to wonder how you would have handled this queue jumper?

[chocolatecremeegg]

Was queueing for a ride with the dc's at Chessington. Queues were particularly bad (park was at full capacity) and we queued for about 50 mins for one ride the dcs were desperate to go. As we got to the front of the queue a woman and her child walked all the way up the queue and barged to the front, bold as brass. Could feel my blood boiling but thought to myself, say nothing, don't get worked up, it's not worth it etc etc.

Could hear others in the queue mumbling about how unfair it was this woman had barged in, a few parents were explaining to their kids (who asked why the woman had been able to walk straight to the front rather than queue) how it wasn't acceptable to queue jump etc.

Anyway, a few minutes later another woman and 4 children climb over the barrier to stand with the woman and her child who queue jumped. They were laughing about how easy it was to get to the front of the queue and smirking to themselves.

Afraid to say I couldn't hold back. Turned to the women and said I'd been waiting for 50 mins to get on, how it wasn't acceptable to queue jump etc. Man next to me joined in and told the member of staff what had happened. The women were laughing and generally were very proud of themselves. I siad they were setting a poor example for their children. They told me if I didn't like it I should go somewhere else! Staff member said as she hadn't seen the woman and her children push in she couldn't do anything. They went straight on the ride, as there were so many of them it meant I had to wait a further 10 mins before I and the dcs could get on the ride!

AIBU to wonder what you would have done in that situation?

[PotatoesOfTheCarribean]

Doesn't sound like there was much else you could have done in that situation, she sounds like a chancer.

I always point queue-jumpers to the back of the line, it's a compulsion.. I really can't help myself

[HeIsSpartacus]

I'm afraid I have caused quite a scene when someone has done this - I did start off nice and polite "Excuse me the end of the queue is over there " and when it was ignored I started to call witnesses (never queue with a lawyer) until there were about 5 or 6 of us that were telling the staff that this group of people had pushed in and they had to concede that the people should go to the back of the queue (even if like you, the staff hadn't seen them with their own eyes). I would write to Chessington management - presumably the staff not only ignored you but also others in the queue who were saying they had pushed in? The people involved were being asked to leave the queue by security when we came off the ride.

[Dozer]

The staff handled it wrongly, they should've been kicked to the back of the queue. The staff were being wimps. I would complain.

[GwendolineMaryLacey]

I would have caused a scene I'm afraid. Why are people so afraid to challenge this sort of thing? When I've challenged people in supermarkets for the same thing I always get a load of grateful smiles from everyone else in the queue and I want to shout at them to do something themselves fgs. Not everyone is an axe murder or carrying a weapon. Mostly you'd just get a mouthful.

[Mumwithadragontattoo]

You did the right thing. The staff member should have taken your complaint seriously. I'm guessing they were a bit intimidated by the queue jumpers, especially as the staff are often v young at Chessington.

[Jacksterbear]

I would have done what you did OP.

[captainbarnacle]

Three days before Christmas. Gatwick airport. Runway under snow and flights cancelled/delayed. I have been up over 24hours and have a 4yr old and 2yr old with me. I am 6weeks pregnant. I should have been in Switz with OH for Christmas yesterday. So I wasn't as calm as usual

Everyone is in one queue to have their flights reassigned. The queue goes all around the terminal. Some middleaged woman just barges in behind me. So it doesn't affect my position, but the lovely young lady she has pushed in front of (and about 2000 other people) just looked so sad she was about to cry. So I lost it with the woman (in an assertive manner :) ) and brought half a dozen other queuers with me. She called security over to deal with me! And they just told us both to calm down. She was only placated when a skynews camera was pointed as her, and then she was all smiles and teeth.

I hate queue jumpers.

[wineandroses]

I think I would have challenged the member of staff. What nonsense to say "I didn't see them" - well the rest of the queue did! The staff member just didn't have the bottle to challenge the queue jumpers. Depending on whether I could be bothered, I would probably have complained about the staff member.

I challanged a queue jumper who walked to the front of the queue in a train buffet car. He told me he didn't understand English queues - not that difficult; go to the back of it! Whilst I was having this conversation the member of staff served him! I was really cross with her and she used the excuse that "the last time I told someone they were queue-jumping they gave me a mouthful of abuse". I told her that if she continued to allow queue jumpers she would probably get a lot more abuse - from the queue!

[Scholes34]

Have recently been to Alton Towers, and I think it's nigh on impossible to climb over barriers to get to the front of the queue, because of the way the queuing works (am happy to be told if this is incorrect) and they have notices up everywhere about queue jumping (including the fact that you shouldn't save places for people).

I think you did the right thing to say something and I'm just sorry for you that the staff didn't react appropriately.

Of course, the fact that people pay to queue jump with Fast Track tickets is another matter . . .

[CoffeeDog]

tiny truckers??? happens all the time... genrally i get my kids involved in the wholw OI NO cheating -thats not fair etc and get the others in the q to join in... somtimes the ride operaters do something.... sometimes they dont... I did have a chat with them and was told sometimes it's 'not safe' for them to evict people from the queline....

