It's called TaskRabbit.com. It offers instant help for chores you can't, or don't want to get done yourself. They do everything from grocery shopping to translating a book. They'll even bring you a late night snack. It's like having a personal assistant at a price you can set.
Keith Lui of San Francisco is facing a daunting task. He has to assemble a dining set with eight chairs. That's 36 legs and hundreds of pieces.
"I kinda threw out my shoulder," Lui said. "So, not as handy as I'd like to be."
Lucky for him, help has just arrived.
Meet Wes Hodson. A college student by day, but right now, he is something called a "Task Rabbit."
"Wes came in with all the tools and, uh, hoping he can do a much better job than I would have done," Lui said.
The San Francisco resident hired Hodson through the service TaskRabbit.com, a website where everyday folks can find help to do everyday chores, and set the price they're willing to pay.
Hodson is putting a dining set together for $75 bucks.
"I think it's great," Lui said. "I mean, my shoulder thanks me for it."
"Since I got pregnant, I use it quite often," fellow San Francisco resident Judy Zhu said.
Zhu is expecting her first child. But without a car, she and her husband are relying on Task Rabbit. A worker named Jennifer shopped for baby stuff and brought it to her door, all for $40.
"Without Task Rabbit I wouldn't even know who I can go to get something delivered for me," Zhu said.
She showed us how it works -- Zhu posts a plea for help and the price she'll pay. Task Rabbits can offer a different price and say how quick they can come. They do everyday chores, unique ones, too.
"I just wanted Burma Superstar," Zhu said.
She had cravings for Burmese food, but the restaurant was all the way across town. And no car. So she posted a desperate plea.
"And you know, a Task Rabbit went and got it for me in about 45 minutes," Zhu said.
Lui was in a different pinch. On his way to Columbia he couldn't find a travel book and needed a ride to the airport, quick. He posted the challenge on Task Rabbit. To his amazement someone came through.
"He found the book, brought it with him, picked me up," Lui said.
He got his book and a ride to the airport for $40.
Task Rabbits say they do get unique requests.
"A whole, entire backyard just filled with doggy doo, and I guess he didn't want to clean it up himself so he paid me $40 to do it," Hodson said.
"I did take a rat to the vet yesterday," another Task Rabbit employee said.
"It's a universal problem, there's just not enough time in the day to get everything done," Task Rabbit spokesperson Jamie Viggiano said.
Viggiano says the service lets busy Americans get instant help for specific needs at a price they can afford.
And boy was Lui grateful. It took Hodson nearly four hours, but look at the result
"It's amazing!" he said.
Task Rabbit takes 20 percent of the fees you pay for service, and it does background checks on all workers on the site.
If you'd like to check out the service, click here.
