Skipping the queue if you’re members

[Badbudgeter]

I pay a monthly membership for council pools/ gym. Went to the big pool today and there was a massive queue to pay. I just scanned everyone through the turnstiles using membership cards and a woman started complaining loudly she’d been waiting for an hour. Spoke with a friend inside and apparently they slow the queue down when pool is nearing capacity and she’d had to wait ages too as her child is a member but she isn’t. I do feel a bit mean waltzing through now but at the same time who wants to wait an hour in a queue.

so for next time YANBU skip the queue it’s what members do.

YABU your time is no more valuable and your kids no less annoying than everyone else’s stand and wait.

That's the privilege you pay for with the membership. Guilt free!

Assuming it's explicitly a perk of membership then you've done nothing wrong.

Of course its fine to jump the queue as a member.

If the queue is to pay, rather than just to enter, and you don't need to pay then you'd be bonkers to queue.

You're literally paying for that exact service, why would you feel guilty? However, if it’s anything like my gym (Everyone Active), you’re supposed to book into sessions on the app so they have an accurate picture of how many members are going to a session, otherwise the pool could be over-capacity.

If that is part of your membership and the rules of your club then of course YANBU.

Surely part of booking in is to ensure the pool isn't over capacity?

YABU.

Tbh I feel opposite to most posters reactions so far OP. I think you could have handled the whole situation less clumsily and without the need for showing off in front of those that had to queue when you didn't.

Showing off by using a membership card 😂heard it all now.

I don't know how this could work tbh, if it was nearing capacity does that mean you got the last spaces while those queing for ages miss out? The pool needs a better system, as that is very unfair.

Well it’s not an “explicit perk” but I wouldn’t go to the reception / cashier normally just straight through to the turnstiles to tap the card on a day where there is no queue.

It's it's how the membership works then YANBU.

I wouldn't queue for an hour if I had a membership and didn't need to!

But I also use fast passes at theme parks so am opposed to the usual MN view I've seen before 😂

There's no way would I queue for no reason!

As a member surely you get perks.

In our club you can (have to, go get a place) pre book in for use of the pool facilities.
So we book in online, we should sign in, but I'm not queuing for ages so we walk past say hello to the staff and they know we are there and book us in when they get 5.
It's no my fault if they are understaffed, my membership allows me access to a 1hour swimming session, so that what I shall have.

Seems an odd system, we have to book in (member or not) so you don't have this situation. If you're booked in then you scan in, no need to wait.

If you're just scanning in how do they know if you are going to the pool? Ours is 1 door gets you through to pool, gym, gym hall etc so unless you are booked in they wouldn't know if you were pushing the numbers in the pool to over capacity.

Maybe suggest they look at that as feedback to them?

YANBU memberships aren't cheap and it's a perk of the membership. The lady twisting could also get a membership

You pay for it.

do feel a bit mean waltzing through now but at the same time who wants to wait an hour in a queue. Make sure you aren't actually waltzing and making a big LOOOK AT MEEEEEE about it.

It was a queue to pay, not a queue for entry. You already have the means of entry and used them. The woman that complained was not a member herself and therefore has to queue to pay.

If the queue is to pay, rather than just to enter, and you don't need to pay then you'd be bonkers to queue.

I agree.

If it was a queue to pay, then you wouldn’t need to queue anyway.

However, if it was a queue to get in somewhere (E.g. if the other person had already paid and was in the queue for the pool) then you should queue too.

We have to book a slot as members so as long as you have a booking for that session we just scan going through. If you haven't pre booked a slot you have to queue

Well I wasn't really waltzing probably mooching at best, youngest child being annoyingly loud about the length of the queue though. You don't prebook a slot at this pool although you can at others for specific sessions like lane swimming but not for "public swims". When you scan your pass the touch screen asks what you are doing so kids passes come up with option of lesson, leisure swim or other. My pass comes up with gym, leisure or other. You need to choose or it won't let you past; I assume this is the equivalent to booking in at reception.

These numbers would count towards capacity so everyone in the queue will be delayed slightly waiting for other people to come out so they can go in.

Normally pool isn't that busy, it was closing early today, but apparently its rammed in the summer so I wondered if there was an etiquette I wasn't aware of. I'd happily prebook if it was an option, members can normally book stuff 7 days in advance, non members can only book on the day though.

Members have to join the queue for the session at ours. Its limited spaces and members and non members have to book, they only allow walk ins if spaces available.

Queuing for an hour seems madness!

Can you explain exactly how OP should have handled the situation 'less clumsily.' Or how she showed off?
She didn't skip past the queue-ers saying "see you later peasants/queue wankers."
She had 2 options -

1. use the turnstiles to get through as she would normally
2. queue for a service she didn't need to use, for an hour, just to be "fair" Unless you can suggest one, I can't work out what a third, "non clumsy, non show off" option would be and nobody in their right mind would do 2 if they didn't have to.

I can't believe anyone would wait an hour to queue to go swimming though! I'd have given up after 10 minutes.

I would imagine that different places have different systems. I’d check at the desk at a quiet time how it’s supposed to work in this situation. It’s unclear whether the woman was complaining to you or just near you, but if the former you would then be able to explain that this is the setup.

Apparently the queues were two hours long in the summer! I googled and on their list of improvements at the pool in question it includes smart turnstiles for reduced queueing time for members. Apparently it is an explicit perk of membership after all. I do agree it's a bit rubbish for folk in the queue though it'd make more sense if they could prebook a slot.

I remember being in a queue for something at Euro disney and it took forever then when you got closer you realised a cart and a half were filled with people from the fasttrack queue so only six people from our queue got on every time. I'd imagine it's equally annoying watching people leave the pool so you expect the queue to move up only for members to go straight to the front and swipe in.