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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Was I in the wrong to push in the queue ?

424 replies

crisikrinkles · 26/11/2025 10:00

Went into the post office in our town.
It’s always packed and they had two serving.
I needed currency and places never normally have it without ordering.
I needed it that day as we were travelling at night (last minute I know )
There was probably 20 people in front of me.
I didn’t want to wait in the queue incase I stood there and they didn’t have it anyway.
So I went to a counter and just said “before I queue can I just check you have this currency “
A woman barked “there’s a queue !”
I explained I wasn’t pushing in,I was just checking they had something before I got to the back of the queue.
She shouted “ no you wait to ask questions “

was i in the wrong ?

OP posts:
Nothing7 · 27/11/2025 18:13

I really don’t see the issue. I’ve done it and I’ve let others do it too. I would typically ask the first person in the queue if they minded. If it’s a quick question then I think it’s fair enough.

Anna1mac · 27/11/2025 18:14

No. You were right. I have lived in UK for more than 30 years and it still drives me crazy. People form ONE queue because they are so god damn polite. And clog up the whole shop when there's more than 1 till available! Nothing wrong with asking a question FFS!!

Puzzledandpissedoff · 27/11/2025 18:14

Sometimes 'only a quick question' can turn into something a bit longer and be an inconvenience for the person working there. I have seen this happen before where someone will jump the queue with their 'quick question' but the answer is not a quick answer

Ain't that the truth Sad
I'm one of those who once wouldn't have minded this at all, but after letting in one too many "It''ll only take 2 second-ers" that's changed

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 27/11/2025 18:17

ChristmasTimeChristmasJoy · 26/11/2025 10:09

You should of just waited. You was rude.

Oh dear….

BreatheAndFocus · 27/11/2025 18:21

YABU. Others in the queue might have had questions too or wanted something that, unknown to them, wasn’t available. The person you asked might not have known and might have to go off to check; they might have needed more info from you about how much you wanted because they only had a small amount left; they might have had to check with their colleague who was serving another customer, etc etc.

Perhaps people in the queue only wanted one stamp, only wanted to ask a quick question about savings, only wanted to hand a prepaid return parcel over. If everyone just had a quick question or quick action and pushed to the front of the queue, everyone would be waiting a lot longer. All of those people in the queue are just as important as you.

ZanyOP · 27/11/2025 18:21

I think reasonable. How silly we are in this country that we live by the queue and can’t use common sense. If there were 20 people ahead it made sense to quickly ask “do you have XYZ” and then either join or leave.

Tryingatleast · 27/11/2025 18:25

It’s a simple ‘nobody has any patience’ thing op. There was a lady struggling standing with a basket of two items the other day and I was serving another lady and said to the two people behind her ‘this lady might just go next if that’s ok’ and I got death stares and huffing and puffing. I had her through in two minutes and I still got sullen answers and faces from those two ladies. People can just be terrible

LalaPaloosa2024 · 27/11/2025 18:25

If you’re going to do things like that you just need a thicker skin.

Becs51 · 27/11/2025 18:29

Mandemikc · 27/11/2025 17:53

In a word, yes. You took up the tellers time where they possibly had to go look to see if your desired currency was available. Those in line now had to wait longer until your request was met. For you it was small, but for everyone in the line, your action, your not following the rules, was dismissive to their obedience of the rules.

No that isn’t what would have happened. If tge teller was unable to just simply say yes or no then she would have said so and the OP would have queued. It’s laughable to think any teller would stop serving a customer to go off and find something else out for someone at the back of the queue, you’re deluded!

Mcoco · 27/11/2025 18:31

I do this a lot to save queuing up for nothing!

MellowPinkDeer · 27/11/2025 18:32

Missey85 · 26/11/2025 10:22

You should have waited like everyone else why is your time more valuable than theirs? 🙁 I don't care if it was a quick question you still made others wait longer because apparently your more important than they are

This!

Separatedbutlivingtogether · 27/11/2025 18:33

Totally reasonable to quickly ask a question before queuing for an hour, I see absolutely nothing wrong with that. Often, when I'm in a rush and need to get cash out from the post office, if there are people in the queue loaded with parcels, I have no problem asking if they mind if I nip ahead of them. More often than not they agree.

HildegardP · 27/11/2025 18:43

Sleepyandtiredandlazy · 26/11/2025 10:10

It's the type of thing I would have done OP.
But I must say I'm autistic and my judgement on how to behave in such situations is not necessarily the socially acceptable one.

Some larger POs have a specific currency exchange window, in the OP's circumstances it is reasonable to go straight to that window or to join its dedicated queue.

