Is this skipping in line?

[jowi]

Just looking to see if I'm right or wrong here.

Here is the scenario:

You walk into a small movie cinema (only 4 screens in a small town) and you see a long line of people (about 10). You go to the back of the line. We'll call this Cashier A. Then when you look ahead you notice Cashier B is helping someone, but there is nobody in line behind them.

Do you assume that when Cashier B is done helping her customer, that the NEXT person in Cashier A's line will be called over, or do you just, after JUST walking in, think to yourself, "Hmm, that's a shorter line" and go up right behind the person she is helping? I mean, if that's the case, WHY would all those other people decide to stay in the long line? It makes no sense!

(These 2 lines are close to each other not clear across the room)

 

[Amethyst]

After looking and listening to discern if there's something special about the shorter line (e.g. people who paid in advance; disability, etc.) I'd join the shorter line and wait for someone to chide me. Queue-jumping is practically the only thing that will cause absolutely anybody to talk to a stranger.

Amethyst

 

[Calico]

Just looking to see if I'm right or wrong here.

Here is the scenario:

You walk into a small movie cinema (only 4 screens in a small town) and you see a long line of people (about 10). You go to the back of the line. We'll call this Cashier A. Then when you look ahead you notice Cashier B is helping someone, but there is nobody in line behind them.

Do you assume that when Cashier B is done helping her customer, that the NEXT person in Cashier A's line will be called over, or do you just, after JUST walking in, think to yourself, "Hmm, that's a shorter line" and go up right behind the person she is helping? I mean, if that's the case, WHY would all those other people decide to stay in the long line? It makes no sense!

(These 2 lines are close to each other not clear across the room)

If the person who just walked in jumps over to Cashier B, then YES, I consider it cutting in line. I have also learned over the years that about 90% of people will do the jump. Personally, I think it is rude and shows a lack of class. However, I am old enough to have been raised in a time when manners actually mattered. Those days are long gone as far as I can see.

 

[jollystomper]

If these are 2 clearly separate lines, I will go to the shorter line. At times a line may seem longer because of a couple of large groups who are buying a set of tickets as a single transaction, and that is why they haven't moved to the other line.

If it isn't clear, I'll just ask the person at the front of the line which cashier they are waiting for, and then act accordingly.

 

[Tailgate]

Just looking to see if I'm right or wrong here.



Do you assume that when Cashier B is done helping her customer, that the NEXT person in Cashier A's line will be called over, or do you just, after JUST walking in, think to yourself, "Hmm, that's a shorter line" and go up right behind the person she is helping? I mean, if that's the case, WHY would all those other people decide to stay in the long line?

I think that the 2 lines are separate and it's ok to take the end of the shortest line available. People seem to be lemmings when they get in a line.. most just don't want to make a decision to move to line B, but might get upset if you do. It's a given that you shouldn't be rude, but make a damn decision people.

There's a sandwich shop in town that gets pretty busy at lunch. They have 6 separate cashiers/order takers but no one forms lines, they stack up at the front door like sheep. I think it's stupid on the part of the manager not to have some sort of sign encouraging people to form a line at each register. Everyone just stands at the front door with glazed looks in their eyes like they don't have a clue what to do.

 

[jowi]

But why would anyone join a long line with that option there if it's universally open to all? Wouldn't you assume that, since nobody was in it, that there was a REASON?

What happened, likely, is there was one line and it got long, so the other woman decided to help someone. She called over the next person. The others in that line didn't know if she was going to help more than one person, so they just stayed in the long line to see if she would call another person over. Then some new person walks in, sees that there is no line at that cashier, and just walks way up to the front. HELLO!? How can anyone do that? It's so obvious that they're skipping. Is there some LAW/RULE of lines that I can consult? (lol! I mean, first world problem, I know! But it bugs me and it's bound to happen again)

 

[jowi]

I think that the 2 lines are separate and it's ok to take the end of the shortest line available. People seem to be lemmings when they get in a line.. most just don't want to make a decision to move to line B, but might get upset if you do. It's a given that you shouldn't be rude, but make a damn decision people.

