AIBU to wonder if queuing is a British thing, what on earth do the rest of the world do??

[RubyCav]

I have heard quite a few people state "queuing is a British thing". So what I really can't work out is, how general life would work without people forming nice orderly ques. So I'm turning to mumsnet wisdom to help me understand.

We went to the Loja de Cidadao in Portimao last 2 times, which whilst it did entail some queueing was rather more bearable as much smaller and had the advantage that I can take DS off for an ice cream in the cafe nearby whilst DH sorts himself.

I guess I don't notice the way people queue in other countries that much unless it's spectacularly rude. I do notice that some people here though do try to push in the bus queue by coming from the side of the shelter to try and push in the front of the queue, I never give way to these interlopers!

In Italy it's a sort of game but it in general the more needy are allowed to go first, I found Brits worse in certain situations. Last month I was getting a flight to England from Pisa and every one of the English passengers barged ahead of me even though I'm visibly pregnant with my baby in my arms and other child by my side as well as my heavy pushchair in its travel bag over my shoulder! I'm still wishing all kinds of ill on every sodding one of them. Then the plane was delayed half an hour because they had some problem with the weight due to confusion checking my pushchair in, probably avoided had I been allowed to board first (there were no other kids/ people with physical disabilities on the flight). I have to admit though a British cabin crew probably would've helped to get us to the front through the sea of arseholes where as the Italian crew didn't bat an eyelid.

NotMyMoney thanks for posting the video, made me chortle!

I love approaching a queue from the side when the bus is already boarding when I arrive. I wait for those in the queue before me to get on and meanwhile another queue has built up behind me of people who want me to push in.

Little things amuse me.

When I used to work recruiting nurses the majority of applicants were from Africa - and usually middle aged softly spoken ladies with names like lovely, kindness, precious etc - about 17 out of 20 with 3 Brits. We used to do group interviews to see how everyone could interact. Everyone would sit in a circle for the discussion part and we would put about 30 subject cards out on the floor for them each to select a subject to talk about.

Every single time I would explain I was putting the cards put and no one was to stand till I had put them all out and then SAT BACK DOWN. This was very important I would stress. Without fail every week I would put one card down and the 17 would stand and rush at me, occasionally actually pushing me to the ground as I was bent over. The 3 Brits would be sitting like

I was training a colleague to do it while I was on holiday aNd I told him what happened. He laughed thinking I was joking. He wasn't laughing so much when he was clothes lined by a petit lady called precious!

We always laughed and put it down as enthusiasm!

Loving this thread. Was in the ladies loos once in a UK service station where an orderly queue formed behind a lady who had stood still for some reason, despite the fact that about half the cubicles were empty! The British love to queue so much they'd prefer to stand behind someone than walk past them to use the loo

Also enjoy the common English challenge to a queue jumper often still attempting politeness to the villains - phases like "I think you will find there is a queue" "we have been here some time" etc

We had a bit of this with hotel buses on our recent holiday abroad with mostly Americans. I joked one day to one American that queuing is the one thing we are good at.

That reminds me, JC, years ago I was in the lobby of a bank in Guildford waiting for the cash machine. This was a long time ago and the machines had signs above them saying what they did, if they just dispensed cash or if they did paying in services as well.
There was a queue of women waiting but I could see that one of the machines was free and seemed to be working. I said to the lady at the front of the queue that the machine at the end was free. She, and the other women in the queue, looked at me like I was stupid and said 'that one is cash and pay in'. (just imagine the queue was made of the white women from The Help and you'll get the atmosphere) I said, 'well yes.....' and she continued to look at me like I had just dropped out of a dog's bottom.
So I waltzed to the machine got my money out and walked off to dropping jaws from the rest of them.

Of course there's also the funny reverse where someone goes up to the empty cash machine all cocky only to realise that it doesn't have cash.

Italians queue, then when they get to near the front, they try and jump it.

In a queue for tickets at the Louvre and the Musee D'Orsay, the Chinese were very good at jumping in front.

The best queue was at the Eiffel Tower. Hours long (we didn't join) but grudgingly, everyone seemed to behave.

Ethel they are forced to behave at the Eiffel Tower due to the barriers!
Had a pass for the Louvre and D'Orsay so didn't have to queue (smug face)

I remember some years back there was an art installation group who were starting q's all around London just in random places like the duveen gallery in the Tate. People were just joining the q without any idea of what it was for, then someone was interviewing them and asking what it was a q for. It was quite funny.

I am in Japan. They know how to queue. On tube platforms, there are markers on the floor for where the doors open, and they queue to get on the train, nicely and neatly with the same space between people, like birds on a line. In toilets there are marks on the floor to show you where to queue. In one public loo there was even a 'map' of the loos and the available cubicle would light up when available. You think Brits are the queuing type? Come to Tokyo and they will show you how to queue...

An old one, but funny:

In Spain, you ask on arrival ' Who is last?' you are then free to sit down, wander about etc until you see that person ahead of you being served and then you know you are next. Much less stressful than standing in a long queue.

bertsdinner Brits mainly seem to like to queue, though seem to abandon this when getting on a bus or train.

