queuing

When I went to Vienna as an au pair in 1965 I was horrified at the way no-one queued. Apparently they had queuing during the war, but abandoned it after 1945. Well, as a shorty I always found myself crowded out by those big Austrians. There was a small supermarket across the road from where I lived, and getting served at the deli was a nightmare. In the end the Mum of the family where I lived went and saw the manager and told him to look after me in future!! She explained that my English politeness made it impossible for me to shove in. It worked!!

Queueing is still the norm here at bus stops and in shops. Are we the only people who thank the bus driver as we leave the bus? Don't seem to see that down south.

Sounds like (oops I mean sounds as if) none of you has tried queueing at an Israeli checkpoint in the Palestinian territories. Any form of queueing or the not queueing you are complaining about, which happens here, simply pales into minuscule insignificance in comparison to what the locals there endure on a daily basis.
And in case any pedant out there questions it, the OED allows both spellings for queueing/queuing. I just happen to prefer the one with 5 vowels in succession.

baggythecrust, The name is a treat in itself and your bread sounds nigh on perfect

Supernana, the name comes from mybread antics. I make our bread (bread machine; best present he ever gave, according to OH) and I always grab the first crust. Has to be some of the best food in the world. Extra ingredients include hemp and linseed (ground), extra wheatgerm, poppy seed, egg and natural yogurt. Occasionally other things too, but that's my 'basic' recipe with half white and half wholemeal flour. My yougest daughter is a very picky eater and, originally, it was a way of getting some nutritious food into her because she loves my bread, as do we all.

I've always found Scotland friendly. I chose to come to uni in Scotland, hated leaving it, was delighted to be able to come back, and now regard myself as a 'naturalised' Scot. Supernana, I think I read somewhere that you're in western Scoltand. Have I remembered right?

baggythecrust...love your name. Yes indeed, the folk in this area of bonnie Scotland are the most polite we've ever encountered. They are also extremely generous with their time and kind and supportive - not only to those in the community who were born and bred here, but to in-comers, such as we, not forgetting any stranger who passes through the village.

nanapippa, I'm with you on making a comment when somebody sails through a door without acknowledging that you're holding it open for them. On a different tack, I find it very annoying that it seems to be considered all right to sniff, even quite disgustingly, in public. I get very annoyed about it in trains, for example. I invigilate for school exams (just coming to an end now in Scotland) and cannot understand why so many of the candidates cannot bring tissues but sit sniffing and even wiping their horrible noses on their hands! And then we have to take in their papers!! I have taken to issuing sheets of toilet paper to the worst offenders, but nothing seems to shame them.

A smile uses far fewer facial muscles than a grumpy look too, so actually it's physically easier to look pleasant than otherwise! Pity the psychological 'muscles' screw so many people up!!

People are people.............just because they are old.....does not mean they wake up one day with good manners. If you have a bit of class and were brought up to respect others....you will probably be polite and tolerant whatever your age. Just as we dont all wake up one day in our 50s or 60s and want to wear beige and play bingo!....tho that seems to have become all trendy again! ...on line bingo that is.....not beige! I got a clip around the ear if I did not do my 'please and thankyous'...lesson was well learned. But joking apart.....good manners just makes everything so much easier.....as Mum used to say....'a smile will get you anywhere'.

People are polite where I live.

I stop queuing when there is more than one in front, I cannot abide queue's, I have often put stuff back on the shelf and gone elsewhere, perhaps that's why I shop on-line so much.

Perhaps it's because I live in a rural community, but generally I find most people well mannered, even drivers!.

When I occasionally drive in a city, I find driving a nightmare, there seems so much aggression. I will do everything I can to avoid city driving.

I don't believe age has much to do with politeness, having worked in care, the elderly can often be the least tolerant, whilst many young folk are charming, especially to their elders. I suspect rude children grow to become rude adults.

I live in a town well know for it's elderly population. I am afraid to say the rudeness of a lot of these elderly but not frail people really shocks me.The push and shove you out of the way and go nuts when someone objects.They then moan about the youth of today!,,, My dear Mother in law aged 88 cannot believe her eyes and ears when she visits.

On a similar subject, I get very angry with people who you apologise to for being in their way in a shop or something, who don't acknowledge the fact that you have apologised. I am afraid now I am of a certain age I say in a lound voice " thank you" or "not at all", as I do when I stand back for someone to pass through a door or something and they don't thank me. It can be fun being of a certain age, but my kids hate it.

I thought queuing was simply a chivalrous convention and one that just made good common sense. How we were stunned on our first trip to USA and also to Italy. Barge and shove were the norm and, for us, very difficult to get used to.
When I was a youngster, I was going into C&A one day. The door was a heavy glass, inward opening type. Two elderly ladies were approaching the door. I said "Allow me" and nipped in front to push the door open and hold it to let them in. Wow! The abuse I got was unbelievable. An old gent came over and thanked me. He was a husband and knew the sort of old targe he had. Ha Ha.

I can't remember when but ages ago – maybe the 1980s – there was a piece on one of the then morning news programmes on television saying that bus queues were officially ending. I'm not sure how official they were in the first place but that certainly gave people the excuse for the free-for-all we often see now. However, I should add that I have noticed that in the small town in the north-east where I now live, people are much more polite about getting on buses than they ever were in London.

I've noticed this too, DC. No idea when it stopped but I have been known to huff and puff when I think someone has barged in...doesn't always work but never mind. The two worst incidents were by very senior citizens who just walked to the head of a queue in the local convenience store and my bank...they both turned, smiled cheekily as though to say 'oops, did I jump the queue, silly me!, and turned back and did whatever ... I wasn't won over by the silly-act, they knew what they were doing!