The children & I always give a friendly honk & a wave when we see these folks.  Like Jennifer in MI who posted above, I’d prefer being a “human billboard” over several other jobs I can think of.  Fresh air, discretely listening to some tunes on your ipod or walkman or portable CD player (I’m dating myself here), getting a bit of exercise (if you like to dance around to pass the time or to keep warm) might all be considered benefits of this type of employment.

Oh my goodness, I went to College with the third person interviewed!  Christendom College grad in the news!

While the work itself is not fulfilling in any way, it is a job that provides money for people’s families.  And it is a way for small businesses to market themselves with out a significant capital expense - filming a tv commercial and buying airtime, for example.  I’m all for things that let small businesses compete effectively with larger organizations.

I get the NIMBY issue, too.  That’s a tough balance - but thank you for the thoughtful article.

I don’t think there is anything particularly demeaning about this job. As others have pointed out, there are far ‘worse’ jobs out there—just watch an episode of Discovery Channel’s ‘Dirty Jobs’ to see a few. What was refreshing to see in this video was the positive attitude each of the roadside marketers took with regard to the job. They tried to do it well, and found dignity in the fact that they were providing for themselves and their families in an honest way. I think they do attract some attention to the businesses, but they don’t sway me either way. Sometimes they inform me of a business I didn’t previously know was there, and I’ll go out of my way to check it out if it’s interesting to me.

As a person looking for work myself, I constantly see ads on craigslist for these types of positions. In the current economy there are very, very few truly entry-level jobs like this one that can be done with minimal education or experience. It is good for those who need them.

Since I live in a comercial suberb with strict zoning laws about posting signs we see these people all of the time. My teens even know many of the kids who dance around the street corners in these costumes. For the most part these teenagers( and some adults too) are thrilled to have these jobs as opposed to more traditional teen jobs . It suprises me that a dancing dog ( pet shop),pacing sandwich( subway),Clown setting in a big chair (hair salon) or any other regulars that we see around here bring in more business than any other form of advertising but it must. IMO if the stores find hiring these people profitable and the employees like it, why not.  I was always taught that there is no shame in doing what one must do to pay the bills. The shame is in feeling above what you need to do. Just my two cents

Ha, ha, Anita, I was going to say that too - I know the third person in that clip from high school!  We still get together whenever she is in town… Erin does know a ton of people!

around here they don’t do the costume thing.  They literally just have billboards around their necks.  I’ve never been swayed to go to a store because of them and really think it’s a waste of $$  but I am not in the advertising and marketing profession and have been wrong more than once. 

There’s a Statue of Liberty person around the corner from us, and today it was a young woman twirling two batons! We always check them out, whether they have the big foam head on or not, if they’re dancing etc., and like today, we often get a moment of entertainment. I don’t think any kind of work can be demeaning, unless it’s immoral. When I was a college student, I took a temp job where I dressed as an elf at Christmas, collected toys for a toy drive and gave out coupons. The money was very helpful and I didn’t feel demeaned.