That's true. Although more for trains than buses, IME. London tube trains, in particular, seem to be where we abandon our usual principles of orderly queues and personal space...

Recently, waiting for a bus, a man sat down right next to me, pressed against my side (hot day and subsequent skimpy outfit made it worse) despite there being plenty of room. I called him out on it, and when the bus arrived he made a petty point of pushing in front of me - to "get back" at me in a very British way! idiot

In the city I grew up in everyone stood in a single file straight line waiting for the bus and queue jumpers were dealt with. I moved 25 miles up the road to the next city and was shocked to discover that bus stops are a free for all. And the baristas in coffee shops make tea with hot milk as well.

I hate the queueing mentality - I always feel like a sheep.

Much prefer keeping an eye out on who is before me so that I know when it is my turn. Didn't work in HSBC lately when I paced a little bit - but still infront of the tellers.

Woman came up after me and tried to be served before me. I pointed out that I was there first and she started "well you weren't in the queue" then another man piped in too. FFS it's like being at school.

I remember queuing to board an aeroplane and the woman behind us didn't like the fact we left a space infront of us (another of my pet hates is invasion of private space). She pushed right infront of us and told us that we weren't queuing properly!

I've been thinking about this and I think there is a difference between queuing and waiting. The points about q-ing and waiting in the same general area are missing something.

The reason we Brits like q-ing (and the reason I like it in particular) is it takes some effort for your reward. If I went to a bus stop and people were sitting on the bench and I stood next to the post where the q forms and I was the only one there, I would consider myself the first in the q. I am foregoing comfort to earn this reward.

Anyone can sit on their arse in the vicinity of a q. That takes no effort or sacrifice. So you have the choice; choose comfort first and get on last (and possibly get no seat) or sacrifice your arse comfort and q and be first and maybe get a seat. It's a choice I make.

When pregnant or on crutches I choose to sit and then hope I can get a priority seat. But when not I stand and q and am rightly before those shortsighted people who were there longer but not willing to put in the work. (Obv all usual disclaimers of elderly, pregnant, those with disabilities etc apply and they would be allowed on first of wished)

And as for going first on the plane I hate it when I'm pregnant or with kids and am ushered to the front to get on first. I already have a torturous x amount of hours to be cooped up in a tiny seat, why would I want any longer than necessary? I want to be the very last on. Funny how no one offers me to be the first off tho. Oh no, you can wait for us all now lady, now we've actually got somewhere to go!

Flipperty, you were not in the q tho and if I had been that lady I would have said the same thing and been before you in the q. You can't just wander round wildly nilly. You have to follow the rules and commit. Otherwise I'm afraid you are just hanging about. Put the effort in for gods sake. Amateurs! Tsk

I live in Germany and German queue etiquette throws me off all the time.

It appears similar to British queue etiquette, just to lull you into a false sense of security, but it is quite different right at crunch point which really makes me anxious.

Sometimes you have long lines, but at other times people wait in a kind of crowd of no particular order, and whoever is near the front and quick to respond to a server calling out next is next. And nobody seems to mind who got there first.

At supermarkets of course you queue at the checkout. But if somebody has only two or three items it's expected that you let them go first. This is fine, but you often get several people doing it at once which irks me. If a new checkout opens up you can launch yourself from the back of a queue and land right at the start of this new one and everybody just accepts that that is the right and proper way.

Sometimes two queues for two tills will form in smaller shops, like Woolworths, (they have Woolworth's here, it is thrilling, but mostly full of junk, huge displays of ashtrays and all of those rejected home decoration signs where the English is botched.) but then people don't behave consistently when an opening comes up, and it makes me feel really, really anxious.

It's weird how these things are ingrained.

In defence of Italians, dh and I were on holiday in Rome when our daughter was a baby. We were at the back of a taxi rank queue with dd in a pushchair. A taxi pulled up the driver got out and exclaimed bambino to the waiting crowd and we were duly ushered to the front.

Brazilians are pretty good at queuing and like an orderly queue. Queue jumpers are frowned upon. People are allowed to jump the queue if they are elderly, pregnant or carrying small children. In banks there is a ticket system, with a priority machine for the elderly.
Supermarkets are pretty organised, with the same rules for the elderly, pregnant etc but if you have a full trolley at the front and someone else has one or two things they can ask to go in front. The etiquette here is you should let one person go in front but subsequent people are at your discretion.
In markets, bars etc the server is supposed to know who is first and serve people in order. Queue jumping jokes are standard for rude piss takers. I like that better than the passive aggressive British remarks.
I remember queuing for the Eiffel Tower, people looked uncomfortable being forced to queue. I was holding it together until DH started making cow noises

When on holiday in Greece, I went into a fairly large loo with a toilet at one end. Couldn't lock the door but bursting for a wee so thought sod it. The door opened and I said brightly "someone in here, won't be long!". The woman promptly walked in followed by two other women and they formed a nice queue in front of me! I acted like this was quite normal (so I wouldn't look as silly as I felt) and sort of nodded and smiled while getting the hell out as quickly as possible!