Although everyone knows the British love their queues, I’ve noticed a particularly intelligent approach to queueing in the South West of England that I haven’t see as much elsewhere. For queueing afficianados, there’s a natural tendency to form single queue/multiple server systems.
If you go into a fast food restaurant in London and the South East, chances are you’ll see a queue in front of each till. In the Swindon area (the nearest town to where I live), you’ll find a single queue, the front person of which goes to the first empty server. There’s no bank-style queueing system with ropes or barriers, they just do it.
I’ve just seen a wonderful example of such a queue being born. At our nearest supermarket there are three ATMs. Initially there were two persons queueing at two of them, and one at the third, but then around four people arrived at once. Without any obvious communication, the two people already waiting behind someone else, plus the newcomers, formed a single queue which then started to feed all three ATMs. It was beautiful to watch.
(At least, if you’re a queue spotter. Now where’s my anorak?)
I’ve noted this effect at ATMs also == and again, at the two or three (depending on if the windows are open) ticket booths at Kingston station—you go in the morning and there are sporadic ticket purchasers, but once you get a clump of them, they form one line that feeds into the available windows. Interestingly, this does not happen at the double-windowed coffee vendor at King’s X station. Two rigid queues, of whatever length, always in parallel, ne’er the twain shall merge.
My local Somerfield has a sign encouraging separate queues for each till. I pointed out that this wa s inefficient, but the woman behind the till said, “yes, I know, but it stops arguments when people push in”.
Queuing theory proves that post-office style (one queue, many servers) is more efficient than Supermarket-style (many queues, many servers). One of the more memorable parts of one of my university courses.
I haven’t yet got out the flipchart and pens for my local Somerfield manager though…
Don’t get me on supermarket queues! Don’t you hate it when you get two people going round the shop, then one queues while the other pops back and forth adding in extra items? I cheered the day when they bought out (1) online supermarkets and (2) that stun (sorry scanning!) gun thingy. Now it is all pure joy.