In a fury re queue in cafe who was first

[Viviennemary]

I was in a fury earlier this afternoon. re this scenario. DH said he thought I was in the wrong but I don't think I was. We went into this café/deli type place for tea. A woman was just in front of me through the door. She went to the deli counter. There is a sign just before the seating part that says queue here to be seated so I stood there. I was the only one in that queue. Then she called over table for two and swept passed. No other tables free.

So DH went out. As he probably thought I'd say something. Then they said around five minutes. So I said I'd be back later and that I could have shouted too. It has really put me off going in this place again although the food is nice. We went somewhere else which was nice too. But was really annoyed. (I know it's trivial.) DH said she was in the café first. So she was first. But she wasn't in the queue. Grrrrrr!!!

I agree with Kurri

You need to slug it out on the floor next time

Defend your honour and the honour of your family name.

This is a brilliant book OP. I think you should try it.

And being first in a small deli cafe is a bit different to being first in Tescos I think.

YABU

Was it Carluccio’s?

Nobody ever knows how or where to queue in Carluccio’s. I’m embrace it as being part of the Italian experience.

I feel like a need a more swoopy coat in my life now

And being first in a small deli cafe is a bit different to being first in Tescos I think.

I dont think it is. This shop had at least 2 areas, both of which required queuing, being first in one queue doesnt mean you are first in all queues.

I have never said this to anyone before, but - take a chill pill.

I agree with you OP, you went to the correct place to queue for tables, she didn’t.

There should at least have been a bit of acknowledgement from staff: “sorry, this lady was here first I’m aftaid” and give whoever ended up waiting some drinks or etc.

I'm changing my mind. Sounds like she wanted something at the deli so started queuing there, realised you were in the queue for the last table so swooped in and nicked it. I'd have been annoyed about that. But I get proper queue rage!

I've got wound up about this sort if thing too.

I was once in a very badly laid out cafe. I stood to the left at the sign that said "Please wait here to be served and when the cashier called out next I stepped forward. Someone also stepped forward from the right, slightly around the corner of the counter, which I couldn't see around. He started shouting the odds that as several people had formed a queue to the right that theirs was now the "correct" queue and I was pushing in. I pointed out the sign and said as far as I was concerned, I was in the right place and if we all stopped arguing about it we would all get served quicker. My stuff was already on the counter so the cashier served me, whilst everyone in the other queue bitched about people pushing in.

As I walked away and the bloke got served, the cashier apologised to him. That was what made me fume!

I also hate when people step out of queues to look at stuff, the queue moves forward and they then expect to step back in where they were.

If this is a shop with both a deli and a table service then really she should have stood where she wanted to be served first. Unless she asked to be seated first and was told there was a wait, in which case they would have known she was next and it would have been acceptable to browse the deli (like going to the bar whilst you wait at a restaurant).

But at the end of the day you have eaten now. It's annoying, but not everyone follows "the rules" or they have different rules to you. Best to let it go now.

Hm. It would've irked me a bit too. I am a very strict rule-follower. It sounds like technically you were in the right, though it's difficult to know without knowing the exact layout/size of the shop etc. But it's not really worth dwelling on.

If that has you “in a fury” you really have got other, more important things to worry about.

Anger management anyone?

Save your energy. Furious over that?
What are you like when someone does something really awful to you?

Let it go... she probably thought you nicked her spot as she was there first.
I can see why you were annoyed though.

In a fury? Seriously? A bit of proportion and perspective is needed here.

But surely if she wanted a table for two then she always intended to sit and eat? It's not like she intended to buy something from the deli then saw you queuing and decided to steal your table.

She was there first. However it would have made me cross too abit like the driver today. Two lane traffic. Large queue on the inside one which the one i was in. Light went on crossing so waited. Light went yellow and car on outside lane speed past me and straight in front of me in the gap caused by the fact the queu had moved on whilsti waited for lights. Outside lane was for turning!!!

You were right, her & your DH were wrong. You stood in the ‘to be seated’ place, she was elsewhere, therefore you had priority. Bloody hell, if we lose the art of queuing, Britain will fall apart.

However, you really need to sort yourself out. In the nicest possible way, I see it when you post on threads too, you are often very angry and get annoyed & obsessed about things that don’t really matter. Have you looked at your hormone levels? They can really affect how you react to life’s trivia 💐

Good gracious me. Have you never been somewhere new and not quite realised how they do things. She walked in before you - so yes she was first. She went to the deli counter, perhaps simply to look at what was available.

Of course she should have been seated first.

But Rhoda - re your comment about stepping out of lines. When you are in a Q as a single adult with children - sometimes you do have to step out look at the food available and step back in . I had no idea that someone could possibly think that was out of order.

You think that's bad - get this for cheeky queue pushing!

I was once in a major Boots store before the days of self service. Huge queue of around 30 people. Many minutes waiting.

Just as I eventually got to the front of the queue I was called to a till. However a tiny, elderly lady scuttled past me and brazenly beat me to it (totally pushing in, she had not been queueing at all). I stood there surprised (didn't say anything) and quick as a flash she turned around and said (very loudly) "Ooh, I thought you were going to hit me!" so the whole queue heard.

A) As if. I had not moved a muscle or opened my mouth
B) She was insuring against my saying something about her pushing in. Playing to the crowd, getting in there first to make it look like I'd done something (or was about to do something).
C) The cheek of it. Pushing in and then saying something that makes me look like a cow before I'd even reacted (or had time to).

She had the queue bust sussed! Years of practice I assume.

I kind of had to admire her.

I have read and reread this post and still have no idea what happened.

I have read and reread this post and still don't know what actually happened.

Sometimes I have been some place with a ‘this queue for one thing’ and ‘this queue for another thing’ sign and totally got it wrong as I haven’t noticed them until it’s too late. Maybe this lady did the same?

To be fair though, i’ve either fessed up and told them I’m a dick or got the food or whatever to takeaway and slunk out, i’ve never actually brazened it out.

She didn't queue right though. so British.

@TruffaloTree I used to work at Boots and I’ll never forget a lady pushing, demanding I serve her before the queue of 20+ because she was in a mobility scooter (she had a few items so it wasn’t just a quick scan and bag)

I was on the end till, and she just came to the side barrier thing (so not even at the till properly), and interrupted me whilst with another customer. I told her to join the queue and she started shouting that I was legally obliged to serve her first, otherwise it would be discrimination.
I did in the end, instead of holding up the queue longer and risking a complaint (instant disciplinary) but I’ve never smiled and asked for a Boots card so passive aggressively in my life.

Lord above..what a thing to get worked up over,,,,

I get this. I try not to let it wind me up because it's completely pointless. But I feel the infuriation. I've had it twice that I recall:

i) in a petrol station/mini supermarket. I joined a 4-person queue to pay for petrol. The guy in front of me stood in it for a while before he changed his mind and went to look around the shop. I got to the front of the queue and he suddenly reappeared and expected to jump back in front of me, completely ignoring all the people who were now queuing behind me.

ii) at a passport control in some country I don't remember. We entered first (this is important!), and stopped at the side table that had forms everyone had to fill out. A family entered a short while after us, ignored the forms and joined the queue. Eventually we were finished and joined the queue too. Family got to the front and were sent back to the side table to fill out their forms.

We finally got to the front, and noticed that family had finished with their forms and had gone down the 'special access' aisle to wait. They were called first!! I was so annoyed since they'd effectively skipped ahead of me by ignoring the system.