Here's an interesting video explaining checkout lines and why you should shop at stores with a single queue line if you're in a hurry.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
PSA - Why the other lines at the checkout move faster
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5 comments:
How interesting. Barnes and Noble has the single line checkout and I never gave it a thought about it being slow because I could see the number of checkers. I do check myself out at the grocery, but only because I don't have a grocery basketful.
But his advice about just chilling is something I need to practice this time of year. And yes, I am still shopping.
GLS: I was in a line at a big store last week that stretched half the length of the store & I thought that it would take an hour to get to the checkout. They ran a single queue line and there were 8 or 9 clerks at the checkout. The total waiting was less than 15 minutes. Now that I know the science behind it, stores with single queue checkouts are where I'll be going!
I have no patience for line delays, especially when it involves the antics of "stupid" people.
The single line has always made sense, expect when there is no one there and they run you half way around the store to check out. We were at Best Buy last week and there were 6 cashiers open and one person checking out. Instead of picking one of the open lanes, we had to wind back and forth and back and forth to get there. It was annoying and unnecessary.
OTOH, I was at Target for Black Friday a couple of years ago and they had the single line. The line ran from the front of the store all the way back to the middle back of the store, where two lines split and continued further on. I assumed I would be in line for hours but I was out of there in under 45 minutes because the lines were kept moving. With that kind of line (or more than one or two people in each line), it makes perfect sense to have to wait while the person in front of you tries to write a check.
Well I'm glad to have that cleared up. Next time I'm in line I'll resist the temptation to move to the other line all the time, now that I know I'm bound to be in the fast lane sometime.
Ok this explanation of why the line you are in is usually not the fast line is plausible. I buy it and will feel better next time it happens. But I have the problem of explaining this to my wife, no easy job. So I am likely to hear "Why is the line we get in always the slow line?". Well maybe I will just have her watch this video. This might be best way of explaining. Thanks for posting it. By the way, adding you to our blog roll.
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