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Line up!
By adamg on Sun, 01/06/2008 - 10:21am
Jenn Martinelli got her fill of stupid people last night, including at the CVS:
... There's this somewhat recent phenomenon I've noticed where if there are multiple registers open at places like CVS, fast food restaurants, etc., people refuse to pick a line and just jumble up in a big mess as if they're trying to make one big line so the first person in that line can just go to the next register that opens. Only that causes more problems than it solves because there's no room for it most of the time (if there is, then the store already has a clearly roped off area where you wait in an orderly line) so people are all standing in the aisles and blocking them, and you can't really tell who is where in line, etc. It makes me so angry. A lot of times I refuse to participate and will just walk right up to an open register, skipping the made up line. ...
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Comments
That's actually the proper way to line up
Why do you think banks and post offices use this system? It saves the most time for everyone concerned.
Only if done right
With staunchions and Tens-o-matics or whatever they call those things. What you get at the CVS (and I've seen this too, at the one in West Roxbury), is this amorphous clot of people. If you're already in the mini-mob, no problem, but, like Jen says, it can be highly annoying for people who are not already in it (hmm, sorta like rotaries).
still, that doesn't make it
still, that doesn't make it acceptable for her to cut the line - while raging about people who do!
The CVS store in Harvard Square is just about as bad.
The CVS Store in Harvard Square is just about as bad in that respect. The fact that they're almost always short on staff adds insult to injury.
Regarding the woman who cut in front of jen Martelli: Christ, I'd hate to be the one who got every single goddamned thing s/he wanted. I'd just as soon stay the hell out of their way whenever possible. heh.
Yes, but it's a little different at banks and post offices.
because they've got much more organized line-up in place that make the use of such a system as the above-mentioned possible. I agree with Jen here--there's no such thing at CVS, which is really disgusting.
This is my pet peeve, #1
This is my pet peeve, #1.
The fact is, at places such as CVS, there can be big differences between what each customer buys. If you have separate lines, you very well may be stuck in a line behind someone with 20 items, or using a credit card for the first time, or unable to transact business quickly because they are in there with their dogs (actually, that's pet peeve #1); meanwhile every other line goes quickly.
The trouble is, CVS is sort of in-between. At the supermarket, it's clear there should be separate lines, and you can see easily which one will take longer, based on the items in each person's cart.
Not so, at CVS.
The CVS on Boylston Street in Copley Square has made it clear what its customers should do. It has a sign up that says, "Please create separate lines." This is the wrong solution, unfortunately.
There should be one line, waiting for the next open register. Things move much quicker if it is set up this way.
My favorite story is when I was at line at Shaw's. I was at the "self-check" line - there are four registers there, actually. I created one line. Some guy came up, annoyed, and said, "Interesting ... there's just one line?", accusingly.
"No," I said, "There are multiple lines ... there just all behind me ..."
Ain't I a stinker?
I completely agree with your
I completely agree with your first point. What’s even worse is when somebody is trying to negotiate an outdated return or have a price checked.
The CVS is Allston is the only CVS I know of which has the unwritten "one-line" rule, and even a line of 6+ people goes quite quickly.
Civility
The real problem is a lack of civility in most places these days. I was at the Brighton CVS a few days ago. The "group line" began forming and I was about the 3rd or 4th person there. We all acknowledged who had been waiting there the longest and they stepped up each time a register opened. We even had a guy who put his stuff down to go looking for one last item and came back to let us know he had just put his stuff down for a second. We all let him keep his priority...and he went back a second time missing his turn at the register, but called back to me (next behind him) to let me know to pass him this time.
So, we all progressed really well and orderly and nobody had hurt feelings or anything else. It just took a little awareness of those around you and patience if you're not the person who's been there the longest. You don't need to know who you're behind. You only need to know who is behind you when you're in a group like that. Of course, it only takes 1 Jenn to tromp in and piss in everyone's soup to show that this only works when everyone involved is civil.
crazy faces + mouthing obscenities: Walgreens / Boylston
The Walgreens on Boylston in Copley Sq. is horrendous. There is no room for a single line or multiple lines to form so people end up getting stuck in different aisles which makes it impossible for other shoppers to maneuver. People joining the line can't figure out whether or not the aisle-people are in a line or not in a line and all the while there's usually an employee barking at customers that they're not forming the line properly. By the time you get to a cashier he/she is on the phone chatting away while ringing you up... you will not be spoken to during the entire transaction. Hand over the cash or swipe your card, retrieve change or sign on the dotted line, and get the hell out.
It's agreed that there's a serious lack of civility these days.
However, when one does encounter civility, it's worth the weight in gold.
At least one line eliminates
At least one line eliminates those wonderful moments when after waiting and waiting in line, a new register opens up, and someone who had not even been in line casually jumps in front of everyone!