The British are famous for their queueing

[StealthPolarBear]

If this doesn't happen in other countries, what do they do instead? All just pile in front of each other at shop tills and post offices?
(in non covid times)

They queue. They just have different rules

Like leaving your shoes in line - Thailan

Or the winner has the pointiest elbows - France

If you think we are good with queuing - visit Japan.
Their organised and polite methods of queuing take it to another level.
There are even special places marked in the floor for people to queue for trains, etc. And chairs are placed outside of restaurants to encourage polite queues.

I think the difference is that in the UK people tend to automatically organise themselves into a queue even when there's no official requirement for them to do so.

E.g. at a market stall people get into a queue, whereas in other countries people use other methods. In Spain, for example, I've often seen people stand in a huddle not a queue, BUT they pay attention to who came first and have a mental queue in their heads, and it's very common to speak up and challenge queue jumpers by saying "I was here first" etc.

Yes, I'd say most other European countries organise by queuing, just with less moral codes (and indignation). And with more common sense, if I'm honest. I remember waiting for the Eurostar in Paris once. There was bad weather or something and trains were being cancelled. I found a long line of people queuing in the middle of the hall, mostly Brits. When asked what they were queuing for, they weren't sure. Just waiting for someone to sort out the mess, I guess. Which wasn't happening. So me and another continental went to one of the ticket windows to ask what we were supposed to do and the person said we could get a ticket for the next train from them, I think they had just become available. So we queued in front of that window and got our ticket. People in the random queue were furious! They'd been waiting longer and now we got tickets before them. Never mind that nobody would've got tickets if we hadn't gone and asked. So yes, I found that really baffling. There was no pushing, shoving, piles ups or any of that nonsense. Just not randomly lining up in the expectation that the powers that be would sort it out. Do I need to put my hard hat on now?

Whatever the Irish tell you, they love a good queue too.

And if somebody jumps the queue, the disapproving glances will put them back in their place quickly enough.

At a bus stop, the queue may not take the shape of an actual LINE, but when the bus arrives, each person knows their place in the queue.
Break that at your peril.

Of course we wait in line, just not in all places and sometimes differently.
So if I had to go to a British place I'd find out how it is done and try to do it the expected way. And I assume if you'd go to a non-British place you'd find out how it is done there and do it their way, wouldn't you?

Agree with @depopsa re waiting for the powers that be to sort things out. Watch the automatic passport control. Although there are green and red lights, as soon as the person who is helping goes to help someone, very few people move forwards as there is no one saying next next and directing them to the next one. Does my head in. Similarly at market stalls, especially when raining. Why do this long queue outside of the stall rain cover and get even more wet

One of the great advantages of the internet is that it can help make queueing something rare not common.

Some places do scrum, sharpest elbows win.
It's a hard mindset to adjust to when travelling.

It was also strange to adjust to ploughing on across the road and trusting that the traffic flows around you. Not so bad in India where it tended to be fairly congested, but in China there were plenty of crossings like trying to saunter across the M1.

Of course the time we got closest to being run over was on the home leg of our journey and forgetting to stop, look and listen outside St Pancras

I also don't think there's anything particularly special about British queuing, I'm originally from the US. Is it more hardcore outside London? Because otherwise I don't see a difference.

Obviously some countries don't really believe in queuing but you do get used to it (used to live in France).

I went to Russia back in the 80s. Queues for queues back then.

Try commuting from and to central London. The concept of British being good at queueing goes right out the window. I am small but years of commuting has given me pointed elbows which are deployed like a ninja when needs be. Not since March thankfully.

What's really strange is that in Edinburgh people queue in an orderly fashion for buses, but in Glasgow it's a bit of a free-for-all. I found this really confusing when I came moved from Edinburgh to Glasgow. Missed many a bus looking for the queue 😂

@bibbidybobbidyboo

I think the difference is that in the UK people tend to automatically organise themselves into a queue even when there's no official requirement for them to do so.

E.g. at a market stall people get into a queue, whereas in other countries people use other methods. In Spain, for example, I've often seen people stand in a huddle not a queue, BUT they pay attention to who came first and have a mental queue in their heads, and it's very common to speak up and challenge queue jumpers by saying "I was here first" etc.

I've heard that, in Spain, it is common to go to the butchers or wherever and ask the huddle 'who is last' and then you only have to remember that you are after 'the lady in the green dress' or whoever.

Barbara Same here, you find out who is last and that's it. People can stand and wait where they want or even move about.

I'll never forget queuing at a train station for train tickets in Beijing.

Well, it wasn't so much a queue, more a mosh pit.

It was one of the most stressful couple of hours of my life.

In the ME and North Africa they don’t queue (in my experience) but you know your place and will soon be told off should you push in unless you are a women over 60 then you barge to the front and no one questions you

I think culturally we tend to not like to appear that we are causing a scene so queues avoid that situation

I find we're fantastic at queueing but awful at waiting for people to get off the train before we get on.

Yes trying to cross the road in Ho Chi Minh City when there seems to be no rules for driving we were great entertainment for the men sitting in the cafe watching us. Eventually one came over and helped us you have to navigate through the traffic and just hope someone slams their brakes

Israelis are terrible at queuing. I have had to form a barrier with my arms to stop being pushed past. You can be front of the queue and someone will charge up, say they’re in a rush to see their dead dogs cousin and try to push in front.

Also in London when at a food place which operates canteen style system, of needing to queue to get each component of your meal (like Chipotle), I watched the entire place descend into chaos when two Israeli men decided to push in at Stage 3 and just start shouting their order into the ether. Instantly lots of arms waving and all other people used to the system here getting muddled and crashing into each other like broken Daleks.

Encountered little queuing when in China, also little concept of personal space. Was just a case of push yourself to the front. Although I did naturally queue in some places and cashiers took pity on me to stop others pushing ahead. One day did a walking tour and watched in horror as our guide used her sharp elbows. I was riddled with guilt for queue jumping and they didn’t give a shit!

British queuing is so pointless. You get in the queue, but realise you've forgotten something so have to get out the queue, and then join at the end, want to look at something so have to lean over so your still in your queue space. Realise you've forgotten something else, have to pay then go all the way around the whole process again to buy the item.

I like the post offices where you get a ticket and it gets called up. That makes me happy

They also have it in phlebotomy

@31RooCambon

Whatever the Irish tell you, they love a good queue too.

And if somebody jumps the queue, the disapproving glances will put them back in their place quickly enough.

At a bus stop, the queue may not take the shape of an actual LINE, but when the bus arrives, each person knows their place in the queue.
Break that at your peril.

Yes, but I think the point is we don’t do that perfectly spaced formal queue thing. I remember when I first moved to England. Princess Diana had just died, and the country appeared to be in the grip of mass hysteria, and one of my first mornings I looked out my Oxford window at a long bus stop queue, where each person was symmetrically spaced from the ones before and behind, and thought ‘This is a strange country.’

Agree personal space it’s the given thought to in many parts of Asia

It’s strange to me as sitting almost on top of stranger is fine but showing affection in public like a hug/kiss on cheek is a no no

I love all this cultural differences though

No thought to ...