour and a half away from us and we were warned to expect traffic. As we got closer to the site, we started to see lots of interesting people with brightly-colored swimwear and body glitter….lots of body glitter. I told Jen “Oh…these are definitely not my people.” We secured our parking pass, but to do so we were forced to illegally park in a private driveway for about 20 minutes (no tickets though…law enforcement was otherwise occupied).Our first obstacle was conquered, but then we learned where this parking lot was they had obtained for their measly vendors: about 25 minutes from the actual event. So we parked and made our way in the 90 degree blazing afternoon sun. We got to the tent and were told to sift through a mound of clothes. Find our size and then go wait in line at one of the very few public bathrooms. Why the two people in the trailer with the clothes could not exit for 3 minutes for us to change in there, we are still unsure. But we did as we were told. Jen and I shared a bathroom stall to both pee and change into our bathing suits…I think we became closer that day. :p

We were on the late shift. We got done around 10 each night, made the trek back to our car in the dark and then the long ride home. Several of the brand ambassadors did not show back up for the rest of the weekend if that tells you anything. But we were there, and made the best of it. Most of the people we were dealing with were either drunk or high, but they were all having a good time. My time was split between directing traffic at the front of the tent and ironing small glittery letters on fanny packs with a super tiny ineffective iron…a task that I still have nightmares about.  Jen and I got to take our lunch at the same time we found a coffee truck and the world’s best street tacos (that’s not the name, but they really were. We still talk about those tacos.). We would divide and conquer (one of us would stand in the coffee line and the other in the taco line so we actually had enough time to sit and eat. We did get to see some of the Paramore set and we heard some of the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s set. I had a drunk lady give me her bejeweled cat ears and tell me I was her best friend. The rides to and from were a good time; laughing about the misadventure we were on or complete delirium on the way back. And the shower at the end of every day was the absolute best.

It was definitely a time, but one we declined the following year; however there was a brief moment we considered it for the tacos (they were that good). We finished our time with Shein, walked away with a whole bunch of cheap swimwear that mostly my co-workers and nieces benefited from, and then waited weeks for our check….after they tried to nickel and dime us, of course.

Nowadays, we both work for several different companies and are smarter about the jobs we accept…well sometimes, but you live and learn. At this point, Total Wine is my first choice and what I consider the easiest place. The staff is great and I have become friends with several of them and quite a few of the samplers as well. Summer’s picking up, so I’m averaging 2-3 gigs a weekend. My backseat and trunk is currently filled to the brim with boxes of supplies, promo materials and of course my table and ice bucket. I have over 30 bottles of liquor sitting on my counter which I rarely touch (I really need to figure out what to do with those). It’s sometimes tedious and annoying, and I usually don’t feel like showing up, but overall, it’s easy money, I have fun once I’m there, and I always walk away with a story or two. So I am grateful for my interesting side gig, and I will definitely have more stories for you in future posts. But today I’m enjoying a quite day with no hustling. Hope you get some rest as well.