I agree with you here in some contexts, but this isn't about 'a decision' - the one line was quite LONG and the other had no line. It was obvious to ANYONE without any thought which was shorter. People weren't moving because I think many, like me, assumed that the NEXT PERSON IN LINE was, in fact, next and that the other 'line' was meant to come off the front of the 'main' line. Like a Y versus two II's.

And that sandwich shop ... OMG! I would never go there if that's how it was!

 

[W2R]

One of the nicer aspects of being older and retired, is that I don't need to get all upset by things like this. I'd just stand in the longer line and observe for a while to figure out if I need to switch to the shorter line, and meanwhile enjoy people watching or whatever.

So what if others get in front of me. It makes them temporarily less miserable with their insignificant little lives, and honestly it's not like I am in a race.

 

[yakers]

I think there ought to be only one line for banks, food stores and just about everywhere. No one knows which checkout station will go faster and this is both fair AND much more efficient, the whole study of cueing theory supports this.

 

[Ready]

I often see some really long lines at the cashiers at Costco, and then one or two cashiers with only a few people in line. It makes no sense as to why people don't adjust and rebalance, but they don't. I do agree that a single line with a queue that connects the next person in line with the next available cashier is most efficient. Sometimes you just get stuck in a line with someone who has a product that can't be scanned, and you spend ten minutes standing around waiting for someone to figure out how to solve the problem. A single line would prevent this and be fair to everyone. But few stores do this, so you just have to figure out which line is going to be fastest.

If the movie theater intended to have individual lines like a supermarket, then so be it. If it was supposed to be one long line that feeds into a pool of cashiers, then it sounds like the person was being rude.

 

[MRG]

I think our UK members should decide proper queue etiquette.
MRG

 

[Amethyst]

OK, W2R said it better than I did.

A.

 

[ivinsfan]

One of our local supermarkets is always short of cashiers, even in early afternoon on a weekday, only 2 or 3 open with at least 4 or 5 people in each line. So say you are standing there trying to figure up with line to select and another new cashier shouts out "I can help someone on register 2..What is the correct way to proceed, obviously there are quite a few people who have been waiting longer and still have their items in their baskets. Do you direct them to the new line and follow them, or do you just quickly push your cart over so you are first in line?

This happens regularly in this store and I feel so awkward and annoyed by the whole process I have simply stopped shopping there. I mentioned to the manager on duty I wouldn't be coming back until they staffed the registers better.

 

[ERD50]

I think there ought to be only one line for banks, food stores and just about everywhere. No one knows which checkout station will go faster and this is both fair AND much more efficient, the whole study of cueing theory supports this.

+1 I've never understood the separate line things. If there is one line (like in most banks - why are they different?), and the next person goes to the next open register, no one has any advantage, no one gets 'stuck' when they are in a hurry.

All this uproar over inequality, and here's a place it can be fixed easily. End cash register line inequality! Occupy Cash Registers!

I think our UK members should decide proper queue etiquette.
MRG

They already have a bunch of extra letters in the word, I think they would be the worst at reducing line lengths.

-ERD50

 

[ERD50]

One of our local supermarkets is always short of cashiers, even in early afternoon on a weekday, only 2 or 3 open with at least 4 or 5 people in each line. So say you are standing there trying to figure up with line to select and another new cashier shouts out "I can help someone on register 2..What is the correct way to proceed, obviously there are quite a few people who have been waiting longer and still have their items in their baskets. Do you direct them to the new line and follow them, or do you just quickly push your cart over so you are first in line?

This happens regularly in this store and I feel so awkward and annoyed by the whole process I have simply stopped shopping there. I mentioned to the manager on duty I wouldn't be coming back until they staffed the registers better.

I've noticed that Trader Joes (and probably others have solved this). The new cashier picks out the person and says directly to that person "I can take you over here". Nice, no arguments, no hard feelings, and it probably speeds it up as most people will stand there looking at others and wondering who should go.

