Dictionary.com defines a “queue” (in relation to consumerism) as:
noun: a file or line, especially of people waiting their turn.
verb: to form in a line while waiting (often followed by up).
Queues are an inevitable fact of life. No one likes to stand in one, but alas, sometimes you have little choice on the matter. In such cases it would be beneficial for everyone to know how to behave in cases. To alleviate the pains of having to stand in queues, stores are starting to run out of options. (See yesterday’s post for more information on the problems stores face with trying to cut down on Christmas queues, or queues in generel.)
Civil Obedience and Good Manners 101: When faced with the daunting task of standing in line and waiting patiently for your turn. Now there’s a course which should be taught in schools…
Take another look at the two definitions at the top of this post. The two parts, which I’ve underlined for your benefit, are “waiting their turn” and “form in a line“.
First I’d like to address the part about waiting their turn.
The purpose of queues is to allow equal and timely treatment of every customer, one at a time. In order to achieve a certain tranquility and efficiency, it is crucial for everyone to WAIT THEIR TURN! If there is only one cashier or clerk assisting a customer, having several other customers ask questions, directions, or demand service, it’s understandably difficult for that one employee to assist multiple people at the same time. When there’s a queue, it’s first come first served. If you wait in line patiently you’ll be granted your turn in due time.
As everyone needs to wait their turn, as to avoid chaos, confusion and mistakes resulting from the cashier having to attend to several customers at the same time, there is no reason why you should consider yourself and your issues more important than everyone else’s. So please, DO NOT cut in line. DO NOT flash your items at the cashier and leave your change on the counter. DO NOT just shout out your questions or demand immediate service. Every customer is special, as to say that you are not more special than others. Wait your turn.
The proper way of getting service or help without waiting in line?
Waiting for a lull in the transaction or between customers to politely ask if you could possibly ask a question or get some help. If there’s only one employee, DO NOT cut in line and ask (demand) for the cashier to come assist you. Everyone else in line, the people you just walked past, has been kindly waiting for their turn. Either ask if the cashier could come and assist when possible (which might be a while), ask if there’s another clerk to assist you (which there might not be), or just get in line and WAIT FOR YOUR TURN JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!
Then there’s definition number two, the business of gathering up some organization skills and common sense in forming a nice and organized queue or line. A line is by definition straight, from point A to point B. For the sake of argument, point A will be defined as the cashier’s location, and point B is the end of an orderly queue. Everything works just nicely when it’s just points A and B. The problem arises when more people take initiative and form their own queues. (See the crude, hastily hand drawn diagram below…)
At point C we have a grandma pulling on the cashier’s sleeve, demanding help. At point D we have a huffy lady at the verge of a mental breakdown, surrounded by her screaming kids pulling her in a million directions at once, demanding to know where a specific item is and at the same time demanding that there should be more cashiers. At point E we have another line forming because these people didn’t think there actually was a line to begin with. And finally at point F we have a grumpy man who states that he can’t be bothered to stand in line and is wanting to leave his money on the counter and leave.
My multi-tasking skills are limited, and in the situation that I’ve illustrated above, not too many cashiers could pull it off and please everyone at all points. And why should they? As a cashier, your primary job is to scan and bag the items of people willing to form an organized queue. C, D, E, and F can wait their turns, just like everyone else in line B. Several of these examples deserve posts of their own, so we won’t dwell upon them now.
To put the above text simply, some times you will have to form a line and patiently wait your turn. If you have a quick question and nothing further, it is polite to ask the clerk AND the first few people in line if you can just quickly ask a question. As for forming a queue, let’s try to keep the ratio of cashiers to queues at 1:1, i.e. one line per cashier. I don’t like fights starting out in my line(s)…
If you have a story relating to this post, from either side of the counter, or anything to add to his chapter of The Consumer Etiquette Guide, let’s hear it!
The customer is NOT always right. If you agree with this, or wish to know what to do and not do as a consumer, please subscribe to this blog’s updates by the way of the RSS feed or email subscriptions [more information about subscriptions]. Thank you for shopping at The Consumer Etiquette Guide, now go and make someone have a nice day at work!
March 11, 2008 at 12:41 am |
The queing heuristics you stated “first come, first serve” must also apply to those who have already paid for a service or product after waiting their turn but didn’t get what they paid for. In one situation, I waited in line to pay for fuel at a gas station. Once I got to the pump and begin my transaction, the clerk asked that I hang up the pump so that he could begin my transaction – which I did. Then the gas pump would not work. I buzzed the clerk from the gas pump and did not receive a reply. So, I went back into the store and CUT IN LINE where there were several people waiting for service. I DEMANDED that the clerk properly deal with the providing the service I previously paid for. Then he attempted to proceed taking customers and told me to get to the back of the line.
I refused to do so – and held the line up until my issue was resolved basically advising the remainder of the customers that they can find another line and get service (there was another clerk available).
My point is this: There are times when a customer is allowed to demand that clerk resolve a problem with a previous customer. The proper way to handle the situation was for him to finish up his “current” customer that and immediately deal with my fuel pump issue and then proceed to handle his queque. This is often done in many services where people are “worked” into the queque when they have an immediate, pressing issue that should be resolved NOW.