Gransnet forums

AIBU

Queue Etiquette

(20 Posts)
Irismarle Fri 12-Apr-24 17:21:14

Recently my DH, DS and I were with our DGS, aged 15, and we went to queue to get on a boat trip. We were first in the queue. Next to us was another couple of grandparents with a DGS, but quite a bit younger - maybe 7 or 8. While we were queuing the other woman was friendly and chatty. When we got on board, we took the front seats. When the trip was finished we were getting off at the same time, but the woman now completely ignored us. I wondered if she felt we should have let them have the front seats as their DGS was younger and smaller and was therefore put out. Should we have offered them the front seats? The view was good from all seats, but best at the front.
YANBU - first come gets front seats
YABU - you should have let smaller child go in front

hollysteers Fri 12-Apr-24 17:29:56

YANBU to me. First in the queue, my choice and aren’t we civilised, as opposed to some countries? A mad scramble taking no prisoners to get to the front😁

Germanshepherdsmum Fri 12-Apr-24 17:35:47

YANBU

Joseann Fri 12-Apr-24 17:36:33

YOTI
You're over thinking it. The lady might have been preoccupied with other thoughts when getting off.

Shelflife Fri 12-Apr-24 17:38:52

First come first served ! First in the queue, first choice of seats - simple.

MissAdventure Fri 12-Apr-24 17:54:40

It's good life training for the younger child.
smile
That's how I see it. plus I was first

ginny Fri 12-Apr-24 17:55:36

Joseann

YOTI
You're over thinking it. The lady might have been preoccupied with other thoughts when getting off.

Exactly.

Calendargirl Fri 12-Apr-24 17:55:40

YANBU.

Astitchintime Fri 12-Apr-24 18:01:34

ginny

Joseann

YOTI
You're over thinking it. The lady might have been preoccupied with other thoughts when getting off.

Exactly.

She probably didn't enjoy the excursion and wanted to get off pretty quickly.

MissAdventure Fri 12-Apr-24 18:11:50

Perhaps she needed a weewee after all that sloshing around.

Coolbreeze Fri 12-Apr-24 18:13:23

MissAdventure

It's good life training for the younger child.
smile
That's how I see it. --plus I was first--

Totally agree on that one !

BlueBelle Fri 12-Apr-24 18:15:52

Perhaps she felt sick perhaps she needed a loo perhaps the young chap had been bored Why on earth would you think it was anything to do with you ???
If a lady in a queue three people down from you, faints, is it your fault !!!

petra Fri 12-Apr-24 18:29:48

I’m just amazed that it’s bothered you enough to ask a group of strangers 🤷‍♀️

NotAGran55 Fri 12-Apr-24 18:50:06

She was probably just passing the time of day chatting to you whilst waiting. Once the trip was over she was simply getting on her way.

CanadianGran Fri 12-Apr-24 18:53:34

No, you weren't being rude. First come first served.

I find Canadians generally follow British etiquette when in lineups, and are a bit flabbergasted when on holiday. We found this at an all-inclusive with the family. My poor kids (teens at the time) would line up at a beach bar to get a drink and other nationalities would barge up to the bar, elbows out.

M0nica Fri 12-Apr-24 19:22:39

i am with those that are puzzled why you would this event as a snub aimed at you? As they have said. Tlking to you whenthere was nothing better to do, but afterwards was busy moving on with the rest of the day.

pascal30 Fri 12-Apr-24 19:34:04

I very often chat to someone in a queue but wouldn't expect to see them again. I might smile at them later after an event if I remembered them.. I don't suppose she gave you a second thought..

biglouis Sat 13-Apr-24 08:53:05

First on board gets first choice!

While I was still fairly mobile I used to go to a large antique fair in Norwich every few months. People came from all over Europe. The queue to get in was humungous! Most people in the queue were paying at the gate but I always booked my ticket online well in advance. The staff did not bother to organize two queues - one for those with tickets and one for those without.

I used to arrive in a taxi (from the train station) having travelled on two trains across the country from Manchester. I used to hang about in the car park. As soon as the queue began to move I sideled in and joined the group near the front, not pushing or shoving anyone. No one ever challenged me or said anything when I flashed my ticket at the steward.

Later when I knew people standing at the fair (from whom I intended to buy) they used to send me one of their spare badges and I just went in the exhibitors gate.

There is no one "up there" handing out fairness. Sometimes you have to devise your own rules.

Curtaintwitcher Sat 13-Apr-24 08:56:43

hollysteers

YANBU to me. First in the queue, my choice and aren’t we civilised, as opposed to some countries? A mad scramble taking no prisoners to get to the front😁

Indeed....try getting on a bus in Africa. Being first in the queue is irrelevant when the bus arrives.

SkylarMartinez Thu 18-Apr-24 00:22:23

I think you did the right thing by sticking to the first-come-first-serve-front-seats policy. There is no obligation to give front seats to late arrivals. In this situation, there was no obvious reason to offer them front seats, especially since visibility was good from all seats. They all had an equal opportunity to choose their seats, and your decision to take the front seats was quite logical.