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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Get in the damn queue!

243 replies

TakesallSortsofPotatoes · 03/04/2025 16:58

Is anybody else irritated at people who stand miles away from the queue, so you think they're not in the queue? You either have to ask them if they're in the queue (if you're able to successfully get their attention), assume they're not, because why would they not be standing actually in it and walk past, or wait like an idiot behind them with a huge disjointed queue.

I'm also noticing loitering people blocking gateways, with no regards for anybody else who should need through. What are these people doing?

Anybody else want to partake in a rant at situations like this that irritate you?

OP posts:
ForQuirkyFawn · 05/04/2025 01:48

No, the worst are people looking at their phone whilst walking, and not looking where they are going, I always walk right at them quickly causing them to swerve...I know I'm a child..

Femalefootyfan · 04/04/2025 22:09

99problems99 · 04/04/2025 21:48

When standing in the school yard and try to remain visible for your child coming out of class and the big wide grandparent stands a meter away from the door blocking all view of every child so you end up not being able to get your child’s attention because BFG is in the way

Oh this is us when we’re getting our grandkids from school, I’m only 5 feet tall so it’s hard enough trying to be seen without the 6 foot wanker standing right in front of me so my grandkids teacher can’t see me so won’t release the kids out of the classroom

Femalefootyfan · 04/04/2025 22:07

Oh cyclists who cycle on the pavement 🤬 I go out for a walk every day and as a pedestrian, I walk on the pavement, why do I have to move out of the way for a cyclist who, if there’s no cycle path, should cycle on the road. I don’t walk on the road so why do they think they have the right to cycle on the pavement and then expect me to move? This really gives me the rage. I almost got knocked over by a cyclist who was fully kitted out in Lycra and all the stuff they wear to indicate they’re a serious cyclist. He must’ve missed me by inches and he just continued racing past me like I didn’t exist. Just cycle on the road you fuckwit.

And another one, as a 60 year old female, I feel completely invisible at times, I hold a door for people, they sail through with no acknowledgement, no thanks, no nothing. I often say out loud ‘you’re welcome’ but that gets no response either. Clearly the door fairy who is deaf and blind has held a door open for these ignorant arseholes who have no manners 🤬

99problems99 · 04/04/2025 21:48

TakesallSortsofPotatoes · 03/04/2025 16:58

Is anybody else irritated at people who stand miles away from the queue, so you think they're not in the queue? You either have to ask them if they're in the queue (if you're able to successfully get their attention), assume they're not, because why would they not be standing actually in it and walk past, or wait like an idiot behind them with a huge disjointed queue.

I'm also noticing loitering people blocking gateways, with no regards for anybody else who should need through. What are these people doing?

Anybody else want to partake in a rant at situations like this that irritate you?

When standing in the school yard and try to remain visible for your child coming out of class and the big wide grandparent stands a meter away from the door blocking all view of every child so you end up not being able to get your child’s attention because BFG is in the way

anon666 · 04/04/2025 21:17

Yanbu!

What is wrong with these people!!

noodlebugz · 04/04/2025 20:56

my rant is about people who don’t understand what a pavement is for
A pavement is for walking on. It is not for parking all four wheels of your car or van on it so that you block it completely so that I am constantly having to walk in the road with my pushchair. Not for a quick chat, not for a diy job - not because you have 7 cars and can’t fit them on your drive - none of these are good excuses! It’s selfish and entitled and I know it’s only a should not outside of london but it gets on my tits.
A bit not to block the road I can understand. So nobody can walk past is taking the piss!
Oh and those bobbly bits at crossings - you shouldn’t park on those either.

B1anche · 04/04/2025 20:41

TakesallSortsofPotatoes · 04/04/2025 20:37

I do most of my shopping online, but I had to go into M&S recently to get dm something for her birthday. There were two escalator blockers standing debating on what they wanted to order from the cafe (where they were nowhere near), and then the other wanting to go to get perfume first! No problem if people want to ponder, but don't do it at the top of the flipping escalator!

And this is why I want a taser! Escalator blockers are not only annoying but fucking dangerous.

TakesallSortsofPotatoes · 04/04/2025 20:37

Yourcatisnotsorry · 04/04/2025 20:17

I see you people who leave a shop and then stand dumbfounded by the bewildering choice of turning left or right and raise you people who stop at the top of an escalator. For some unknown reason this happens often in M&S. It’s very dangerous and I will shout at or shove you out of the way. Idiots.

