Slow clueless people holding up queues

[AuntyMargeAuntyFlora]

What is it with these people?

My latest experience was at a walk-in centre. Only two women ahead of me in the queue to book in. Goodness knows what they were doing, most of it seemed to be standing there looking at each other before saying a few quiet words to the receptionist who had to keep explaining the same things to them (that they had missed their appointment and needed to go immediately to another hospital if they wanted to see x department). Then they'd stare at each other again. Occasionally one would half-heartedly search in a bag or look at their phone. Absolutely no sense of urgency at all, and apparently oblivious (despite glancing in our direction several times) to the massive queue gradually building up behind them. By the time the queue had almost reached the door, another member of staff was called to come and help book everyone else in, and these two women were still slowly doing nothing.

I don't mind if someone has genuinely got a difficult query/situation that takes ages to unpick, or if they are perhaps elderly/overwhelmed/etc and these things take longer. But its usually these people who are first to apologise for holding up the queue or even suggest others go ahead!

What I'm talking about is the entitled people who don't seem to register that other people exist, and who ponder and confer at a snail's pace, oblivious to any sense of urgency of the queue building up. I can imagine someone coming in with a serious injury, and these two women glancing over periodically as the person bleeds everywhere and slowly collapses, as they carry on with their inane time wasting non-query...

I was on the flip side recently. Recovering from surgery left me a shuffling zombie. When I got out and about I pulled into the side to let others pass repeatedly. I physically couldn't keep pace so it was easier just to let people go ahead.

@GasPanic and @TabithatheTabbycat they only work aswell if the staff doing the fast-track are competent enough to keep the line moving quickly. In Bristol airport recently, nearly to top of security quee and for some strange reason decided to move us to the fast track one as wasnt enough paid people, it still took a bloody age due to lack of people being ready and the staff not being efficient. See my post earlier aswell about being given out too for taking tray put from unused tray storage. Took ages to get through people not ready, staff chatting away tp each other, people not collecting trays at other end and moving away to allow people tp move up - Both lack of staff taring and stupid people, if i had of paid for that service would have been furious and complained.

Oh my god, as a non-coffee drinker, that's my bugbear in life! Americano or filter coffee? Normal milk or soy milk? Aaaaargggghhh, shoot me now!

Never go out without an air horn in your handbag.

YANBU. There is an epidemic of gormlessness and selfishness at the moment. People who have no awareness or give-a-shitness for anybody but themselves. See lots of dog owners and parents of young children for shining examples.

I would love a culture shift in Britain where we go from polite seething, to loudly calling the fuckers out on it. Never gonna happen I know.

i do hate it when people ar enot ready when theyve been standing there for teniminutes knowing they'll need to pay or whatever

i must say though the new passport control machines ar eno good for me-im forced to use them and then have to take my glasses off to go through the gate and put my passport on a machine-but i cant see what im doing nor can read the instructions-i always end up doing it wrong and holding the line up because i cant bloody see! instead of being quicker it takes me longer than it wo9uld a person checking it for me

I hate all the ‘why are other people so slow and so crap at everything’ people!! Some of us are slow and it takes us a while to figure stuff out/ we time stuff badly/ we panic. Great there’s so many of you that are so perfect. You said no urgency and yet at the same time you said they kept looking at each other. They were probably panicking and lost as to what to do next.

@stayathomer if you're that slow that youre holding up a massive queue then step aside and let the people behind you go on, then go back when it's cleared. It's just basic manners

People in pubs at the bar getting served for a couple of drinks then start waving at people going 'Rob what you having', 'Jill!! Jilllll!!! What you having?' Etc etc and you just want one drink

I hate standing in a long queue at a till when someone who’s been stood just as long only decides to try and find their purse when the cashier asks for payment. Get it out when you’re in the queue!!!!

You can't judge a stranger's life/ circumstances by one brief encounter.

Being in an NHS queue is slightly different to being behind someone debating over which coffee to have, and the fact the staff intervened and got someone else to deal with the queue that was mounting rather than hurrying these two ladies along suggests to me that the staff were aware of whatever difficulties they were facing.

I have agoraphobia and sometimes stall/ go blank when my mind goes into panic mode.
Strangers wouldn't know this as I put on a brave face, giving no indication of the struggle I have had just to get past my own front door.

Everything is based on assumptions.

I used to commute by train. Frequent enough for catching another not to ruin my day but 25mins heel kicking on a platform is best avoided.

Knew exactly how long it took from closing my from door to walking into the station with maybe 2-3 minutes slack to buy the paper before boarding the train.

Every now and then there'd be somebody ahead of me umming and ahhing about the price of snacks and wjat brand of ciggies to buy. Oh and a book of matches as well. Asked to pay they looked gobsmacked fr a second before delving into a pocket or handbag and counting out change....