-ERD50

 

[Corporateburnout]

Last September we were visiting Toronto and as everyone standing in line to board a lake Ontario sightseeing boat a group of senior travelers of about 10-12 people traveling together decided that everyone was in the wrong line and decided to board a different boat only to find out it that the wrong boat. They almost caused a riot when they decided not to go to the end of line. The attendant had to call security to force them to go to the end of the line and they were pouting for the whole excursion.

We didn't expect this behavior from a bunch of retired seniors.

It's always courteous to wait in line and ask the person ahead if a new line opens up.

 

[jowi]

End cash register line inequality! Occupy Cash Registers!




-ERD50

Yeah! That's what I'm saying!!

The Toronto tour boat story is funny, and a perfect example!

 

[heeyy_joe]

We need a government funded study to determine how much line inequality effects GDP.

 

[Amethyst]

What, you imagine people get nicer when they get old? Their feet were probably killing them, and half of them needed blood sugar meds or something.

A.

The attendant had to call security to force them to go to the end of the line and they were pouting for the whole excursion.

We didn't expect this behavior from a bunch of retired seniors.

.

 

[Payin-the-Toll]

This thread reminds me of being at Walmart. Choose the short line and the person in front of you has 5000 items, or the cashier is so slow the cashier one lane over is 10 times as fast. Local Chase branch has the roped off line; 1st person in line goes to the next open teller, and this system works best. But...shopped at Frye's electric a few years ago and they had an atrocious roped line system (think popular Disney attraction), and actually had one employee at the front of the line that herded people to the next open cashier---hated that system and haven't been back.

 

[FIREd]

But...shopped at Frye's electric a few years ago and they had an atrocious roped line system (think popular Disney attraction), and actually had one employee at the front of the line that herded people to the next open cashier---hated that system and haven't been back.

That's the system at my local supermarket. There are 2 roped lines and an employee at the front of the line directs customer to the next available register, picking people from each line alternatively. Now, there are signs telling people to form 2 lines. Yet a lot of people will pile up in one line. If someone follows the signs and go to the shorter line, people get upset.

 

[MBAustin]

I generally like the one-line system, but dislike it at certain stores that have now taken to making an excessively long line that takes you past all kinds of impulse purchase items. Fry's is the worst (always), followed by Best Buy (only really bad during holiday shopping season). Most irritating, though, is the new Michael's store in our area - there is rarely a significant line but you have to navigate a long twisted queue full of junk on shelves. Makes me crazy.

 

[MichaelB]

J
Do you assume that when Cashier B is done helping her customer, that the NEXT person in Cashier A's line will be called over, or do you just, after JUST walking in, think to yourself, "Hmm, that's a shorter line" and go up right behind the person she is helping? I mean, if that's the case, WHY would all those other people decide to stay in the long line? It makes no sense!

Why not ask the cashier?

 

[LoneAspen]

But...shopped at Frye's electric a few years ago and they had an atrocious roped line system (think popular Disney attraction), and actually had one employee at the front of the line that herded people to the next open cashier---hated that system and haven't been back.

I actually like Fry's system. One queue, FIFO (first in, first out) kind of system. When a cashier opens up, the light turns green, and the employee watching over the queue tells the next person what number register to go to.

And customers don't stand there with glazed looks on their faces not noticing what register they need to go to, because there's somebody there to tell them.

Simple. Effective. Efficient. I wish more places were like that.

 

[Ronnieboy]

I often see some really long lines at the cashiers at Costco, and then one or two cashiers with only a few people in line. It makes no sense as to why people don't adjust and rebalance, but they don't. I do agree that a single line with a queue that connects the next person in line with the next available cashier is most efficient. Sometimes you just get stuck in a line with someone who has a product that can't be scanned, and you spend ten minutes standing around waiting for someone to figure out how to solve the problem. A single line would prevent this and be fair to everyone. But few stores do this, so you just have to figure out which line is going to be fastest.

If the movie theater intended to have individual lines like a supermarket, then so be it. If it was supposed to be one long line that feeds into a pool of cashiers, then it sounds like the person was being rude.

All I know is that whatever line I choose, it suddenly becomes the slowest line