I do most of my shopping online, but I had to go into M&S recently to get dm something for her birthday. There were two escalator blockers standing debating on what they wanted to order from the cafe (where they were nowhere near), and then the other wanting to go to get perfume first! No problem if people want to ponder, but don't do it at the top of the flipping escalator!

OP posts:
Beautifulweeds · 04/04/2025 20:31

Oh just people anywhere really! Engrossed in phones, ear pods in, no awareness of anything of anything going on around them. Crossing the road without looking, drivers speeding past dangerously to gain a few seconds, people who have loudspeaker on phone to talk, endless list really. I do often despair at humankind lol 😆

Ladymeade · 04/04/2025 20:28

People (sheeple) who come and sit right next to you in an otherwise empty/half empty cafe, pub etc. Why? Just why? It drives us mad and we usually end up moving to another table...

BashfulClam · 04/04/2025 20:27

Thebloodynine · 03/04/2025 17:00

It’s the people who walk out of a shop/cafe and then just stop in the doorway to have a wee think about where to go next, and you’re walking out behind them and have to emergency brake yourself before you head butt their back. Tops of escalators too! They annoy me more than the queue deceptors.

Edited

Yes I despise them and they deserve a cattle prod to the arse. They either walk in or out of a door and stop dead or do it on escalators. Last year at Palma airport some woman decided the best place to stand, with her case, was in a doorway! I said ‘stop blocking the doors’ as I stepped over her case and she told me to fuck off. I took a gamble that she spoke English lol.

CrushingOnRubies · 04/04/2025 20:26

Yourcatisnotsorry · 04/04/2025 20:17

I see you people who leave a shop and then stand dumbfounded by the bewildering choice of turning left or right and raise you people who stop at the top of an escalator. For some unknown reason this happens often in M&S. It’s very dangerous and I will shout at or shove you out of the way. Idiots.

I do try not to stop at the top of escalators. But I have a huge panic attack inducing phobia of them . I am getting better. But I do sometimes stop and pep myself up a bit. I do try to use lifts but that isn’t always possible.

it’s just going down going up I’m fine.

Yourcatisnotsorry · 04/04/2025 20:17

I see you people who leave a shop and then stand dumbfounded by the bewildering choice of turning left or right and raise you people who stop at the top of an escalator. For some unknown reason this happens often in M&S. It’s very dangerous and I will shout at or shove you out of the way. Idiots.

JohnTheRevelator · 04/04/2025 20:12

I have the opposite problem. I'm very obviously standing in a queue and someone will say to me 'Are you in the queue?'. Um no,I'm just standing here for fun. I know what you mean though. It was particularly bad during the pandemic, when we had to leave a 2 metre gap between yourself and the person in front. Numerous times I had people going and standing in front of me, and when I told them they were pushing in,they said oh there was such a large gap,I didn't think you were in the queue. Yes,the gap is there for a reason,you idiot!

springbringshope · 04/04/2025 20:05

Nikki75 · 04/04/2025 18:30

Drivers who have the space of like 3 cars in front of them winds me up!!

yes. And on motorway off ramps people cut in front of them. So they leave another big gap. And someone else cuts in. So sitting behind them feels like a never ending wait because you keep getting pushed back

springbringshope · 04/04/2025 20:02

Thebloodynine · 03/04/2025 17:00

It’s the people who walk out of a shop/cafe and then just stop in the doorway to have a wee think about where to go next, and you’re walking out behind them and have to emergency brake yourself before you head butt their back. Tops of escalators too! They annoy me more than the queue deceptors.

Edited

I kind of brace myself for impact at the top or bottom of escalators. I slightly enjoy it. It’s not my fault when I bash into them. Not sure what else I was supposed to do. Evaporate?

taxguru · 04/04/2025 19:47

Shwish · 04/04/2025 19:39

"also people having a lovely chat to shop keepers/till operators when the queue is huge!! Now is not the time!"
OMG yes this. I get elderly people are often lonely and they need to be able to chat to the person in the shop. But why make it at lunchtime? When everyone else is on the clock and the post office queue is getting longer and longer behind them.

Then they finally turn round to see the huge queue and it seems to come as a complete shock to them. No spatial awareness at all! Especially the ones you see regularly at lunchtime, like in our village shop, where you start to recognise people, and they have the same "surprised" look every time. Just never learn and never change their habits.

