RICHMOND — Chances are you’ve driven by them, maybe even honked your horn or waved at them. But, have you ever wondered just who is inside those Statue of Liberty costumes in front of Liberty Tax Service on Richmond’s Big Hill Avenue?
We talked with two of these ambassadors of tax preparation to find out just who answers a help wanted ad that begins with, “Get paid to wave.”
Chris Turpin, 20, lives in Waco with his parents, and dreams of one day operating a website on which he teaches folks to play guitar online.
Turpin, who moved to Waco from Pigeon Forge, Tenn., about two years ago, has held a number of odd jobs over the years, including roofing and siding work, and, appropriately, a position as a street magician, “Chris The Magic Man,” doing magic tricks on the streets of Pigeon Forge to promote a local magic and novelty store.
Turpin, whose father was a comedian and singer, said his dad saw the ad for Liberty Tax Service in the newspaper and kidded him about “getting paid to wave,” so he decided to answer the ad, did a tryout and got the job.
“I think you have to approach this job with enthusiasm and be determined to let people know you’re promoting something big and something worth looking into,” Turpin said of his new part-time job.
Tiffany Wells, of Richmond, was a student at EKU who is taking a semester off. She hopes to earn a degree in nursing.
Like Turpin, she saw the ad in the paper and decided to give it a try.
Wells, originally from Michigan, now lives with her grandfather and decided to take the temporary job to make some money and act as a goodwill ambassador for the business.
“I enjoy waving at people and having them honk their horns and wave back,” she said. “I figure people may be having a rough day and when they see the Statue of Liberty waving at them, it brings a smile to their face.”
Jonell Hinton, who owns the local Liberty Tax Service office with her husband, Gary, said she’s been hiring wavers for the past three years and has found it to be a good tool for promoting the business.
She employs eight wavers, who take different shifts, Hinton said. They spend 50 minutes waving at cars and take a 10-minute break each hour to use the facilities and to come in for a warm-up with a hot chocolate and to warm their feet at a space heater when it’s cold.
They don costumes, carry signs promoting the business and wave at passing cars to attract potential clients.
The wavers work in all kinds of weather, except when there’s thunder and lightning, when Hinton brings them in.
Hinton has tryouts for the job and judges her employees on their enthusiasm. The more enthusiastic the waver, the more work time they get. She said the job pays $7.50 an hour, and wavers who stay with it throughout tax season get a $1 per hour bonus for each hour they have worked at the end of their employment.
Hinton has several different versions of the costume. The more expensive versions stay indoors during inclement weather, while other, simpler versions can be worn in the rain or snow.
The most elaborate and expensive version of the costume, which Hinton has named “Libby,” stays indoors for most of the time, and is used for special occasions only.
There’s even a version with a red robe for use on Valentine’s Day!
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