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Five Home-Based Jobs With A Social Side
As many of us know who work at home full-time, the biggest drawbacks
can be isolation and loneliness. When you find yourself wondering why
your dog, mummified relative or velvet painting of Elvis in a white
jumpsuit won't answer your question about the witness on Judge Joe
Brown that you've been arguing with for the past half-hour, you know
you're in trouble.
Fortunately, not all home-based jobs mean you have to stay at home and
wait for the king to reply. Some jobs let you work a bit at home, then
get in the car and go see actual people.
Here are five examples to get you thinking. For current openings and
more ideas, see Narms.com, the website for the National Association for
Retail Marketing Services. You can also search using job titles and
phrases from the descriptions that follow. Requirements may include a
cell phone and/or landline phone, computer, printer and, of course,
reliable wheels.
— Store Merchandisers: This job involves visiting stores and
making sure that products are in stock and placed appropriately. It can
also include sales, as in this recent lead from Lindt, the
chocolate-maker, for the San Antonio, Texas, area:
"(Duties include) selling product to store and/or candy managers,
building displays, setting up and re-stocking products and signage, and
improving and maintaining shelf presence of Lindt products on assigned
accounts." (For the full ad, see http://bit.ly/qLrqJK.)
— Live Infomercial Performers: If you nurse a secret yearning to
get out there and strut your stuff, this gig could be for you. As
you've probably seen in a "big box" store or at the state fair,
consumer-product companies often need outgoing demonstrators who can
show prospective customers the virtues of their wares.
United Home Technologies, for example, has been looking for energetic
people to demonstrate its Keepeez line of food-freshness containers and
similar products. For more, see http://bit.ly/pHsdke.
— Assemblers: Ever wonder who assembles fitness machines, bikes
and all the other mechanical marvels you see in stores? Wonder no more.
Assemblers, Inc., for example, hires people to assemble exercise
equipment in stores and in residences, too. For more, see http://assemblersinc.net.
— Mystery Shoppers: Despite the prevalence of scams in this
field, there are legitimate gigs, too. Market Force Information, for
example, often recruits mystery shoppers across the U.S. and Canada to
visit everything from movie theaters to donut shops and then file
reports on their experience.
For an example of a current Market Force Information lead, see http://bit.ly/puJsBm. For our list of over 100 additional mystery shopper hirers, see http://bit.ly/ojYFhh.
— Errand Runners and Other Task-Handlers: With the rat race
steadily winning, more and more people need help with the dry cleaning,
taking Fido to the vet, emptying out the attic for the big yard sale
and myriad other tasks. Sites like TaskRabbit.com have stepped in to
fill the gap, matching "TaskPosters" and "TaskRabbits." To find similar
sites, search using phrases such as "errand runners" and
"errand-running service."
Christine Durst and Michael Haaren are leaders in the work-at-home
movement and advocates of de-rat-raced living. Their latest book is
"Work at Home Now," a guide to finding home-based jobs. They offer
additional guidance on finding home-based work at
www.RatRaceRebellion.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate
writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at
www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2011 BY STAFFCENTRIX, DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM
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