Gransnet forums

AIBU

Queue jumpers

(102 Posts)
Beswitched Wed 07-Jul-21 21:35:49

In my local convenience store there is a system of one queue for all the tills. Invariably someone will just walk up to a till where someone has just paid, ignoring the queue and start unpacking their groceries . The staff never say anything.

This evening there was a very long queue and when I came to the top a woman with a basket full of groceries just started hovering near one of the tills ignoring the queue. When it became free I just walked up past her and put my stuff on the belt. She started making an indignant face and glaring at me. I said politely 'there's actually one queue' and she said 'yes but 2 tills' and I said again 'but one queue' to which she reiterated that there were 2 tills.

Why on earth did she think that 7 or 8 people would all be patiently waiting at one till leaving the other one free?

AIBU to think she was just a cheeky chance?

Shinamae Wed 07-Jul-21 21:43:00

You are!!

Shinamae Wed 07-Jul-21 21:43:38

Sorry meant to put you are not being unreasonable!

Doodledog Wed 07-Jul-21 23:00:59

I think she was probably a chancer.

Nevertheless, when we could get on buses, I used to hate it when people queued up behind those who had opted not to use the seats at the front of the waiting bay. I have sore knees, and if there was a seat free I would take it, which often meant walking past those who had decided to stand.

Often people would glare at me as though I had decided to go to the front, even though they could have had the seat if they'd wanted it. I'm sure that I must have sometimes got on the bus ahead of people who had decided to stand behind the standers, but IMO that was their choice to make.

I don't think it sounds that way at all, but could this have been a similar situation?

BlueBelle Wed 07-Jul-21 23:07:57

Why don’t they make two queues like they do in most supermarkets though I don’t understand that bit
But yes she shouldn’t have jumped the queue

Shelflife Wed 07-Jul-21 23:10:44

No not unreasonable at all. This afternoon in the supermarket I witnessed this very thing. I was in a socially distanced queue , there was one customer in front of me. A young woman with a full trolly of groceries took one look at the queue and jumped it! As the customer at the till left she moved in and began to unload her groceries. The man in front of me left his trolly and approached her and told her there was queue. She replied " what do you expect me to do take stuff off the belt" the man said "yes I do." She was very angry and the cashier politely asked her to remove her groceries and join the queue. She did this very reluctantly!!! Unbelievable, she had no concept at all that she was in the wrong and she certainly did not apologize or show any sign of embarrassment.

Maggiemaybe Wed 07-Jul-21 23:55:04

No YANBU and well done for standing your ground. Our nearest M & S superstore has the one queue system for four or five tills. I was once near the front of a very long queue at sale time and challenged a man sneaking nonchalantly in from the side. I pointed out that there was a queue and he hesitated, but when he saw that everyone else had suddenly lost the power of speech and found something very interesting to look at down by their feet or in the far distance, he muttered something about being in a hurry and nipped in to the next available till. Where he was served. angry As soon as he’d gone everyone in the queue started tutting and complaining about how cheeky he was!

ElderlyPerson Thu 08-Jul-21 00:13:15

Doodledog

I think she was probably a chancer.

Nevertheless, when we could get on buses, I used to hate it when people queued up behind those who had opted not to use the seats at the front of the waiting bay. I have sore knees, and if there was a seat free I would take it, which often meant walking past those who had decided to stand.

Often people would glare at me as though I had decided to go to the front, even though they could have had the seat if they'd wanted it. I'm sure that I must have sometimes got on the bus ahead of people who had decided to stand behind the standers, but IMO that was their choice to make.

I don't think it sounds that way at all, but could this have been a similar situation?

The way to do that is to note who is last in the queue and say, "I know my place in the queue is after you, but I need to sit down, but I won't jump the queue."

Then make a point of not standing up until that person has passed. People will have heard you and will probably spend their time in the queue watching that you keep your word. If it is a regular daily thing, people will get to know you as the person who needs to sit down but plays fair and does not push in.

Doodledog Thu 08-Jul-21 00:23:22

Thank you for letting me know smile.

welbeck Thu 08-Jul-21 01:30:08

small potatoes

Rosycheeks Thu 08-Jul-21 06:20:16

My biggest bugga boo is queue jumpers this stems from when we were kids and my mum would send me and my sis to the green grocers and we would get to out turn and the grocer would ignore us and serve all the adults behind us until a nice customer would say I think these children are next. It has affected me so much it still makes my blood boil just writing this.

