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 system sounds terrible, but it's hardly your fault.

At the one my kids do their swim lessons at, it's free to join, but you have to pay to use the facilities (either a paid membership or PAYG). So everyone entering the site has a QR code which lets them in so you don't need to queue at the desk.

The only downside to that is that some people don't have smart phones and they don't always work as they should

She was complaining about me, but loudly, my friend told me that after she paid they were held before the turnstile in a group of 20 till there was capacity for them in the pool.

During the war it was common to queue for everything. We did not have a fast-track pass to buy an orange. Even now if I see a queue I will join it 'just in case' and, on balance, it's seen me in good stead.

I've been on a coach trip to Rhyl, somewhere I'd never heard of before joining the queue.
I snagged 90 toilets rolls in Lidl at the start of the Covid pandemic.
I had 8 flu jabs in January (my arm's still like a bloated colander).
I got a gallon of petrol in a plastic container - and I don't have a car!

Regrettable I missed the queue for The Queen's Lying-in-State as I had wasted a lot of time in a queue as I passed Billingsgate, and ended up with 25 kilos of frozen squid which I need to get home pretty smartish.

Don’t let someone with no manners make you overthink things then. Next time, if there is one, suggest they give the centre their feedback as they are the ones who have set their system up this way. Moaning at members won’t change anything.

How was it showing off?

@TwoLeftSocksWithHoles 😄

She waltzed

Ah saw the update - mooching is fine

It's what you pay for as a member and if others don't want to queue and want the same priveledge they can join and be a member too!

For what it's worth @silvermantella there's no need to be so sarcastic.

I personally think the OP might have been showing off and could have done so less noisily and attracting less attention. It was obviously enough to catch the attention of others which leads me to believe the OP may have been enjoying lording it over others who had no other option but to queue in that moment.

That's one of the perks of being a member. You pay for that convenience. At my gym I get a head start on booking classes of 24 hours on non-members. It makes them less likely to get a place. They have the option to join too if they want that advantage.

I'd never queue that long for anything though. I'd see the size of the queue and go and do something else. I'd also not want to swim in a pool when it's that busy.

I don’t think you did anything wrong in the moment since that’s what the deal is. It’s a reasonable system for a company to institute. They tweak their offering to attract the customer mix that’s going to work best for them. People who don’t like it don’t have to go.

But since it’s a council gym/pool I do think there might be an issue with local government putting in two tier service systems. Government should be filling in the gaps that the business sector can’t serve, and making sure there is reasonable access for everyone. It’s hard to see how this provides that.

So basically....you weren't there, have completely made up what you think "may" have happened and then decided to criticise OP for what she did wrong in your head.
Right.
I might be sarcastic but at least I'm sane!