CrushingOnRubies · 04/04/2025 19:41

KimberleyClark · 04/04/2025 15:42

At an airport when people start a queue before boarding is announced. Then there are those who jump into the business class queue (confession, we fly business class long haul so relevant), a member of ground staff checks their boarding pass and lo and behold, they’re not flying business class so they’re asked to leave the queue and they huff like a child whose toys have been taken away. Or those who have boarding group 3 or whatever on their pass but as soon as boarding group 1 is announced, they join the queue and those who faff about so much when they board, standing in the aisle, taking their stuff out of their cabin bag, taking their coat off etc all without any awareness that there’s plenty of people trying to get to their seat.

Recently flew from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore. I was amazed that people actually waited for their group to be called before boarding. Made boarding much less stressful.

I was boarding group 3. And we were queuing behind this party and they we weren’t moving. we asked were you boarding group 3? Oh no looking rather bemused we are 4. Looked in front and realised that 5 meters from the gate desk wasn’t the best place to stop whilst they waited for their group to be called.

Shwish · 04/04/2025 19:39

"also people having a lovely chat to shop keepers/till operators when the queue is huge!! Now is not the time!"
OMG yes this. I get elderly people are often lonely and they need to be able to chat to the person in the shop. But why make it at lunchtime? When everyone else is on the clock and the post office queue is getting longer and longer behind them.

taxguru · 04/04/2025 19:38

TheaBrandt1 · 04/04/2025 06:48

I guess all you angry impatient ones are mid life full of energy and as women have stacks you have to do and tight deadlines. Fair enough. As you get abit older I have found you do get kinder and less impatient. I mean really what’s the bloody rush? I also try and look sympathetically at people most are dealing with something.

I don't have a problem with dawdlers. I have a big problem with dawdlers who don't have any spatial awareness and block everyone else from going about their business, when they could just easily move to one side! Get out of the bloody way if you're going to dawdle. How hard can it be to walk on one side of the pavement instead of the middle? How hard can it be to walk a few steps when you come to the end of the escalator or go through a doorway? How hard can it be to let others ahead of you in the shop queue who are only buying 1 or 2 items whereas you've got two dozen items and want to chat to the till staff? How hard can it be to avoid the busiest time of the day, i.e. lunchtime, when you've got all day, but workers have maybe less than half an hour to get and eat their lunch after they've walked/driven to the shops from their workplace? A bit of consideration goes a long way, whatever you're going through. Why make life harder and more miserable for others?

Sworkmum · 04/04/2025 19:34

Yes, people stopping to put things away/sort something out or chat in the middle of
somewhwre, a doorway, hallway, gate, shop, till or whatever. If you want to do that fine, but move to the side 🤦🏼‍♀️

also people having a lovely chat to shop keepers/till operators when the queue is huge!! Now is not the time!

asrl78 · 04/04/2025 19:25

It is called being thoughtless and living in a dream world, a problem I've noticed is more of an issue in SE England. Social isolation during the pandemic has greatly eroded people's self awareness in combination with the rise of the smart-phone-dumb-user who by law must spend 95% of their waking moments gawping at their screen and it is everyone elses responsibility to get out of their way.

Shwish · 04/04/2025 19:23

MinnieMountain · 04/04/2025 06:37

I feel your pain @viques . It’s especially annoying when 3 people are chatting and there’s no room to push off. Oh, and when I’ve noted their speed relative to mine but the long pause means my planned gap no longer works.

At the pool I go to there's this weird man that sometimes takes up the medium lane for himself (we have a slow, medium and fast lane) but he DOESNT BLOODY SWIM IN IT. he actually just walks slowly sideways like a crab. I've seen him quite a few times as well. WTF is that about??

Shwish · 04/04/2025 19:19

TheaBrandt1 · 04/04/2025 06:48

I guess all you angry impatient ones are mid life full of energy and as women have stacks you have to do and tight deadlines. Fair enough. As you get abit older I have found you do get kinder and less impatient. I mean really what’s the bloody rush? I also try and look sympathetically at people most are dealing with something.

Honestly my pet hate is people who say things like what's the rush? Why don't you just leave earlier? Well sometimes people can't! I have to run out the door at work at 5 to catch the 5.15 train that gets me into the local station at 5.45 where I then have to run to pick up my children from after school club. If I miss that train then it's a 30 minute wait for the next one, meaning I'm 15 minutes late to collect. They officially start calling all your emergency contacts at 6.10 and I'm not sure how soon after that they call social services. So no sorry I can't just leave earlier and I genuinely don't have time to just dawdle behind you pavement blockers!

DaxieTaxi · 04/04/2025 19:01

There’s a special place in hell for these people…