THE ART OF QUEUING
Queuing is the British way. Not that other countries don’t queue or that we particularly like it. It’s just that we are really, really good at it.
In fact, there is even a little bit of science behind it.
Research from the University College London has discover the ‘power of six’ lies behind our waiting.
“People will wait for six minutes in a queue before giving up and are unlikely to join a line of more than six people.
Six is also the magic number when it comes to spacing - gaps of fewer than six inches between people can spark anxiety or stress.” (Source: BBC)
The brains behind this research, Adrian Furnham, has spent his fair time in queues and studying them and has definitely seen our impatience rise.
“I do think, because of technology, we’re not used to waiting as much as we were,” he says. “You can do things much more quickly, which is why people get so amazingly pissed off when they are forced to queue.” (Source: Guardian)
Rule of the queue
With the arrival of the British summer comes events such as Wimbledon and numerous music and food festival, pushing queuing to the front of the line.
So before you grab your place in line, here are a few handy hints for successful queuing.
- Queue as a group
If there is more than one of you, don’t take turns waiting (emergency loo stops aside!) as it will only annoy the people behind you when one person turns into ten as they near the front.
- Respect the personal space of those around you
No one needs to feel your breath on the back of their neck whilst they wait. Personal space is a must, and it will not make the queue go any faster… unless they move out to get away from you!
- Be patient
You are all in the same position. Sighing, tutting, tapping your feet, crossing your arms… all of these are yet to prove that it makes the time pass quicker. It may make waiting slightly more tolerable for you, but it just plain annoys everyone else. Don’t be that guy!
- Know what you want when you get there
This is the most important one. You have had plenty of time to work out what you want. Getting to the front of the queue is not the time to finally decide what you want. Any utterance of the word “ummmm….” could actually start a riot amongst the people behind you. Order and move away.
So now you are prepared for the queue ahead.
Or you could just skip it altogether!
Using the Swoope App to preorder your food and drink could mean you never have to wait for your lunch again! Swoope in past the line, grab your order, and swoope back out again – ignoring the stares of the jealous people in the queue!
If they don’t have Swoope on their smartphone, then that is their problem!!
Download the Swoope App now and say goodbye to queuing.