Calendargirl Thu 08-Jul-21 07:16:36

Years ago now, our local (very busy) bakers had no queue system. You just went in and milled around and hoped to get served in turn, checking who was ahead of you.
One day, I was in ‘the non existent queue’, a posh looking lady came in and pushed her way to the far end. I kept my eye on her, I just knew she wouldn’t wait.
Sure enough, as soon as an assistant came free, she started giving her order.

I saw red. “Excuse me” I said, “there is a queue. I was before you, and this gentleman, (indicating a patient elderly gent) is before me”.

She started to waffle, the old chap said “It doesn’t matter”. I said “But it does!”

He cowered back, so I swept forward and said to the startled assistant “A caramel cake please!”

The whole shop had gone silent. My heart was pumping, but she served me.

The next day, when the shop was quieter, I mentioned it to the boss, he agreed it was very awkward and lo and behold, a queuing rail soon appeared and things improved.

All that was needed was for the posh lady to apologise, say she didn’t realise there was a queue, and take her place.

Should add, I know I went out of turn, but the elderly gent was not going to go forward, and I was determined Pushy Lady was not going before me.

Chardy Thu 08-Jul-21 08:13:13

It's the queue jumpers in their cars that get me. Every working day I used to queue patiently on my little motorway as it joined the bigger motorway, while a trail of cars pushed in, knowing that if no-one let them in, they'd have to drive 5 miles to the next exit.

Beswitched Thu 08-Jul-21 08:36:06

BlueBelle

Why don’t they make two queues like they do in most supermarkets though I don’t understand that bit
But yes she shouldn’t have jumped the queue

It's quite a small shop and due to covid they've had to change the queueing system. The staff say nothing to people like this woman which really galls me. She just went to the next vacant till after I stood my ground and the guy served her, so of course she'll do it again the next time she's in.
The head of the queue is near the first till and it's quite hard for customers to challenge queue jumpers without having to shout from a few yards back. I just spotted quickly what this woman was up to and was ready to move quickly and nip in front of her.

MawBe Thu 08-Jul-21 08:40:53

I always used to think nobody queues like the Brits.
Honestly if it was an Olympic sport we’d be right up there at the top of the medals table. ?????
Don’t shatter my illusions, please.

sodapop Thu 08-Jul-21 08:44:26

Same here in France, people trying to push in between the social distance gaps. I have perfected my death stare now.

nanna8 Thu 08-Jul-21 08:45:04

My mum was an inveterate queue jumper. I used to pretend I wasn’t with her, I was so embarrassed. She was an absolute shocker. She was a Yorkshire woman from Leeds originally. She never understood that it was selfish and would shrug off all criticism.

timetogo2016 Thu 08-Jul-21 08:54:58

I use the simple method if someone jumps the queue.
I shout "oy the queue start that end ".
It does the trick.

Beswitched Thu 08-Jul-21 11:02:54

If she'd apologised and shuffled off to the queue I'd have given her the benefit of the doubt. But she was so brazen and determined not to queue.

If the shop are going to have a single queuing system then they should enforce it or, at the very least, back up a customer when they complain.

DiscoDancer1975 Thu 08-Jul-21 11:42:21

These people know what they’re doing. I always tell them, but you’re right, so many people don’t.

Rosycheeks Thu 08-Jul-21 11:45:51

Yes those people do know what they are doing and if you tell them oy! They look at you as though your in the wrong and the rest of the queue look the other way, but im not having any of it. Bloody Pusher Inners!!!!!!

Tizliz Thu 08-Jul-21 11:59:06

We once jumped a queue of at least 50 people and many complained, but we had been held up in customs for 3 hours and were going to miss our internal flight. I just ignored them though husband wasn't very keen. But I never normally queue jump.

Greta Thu 08-Jul-21 12:04:57

When I saw the OP title I thought it was to do with jumpers we should wear in a queue...

nanna8 Thu 08-Jul-21 12:06:27

In that situation with planes the airport staff will often invite you to queue jump. Otherwise you will miss the plane. Often because the connecting flight was delayed which is not your fault. Most would understand that I think.

Tizliz Thu 08-Jul-21 12:12:59

nanna8

In that situation with planes the airport staff will often invite you to queue jump. Otherwise you will miss the plane. Often because the connecting flight was delayed which is not your fault. Most would understand that I think.

This was in USA, the staff didn’t care. To finish off the story, the plane was over loaded and as we were last on we were told we would have to get off. To husband’s embarrassment I stood up and said “no, we have been travelling for 18 hours and it wasn’t our fault we were last - a very long story - and we are staying put”, got away with it. Some students were happy to take $200 to take a flight the next day.