An orderly queue of one

[ewx]

[Poll #756275]

Comments

[mobbsy.livejournal.com]

A queue manager should shift all the baskets along as the queue is processed, and processed baskets should be placed into an indexed array for asynchronous retrieval by the worker threads.

[enismirdal.livejournal.com]

I tend to assume that if your body leaves the queue, your place in the queue is forfeit and you must then rejoin at the end of the queue.

Assuming this is in Sainsbury's or something, not some kind of compsci thing...

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

I see two questions.

* Best queuing practice

Stepping briefly out of a queue is ok, provided you didn't intend to. You should ideally ask someone next to you to keep your place so they know. If you're not back they should skip ahead. This on average makes things more efficient for everyone.

Dropping a basket at the end of a queue and immediately departing messes things up. Why wouldn't everyone do that if they could? Conversely, for short queues of people with lots of things the waiting at the end could be a significant amount of time, so I would be ok with someone who'd been waiting a few minutes to leave their basket, again prefering to ask someone to remember their place.

* Proportionate response to people who break best practice

The aim should be to adopt practices which converge to best, not converge to fisticuffs. Eg. if someone legitimately steps out of the middle and you didn't notice, you should ideally imply "It's ok, come back, but be quicker next time". If someone pushes in you should definitely firmly but politely tell them to go to the back, otherwise society will collapse and we'll turn into spain! You shouldn't hit them, that'd be worse. However, you could politely ask the cashier not to serve them first.

If someone leaves the end of the queue, what's reasonable? It breaks down here, because I'm not sure. I'd be inclined to stand abreast of the basket, and say "Oh, were you here?" when they return, and if they say "I'm sorry, I was just a moment, I forgot the whipped cream" let them on, and if they say "Hah, I'm entitled! Mwahahha, serve me, proles" say "Sorry, I didn't realise. Well, too late now" :)

[ex-lark-asc.livejournal.com]

Facepalm, leave queue, retrieve forgotten item, rejoin queue at end.

[rmc28]

It's hard to tell the difference between leaving a basket because just as you join the queue you remember something, and leaving a basket because you're being a git. Also, Co-op have this nasty habit of putting tempting things near the checkouts so you just get settled in the queue and then spot the CUSTARD TARTS or the ICECREAM BARS, and have to step out to get them.

So on the whole I'd rather treat someone as though they are the former, and would probably kick their basket along with my own (you mean you don't put heavy baskets on the floor and kick them along when queueing?)

[nunfetishist.livejournal.com]

None - if you forgot something, you go and get it, and return to join the end of the queue.

[pjc50.livejournal.com]

This is probably as good a place as any to mention my theory as to why this country is so notorious for orderly queuing:

We have a greater tendancy for violence combined with a strong sense of justice and fairness. Therefore there is no middle ground possible between an orderly queue and a punch-up. Good-natured competitive disorderly shoving, or opportunistic getting ahead, don't happen because they would escalate quickly.