| Queueing |
Wed, 14 May 2008 21:48  |
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I work for a major retailer. One of my jobs is to ensure we don't have queues at the checkouts (a constant battle).
I have a theory that in the main the great british public are happy to queue.
Obviously there are those in a hurry, those who would prefer not to have to come into contact with another human being and therefore will use self-service and of course those who just like to moan about queueing.
The more I try to encourage customers to move to checkouts further away from where they've decided to queue, the more they tut, moan, and often just ignore me.
Am I wrong? Are we happy to queue?
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| Re: Queueing |
Thu, 15 May 2008 10:15  |
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I think you're right, but there are two factors to consider:
1. The increasing pace of life & 'immediate gratification' culture
2. The phenomenon whereby a person joins the the queue that is demonstrably the shortest only to find that it is inexplicably the slowest. 
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| Re: Queueing |
Thu, 15 May 2008 11:53 |
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I seem to remember reading, years ago, the advice 'Never keep the English waiting - they will only form a queue'. Of course, this has to be preferable to the mad scramble for transport you see in more 'sophisticated' countries like France, where it is a case of 'Devil take the hindmost'.
The big trouble is, of course, that the shortest queue is not guaranteed to be the one that will evaporate the fastest, and we must always remember that in any circumstance, Murphy's Law takes precedence over all and any others  !
lacewing.
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| Re: Queueing |
Thu, 15 May 2008 11:55 |
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Melmoth I could have typed that myself  I think it's going to get much worse before it gets better.
Regards
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