[mummymccar]

Well done for saying something! I hate queue jumpers but whenever it happens to me I just get too nervous to say anything about it. I was once at a train station during morning rush hour - huge queues and the woman behind me started shouting abuse at the staff about how unacceptable it was. Tbf to them, there was nothing they could do, all booths were open, all available staff going into the queue with card readers to speed things up. She was irritating people but nobody really said much. The card reader guy approaches me and asks what ticket I'd like, before I could do anything this woman PUSHES me out of the way and starts ordering her ticket.
I said 'excuse me! I was here first!' and she just ignored me so a group of men (who'd obviously had enough of her ages ago) started giving her abuse, telling her to apologise to me, etc. She went bright red and tried to ignore them but the ticket conductor refused to serve her until she had apologised and I'd been served first. I got so much satisfaction out of that!
Queue jumpers make my blood boil but I think that karma gets us all in the end!

[EssexGurl]

I think you should be proud of yourself for saying something. Shame that the staff refused to take your word for it - especially as I am sure everyone else in the queue would have backed you up ....

[littlegreenapples]

Me: Don?t you think the English are strange ( loud voice)?

QJ: Ehh?.what?

Me: No?think about it, just for a moment, we queue for rides, at the supermarket, at the bank not withstanding we are in a hurry and believe are needs are more important. Only happens in England. Strange?.is it not?

QJ: ehh?.ya?so what?

Me: The only place we do not queue is in a pub?.as in we just go to the bar and position ourselves hoping the barman knows we are next? The English are very strange?.but then to me this is a pub so I am next so I will stand in front of you only to let you know that I am not English but still respect their customs. What the rest of the queue does about it is their concern.

Qj: Looking embarrassed?.ya whatever.

Me: Good we understand each other and my children understand the English way of life. Have a nice day!!

Only back fired once but when my DH came over the guy decided to take the line of least resistance. Hate queue jumpers but then hate me more if I do not stand up for what I believe in.

[pamplemousserose]

I usually say, there's a queue and you ate at the end of it, over there. Hate queue jumpers

[TheFlyingOnion]

I'd have punched her fucking lights out

[Andrewofgg]

Some years ago when you could still queue at the Passport Office for same-day service I got there at 6.15 and was Number 2. By 7.00 there were fifty in the queue and a young man arrived who looked disconcerted. He asked when did it open (9.00), how many desks were there (usually eight), how long did each case take (depends how complicated it is) and finally explained that his flight was that evening and he had to have a passport today. I said he might just have a chance if he joined the queue at once and he went off in that direction; but at 7.45 he was back, asking the same questions and being particularly chatty with Number 4, another young man of the same ethnic origin as he was.

It was obvious he was planning a jump, and I decided to keep quiet about what I knew, which was that at about 8.15 the security staff would appear, put down barriers along the middle of the pavement, and hand out numbered tickets to the first 150 people.

And along they came and he tried to take one. Number 1 was not having it. She was a tough-minded lady; I could not help thinking that her mother had probably come through the Blitz. ?Not you, young man, you haven?t been standing in the queue, off you go to the back of it?. He turns to Number 4 and says ?Tell them, man, we are together?. Number 4 hesitates but Number 1 turns on him and this time I join in and we remind him that we have all had to wait and that if this chap gets seen somebody else won?t.

By now the chap with the tickets, of the same origin too, has sussed this fellow out. He doesn?t wait for Number 4 to speak; he says ?On your bike, man, back of the queue, and don?t let me see you anywhere else while I am handing out the tickets, because you won?t be getting one?.

And off he skulked and undoubtedly missed his flight.

[pippilongsmurfing]

I would have had to say something, very loudly, so the other queuers could hear.

You don't need to be unpleasant about it but people like that should be pulled on their actions.

Their kids will see their wrong behaviour and think it's ok to do it.

[TrillianAstra]

The point is that he picked someone who he thought would be sympathetic to him because they have something in common. He didn't just randomly choose a top-rank queuer.

[tallulah]

We gave up going to Chessington years ago when we had a whole day of queue jumpers barging in at every ride and nothing done to stop them. I did write to complain but Chessington couldn't care less. So we don't give them our money anymore. Their loss.

We had some young girls (late teens) push into the toilet queue at a recent festival (the usual "joining a friend"). The woman in front of me said "excuse me but these children are desperate and have been waiting". "Oh it's OK" they said "we'll share a cubicle". Yeh right. So the queue moves and 2 people come out at the same time. These girls make for a separate cubicle each and the woman says "you said you would share". "oh yes". Looking sheepish (because clearly they never intended to share) they went into the same cubicle. (which was hilarious because there were 3 of them and the cubicles in portable toilets aren't really even big enough for one normal sized adult to get in). Had I been the woman in front I think I'd have been inclined to say that my daughter was going next and they could get to the back. It was obvious what they were doing.

We did find at Disney Paris that the same people who think it's perfectly OK to queue jump don't see it quite the same way when you then stand in front of them. I might start just trying that tactic and walk around the queue jumpers in future.

[mrjellykeepskidsquiet]

I'm usually quite calm about queue jumping but after 50 minutes I think I would have gone mental TBH