Queue jumpers

[Mushroomsarehorrible]

Why do us Brits get so wound up about queue jumping when other cultures / societies happily bundle and jostle and push in and no one gets angry about it?

I see so many arguments over people 'pushing in' on my commute into work. Queue pushers annoy me too, to me it just seems so obnoxious and ignorant to queue jump but I wish I didn't bother me! I usually bite my tongue but v occasionally I will say something. AIBU for being pissed off and if I am, can you tell me why queue pushers don't get your back up... I'm usually pretty easy going but this is my bugbear!

brilliotic - sounds fantastic. I've lived a lot of places, but not found one with no need for queues yet!

I'm in Italy right now, and I do find the lack of queuing annoying - it just seems inefficient - for example, I've taken a car on the ferry between Sicily and Malta. The Maltese end, we all queued and get on in a fairly orderly fashion. On the Sicily side, it was crazy - a carpark FULL of cars, and they all just kinda crowded at the ferry on ramp! It was like the Dartford bridge bundle, but with only one barrier and twice the number of cars.

I have to say I think queue jumping is a way to demonstrating power over someone . Like I’m so much more important than you I don’t need to queue .

I’m a very polite Qer and WILL give you a bollocking if you push in front of me.
However, I do tend to “go native “ if abroad. I was in Malta funnily enough Micke with 2 friends from HK ( where literally old ladies get dragged out of taxis) and when a bus arrived we all stormed on and turned around to find a very polite orderly Q looking at us in confusion!!

Micke, sorry didn't want to say there are no queues. Just far fewer. Making queues more of something that gets noticed and questioned, and if they are regular, perhaps addressed; rather than simply accepted.

Bus stops vary from stop to stop. If it’s one you don’t know you just need to take a second to work out what everyone else is doing.

Unless it just after 5 and the bus driver says he can only take 4 more. In which case it’s every man for themselves and any known etiquette is chucked aside.

Oh my days me and my DD went ice skating last year. Queued for an hour, and spent the last 10 minutes of this time watching loads of Mums with pushchairs join their friends at the front of the queue. Pushed us back about 30 people. I'm not very assertive and some of them were bigger than me, so I just rehearsed lots of conversations that I should be having with them in my head. So put off by the whole thing that I'm not going to waste my time again this year.

I find it so hard to understand how cultures where you don’t queue function

They don't. Or at least not terribly effectively, by our standards.

I’m glad we have a decent attitude in the UK and queue to wait our turn. The Swedes are even better at it.

Re two buses at one stop, it really is not that difficult. People know what to do.

I need to confess, I have NC as I don't want to outed but....I am a queue jumper
getting on the trains
checking in at airports
getting on the plane at airports
go through the turnstile at the tube
I am subtle when I queue jump, merge in from the side

I know, I know appalling but I can't help myself, I just have to do it.
Can't stand people faffing about or waiting in line.
If a queue goes quickly I can stomach it.

I never jump a queue at the supermarket or waiting to pay - I may scoot round to a less busy area and I do try & get the makeup and perfume staff to serve me at Boots rather than the long queue the till.

I know I am evil personified, maybe I need therapy or counselling.

I’m fairly well travelled and I can’t think of any cultures where people jostle and push in. Maybe they’re not standing in a queue, but the server knows whose next, or who they want to serve next ! bit like in a British pub.

I think, on occasion, queue jumping is warranted.

For example, I used to frequent a local McDonal's where people would form one line leading all the way to the entrance and sometimes outside. Despite the staff encouraging them to form individual queues at each till.

I would attempt to encourage those directly ahead of me that there was space at a particular till but they would either ignore me or were to wrapped up in their own world/conversation to pay attention to the queues.

So after that I used to just march straight to whichever till was free. I figured if people are so caught up with their own lives or wanting to hedge their bets and queue for all the tills at once (despite the fact their were people outside freezing because everyone was in one line), then I would act equally as ignorant and would snap up a free till if it's there. At least with me being ignorant others outside would probably get in quicker.

Here, we still form one orderly queue. You ask the person in front “are you getting on this?” Then wait for them to reply and get on or wait till they do accordingly

Where does that happen? Not in London! What about bus stops where lots of buses stop? I am not from the UK but have been living here for more than a decade and not even once I have seen the situation you have described at a bus stop

Hate queue jumping, a mum on the school run frequently tries to do this - arrives at the bus stop about 15 minutes after we do and then tries to say she go on first because she has a return ticket.

Why not have the courage to use your usual username to let us all know you push in rudely in front of other people? You have no manners but at least have the decency to be honest.

Incidentally, EVERYONE in the queue has the same rights and feelings of impatience as you. You are not unique nor do your needs trump those of other people.

I dislike it when someone asks the first person in a queue if they mind jumping the queue and the first person says go ahead. When I was on a busy reception desk, I used to raise my voice and ask, "Does anyone else in the queue mind if this person pushes in front of all of you who have been waiting patiently"?
I would then send the queue jumper to the back of the queue.

Not in London? Oh haha

*SnuggyBuggy

That said I have never understood the rules of bus stop queues.
Bus queues are a bit of a nightmare as you can't predict where the bus will stop. You could have been at the front of the queue but if the bus stops behind the last person...

The tongue in cheek tone doesn't impress either.🙄

I queued in Dublin airport along with thousands of others to change our flight as everything had been cancelled. There were no flights, the cash machines had no money and we were all tired and grumpy
Someone tried to push in about 5 HOURS into the queuing. I should have filmed it
We ended up actually stuck in the airport for over 24hrs and having to fly back to Liverpool instead of Leeds. Tempers were.. short

I know I am evil personified, maybe I need therapy or counselling.

No Qjumper, maybe you just need to stop being so selfish. Why would you need therapy for that?

In fact come to think of it Qjumper you would have to pay privately for therapy or counselling as you wouldn't be able to wait for an NHS appointment.

Agreed, you're not evil, QJumper, just selfish. Maybe you should work on that.