Mind your P's and Queues

QUEUES have become an inescapable part of a modern life.

Whether purchasing tickets to a concert or major sporting event, paying for goods at the supermarket checkout, snaking your way through airport security or waiting to choose a sweet treat at a popular patisserie, it is likely to involve some lining-up.

While we accept the need to line up, few like jumping in a queue and even fewer people like queue jumpers.?

Over the course of our life, it is estimated we each spend a combined 150 days standing in queues.

As mind-numbing and time-wasting as lining up is, we queue because we accept that lining up is an efficient and equitable way to get what we need or want.?

We acknowledge that queuing stops those who are the loudest, pushiest or most unscrupulous from gaining the upper hand.

So when someone tries to make our stay that bit longer by pushing in or going to the front of the line, it is hardly surprising queue rage or fury ensues.

So when someone tries to make our stay that bit longer by pushing in or going to the front of the line, it is hardly surprising queue rage or fury ensues.

Whether it is taking cash out of an ATM, standing by to board an aircraft or lining up for a PCR test, pushing in is frowned upon in the majority of circumstances – particularly when the perpetrator pretends they are not doing it.

Watching a queue as someone is about to barge in is a sight to behold.

The perpetrator will scan the queue for the easiest access point – a weak spot – where they perceive??they are likely to experience the least pushback or where they think they will be able to slide into the line virtually unnoticed.

As the prospective queue jumper moves towards their entry point, suspicion among those already in line is heightened. All eyes fix on the queue jumper and conversations are paused.

Then the queue jumper makes their move. With a hide as thick as an elephant, they unashamedly step in front of others to trigger a curious mix of shock, disbelief and helplessness.

What follows is confusion about who should confront the queue jumper. Should those at their point of entry have something to say or should it be the overseer of the queue?

The reality is we usually let people walk all over us. Even those tasked with enforcing rules against line jumping prefer to avoid confrontation.

Surprisingly, we often champion the idea that those willing to play “cutsies” should get their way, even if at others’ expense.

Jumping the queue happens in seconds though the sheer arrogance?can result in anything from mild friction to extreme frustration and fury for those already in line.

We react badly to queue jumpers because we are offended by their sense of entitlement.

We react badly to queue jumpers because we are offended by their sense of entitlement.

Queue jumpers mistakenly believe they are more deserving of what is at the front of the line and superior to others in the line and that their time is more valuable than the time of others.

Ultimately the person directly behind a line intruder gets to decide whether a queue jumper should be allowed in or not.??If that person does not object to someone butting in, the rest of the queue will most likely remain quiet.

While the practice of skipping the queue is largely seen as unfair, there are cases where queue jumpers might be afforded some leniency.

A case in point is the emergency department. The order of those in the queue will understandably change based on the severity of a patient’s condition.

And we typically do not mind older Australians and those with young children or physical challenges to move ahead of us. In fact, depending on our perception of their needs relative to our own, we might even invite them to jump the queue.

In some situations we do not even mind if someone seeks to go ahead if they ask our permission, explain their plight and apologise as they take the place in front of us.

Yet that is likely to come down to exactly what we are queuing for since?not all queues are made equal.?

Jumping the photocopier line with a decent excuse, for example, is likely to be viewed very differently to asking for permission to cut the queue for a once-in-a-lifetime ticket to a music concert.

As a rule of thumb, if you would give a person your seat on the bus then you would probably let them cut in front of you as well.

We would all escape queues if we could. However, until such time as we are able to devise a better system for handing out in-demand goods and services, we will be stuck with lining up.

If you are the type of person who tends to violate the sacred code of waiting for your turn, keep the following in mind.

While someone might be too polite to say anything when you jump in front of them, they might not be so polite when it comes to posting the offence on a social media platform for scores to witness at their leisure as the recording goes viral.