If I had the right money I'd bang it on the counter shout the name of the paper and scarper. Otherwise I'd be galloping down the stairs expecting the door hustle alarm to beat me to the train....

When I went to the walk in centre I insisted on writing down what was wrong as I wasn't going to stand there telling the receptionist (and then the nurse as they were triaging in reception) so everyone could hear. The receptionist glared at me but it's not my problem if there's a queue.

I think a PP had it when saying that the world is divided into those people who think through things in advance and are prepared, and those who are fully capable (NT, able bodied etc) but drift through life and deal with things as and when they arise.

It all works fine as part of life’s rich tapestry until those of us who are prepared get stuck behind the drifters.

DH’s ex is a drifter and DSC have been brought up to be the same way. We’ve tried our best to help them think things through and be prepared for stuff but they’re obviously natural drifters too so we’re battling nature and nurture and it’s futile. When their mum takes them on holiday and turns up 24 hours too early for the flight and then gets everyone else to run around sorting it out, they’ve got no chance of developing good adulting skills.

It's quite interesting that the word imbecile has been used (a derogatory term for someone with intellectual disabilities) to innacurately compare people to and nobody bats an eye lid.
But had someone have accurately been described as fat 😮 good grief it would have been reported and removed immediately.
What a society!

I can't think many people like standing in queues. It always amazes me so many retired people go shopping at lunch time when the people with jobs are in a hurry to buy their lunches ect. Why can't the retired crowd go down the shops when they shops aren't busy?
The other one what gets me is cash points - what is it people do at these? I just want to get money out but some people spend ages looking at them - and like previous posters why do they spend ages finding their card only when they get to the machine - why not get it out first?

To be fair, your situation doesn't sound like the flip side of this at all.
You were aware you were going slowly and made sure you weren't needlessly in the way of others. No problem at all.

But in the kindest possible way, and certainly not without compassion for you and others in your situation, do you really think that 5, 10, 15 or more people should have to wait — and possibly miss appointments or bugger up the entire morning or afternoon for the clinic/ hospital/ wherever — while you get yourself together?

I'm just beginning to come through a period when I found it a struggle to walk at anything but a snail's pace because of an injury and surgery. I'm just about able now, some of the time, to walk at a speed that doesn't hold everyone up. When I was in agony and going slowly I was acutely aware of how I was affecting other people and did what I could to minimise the inconvenience to them. I didn't travel at peak times, for example. I went to the supermarket at quiet times. When I did hold people up I apologised. I'm not saying that this applies to you, Talkingtothecat247, but a lot of people in these situations seem completely unaware of anyone else's needs and it can feel like really entitled behaviour to those queuing.

At least three times lately I've been on our local Park and Ride buses and people have got on, sat down, and gone several stops before realising that they're on the wrong bus. They've then galloped to the front to berate the driver for not telling them they were on the wrong bus.

The other bus one is people sitting down and chatting, ignoring the screen saying which stop is next and the twice-repeated automated announcements "The next stop will be Titstop", "Arriving at Titstop", etc., and then, too-late, wailing "Have we passed Titstop? We wanted Titstop!"

How have these people survived to adulthood without wandering into traffic and getting squashed or eating something poisonous?

Not having money ready at the tills also annoys me. Particularly those who laugh and say, "Haha, oh yes! You want paying, don't you?!" Bizarre.

I often work on tills, and see a lot of this. Obviously some people struggle/have mental health problems, but I'm sure the majority don't.

Often amuses me, it's the ones who are huffing and puffing in queue, calling over to you to get more staff on, who are the ones that can't find their credit or store card, not sure if they've got the right item and decide to phone someone about it! I find it annoying for everyone else in the queue, who are patiently waiting, but at least I'm being paid.

Once you have knee or hip issues you will know why people stand still on the escalator.
Younger people can have hips and knee problems too, not just oldies

Most of it is down to staff not being assertive enough to deal with the situation, or management policy (only one checkout open at "quiet" times) In a supermarket I will just shout over to any staff nearby and ask why they are not opening more checkouts to clear the backlog, some elderly people for example do struggle with negotiating credit/loyalty cards etc. while asking about prices or discounts and they should be left the time and space to do that with more staff available for others so that people are not breathing down their necks making them even more uncomfortable.

Why is it when theres 1 till on (with a line of several waiting usually 6+ to be served to the point the cashier call another employee to open the next till) that when that new cashier shouts 'next' the person who JUST joined the back will RACE to the front like a bowling ball as if it was personally opened just for them... mate on no planet where you fucking next.

I was queuing in a cafe recently. Queue was quite long about 10 mins, The lady in front of me got to the front of the queue and only then decided to look at the menu choices and faffed for around an extra 5 mins. She could have easily decided what to order while queuing.

At least 1 in 30 people have co-ordination disorders too that make them unbalanced too which effect them from birth.