Unless one's query is in the order of, "this is a medical emergency, do you have a defbrillator?" it is not appropriate to queue jump. Other people in the general queue/s may be waiting to make only brief queries/ transactions, ours do not take precedecence even though it may seem to us rational to do so.

BatshitOutofHell · 27/11/2025 18:44

I am a stickler for queueing etiquette. Well done to the woman who reminded you of this.

Edited to add:

Although even I have done what you've done in the past. I wouldn't call it pushing in though. There is an art to it. You step out of the queue and kind of lob your question over the head of the queuers - you have to raise your voice but ensure that your tone remains friendly. That way it isn't queue hopping but a friendly enquiry.

Single50something · 27/11/2025 18:47

I always message the post office to check. But appreciate not all will have that facility
I would have prob said something as went past the queue..just asking a quick question etc

scorier · 27/11/2025 18:51

I don't think you are in the least bit rude. I'm just imagining if someone did this while I waited in a queue at the Post Office. In fact, I'm absolutely certain it's happened!

I would barely notice. I certainly couldn't give two hoots if someone had the good sense to just volley a quick question over the waiting heads to avoid yet another person pointlessly just standing there.

Catandmousemam · 27/11/2025 18:52

Yes you are being totally unreasonable. Everyone else has had to queue & wait to be served/or ask questions (just like you. If every one in the queue jumped in infront of each person the queue would never go down. You should wait your turn like everyone else has to

BoldDave · 27/11/2025 18:54

And get a very poor exchange rate. Tactically maybe should have asked the 1st or 2nd in the queue to ask the question for you that way no one thinks you are trying to get served first.

MaplePumpkin · 27/11/2025 18:54

I think it’s fine if it’s a quick yes or no, would’ve been ridiculous to wait 30mins just to be told no, especially as your “pushing in”
exchange sounded like it lasted all of 5 seconds.

I did similar a few months ago. I got in my car after leaving Sainsbury’s and packing all my shopping etc, and realised I didn’t have my phone. I panicked, of course. The last time I had it was paying at the tills. So I ran back in and went to customer services first. There were about five people queuing but I was panicked and didn’t want to wait in the queue just to be told no one had handed it in, and waste potential searching time. So I just quickly went to the front, turned to the people in the queue and said “sorry I just have a super quick question”… no one seemed to mind. I asked the cashier if a phone had been handed in within the last few minutes and she said yes. I breathed a sigh of relief and then joined the back of the queue and waited my turn, to then be reunited with my phone.

MrsJeanLuc · 27/11/2025 18:55

Blades2 · 27/11/2025 12:18

Why bother asking AIBU to then just defend every single reply that tells you, yes you were rude. Next time don’t leave your currency swap until the last minute.

Because she wasn't rude. She asked a really quick question. Any reasonable person would be happy to wait 5 or 10 seconds to save someone a 30 minute wait. 🙄

@crisikrinkles the moral of this story is don't buy your currency at the Post Office 😄

socool · 27/11/2025 19:00

I'm probably not the first to ask this, but could you not withdraw the local currency at a destination ATM with your card?

I'm curious as to why you wouldn't keep it that simple. But there may be reasons, none of which I can think of right now though!

Then you wouldn't have to read the gamut of MN comments like Yes you were rude, No you weren't rude, I did this and... I did that and.....

You get the picture!

MyRubyFox · 27/11/2025 19:00

Surely nobody in their right mind would mind if you just asked the question, to save you queuing unnecessarily. Common sense surely!

ensayers · 27/11/2025 19:01

Difficult to judge this one.
Had i been in a mood then i would of stood right next to the shouty woman,pulled out my cell and phoned the post office that i was stood in, asking the question and making it obvious who i was talking to. Small post offices always break off from what theyre doing to get the phone lol

Patricia69 · 27/11/2025 19:03

Unreasonable. Surprised u got out of there alive at this time of year.
I certainly would have pulled u up for it

MaurineWayBack · 27/11/2025 19:03

Catandmousemam · 27/11/2025 18:52

Yes you are being totally unreasonable. Everyone else has had to queue & wait to be served/or ask questions (just like you. If every one in the queue jumped in infront of each person the queue would never go down. You should wait your turn like everyone else has to

If everyone had a 5 second question answered with yes or no, then the queue 1- wouldn’t have been as long and 2- wouldn’t take 30 mins wait.

I think it’s pretty normal to clarify if you’re at the right place. Like ‘is it the right queue to exchange products?’. Similar sort of questions, just as quick, yes or no answer that’s it.
Totally fine. Not jumping the queue.

If the OP had then started to ask whatvwas she supposed to do, any idea where else she could go etc….? Then yes you’d be right.