How does it work when another till opens up?

amother

DarkGreen

Wed, Oct 11 2023, 5:18 pm

Where I live (east coast USA) if another line opens, usually the first person who hasn’t started unloading goes. Or sometimes the cashier will signal to someone or people to come over.
Once at an airport, I went to check on the strollers but the line was long and I knew I’d be a while so I stayed in the back. A flight attendant opened up a new line and signaled for me to come. It bothered a woman who thought she should be next, and she let me know it. I apologized (flight attendant told me I was right and told this woman that he told me to come to him) and then on the plane one of my kids started singing the wheels on the bus or something. Everyone said oh, kid is so cute! We don’t mind (including other flight attendants) and I was so embarrassed and asked my child to be quiet, guess who was two rows behind, yes this woman. When we landed I was so happy I’d never have to see her again until we got to the airport for the flight home and guess who was on the line in front of us. I thought I’d die.
So maybe there aren’t set rules for lines…

amother

Mocha

Thu, Oct 12 2023, 10:47 pm

zaq wrote:

I think she meant that you used so many terms that are different from those used in the US.
Queue = line
Till= cash register
Trolley= shopping cart.

Yes it's so funny that both countries speak English but I had a bit of a hard time understanding your post due to the different wording.
I've heard the word queue before but never the word till. And trolley reminds me of when zaidy was young and the trolley song.

amother

Phlox

Thu, Oct 12 2023, 11:03 pm

I totally got this- it has happened to me so many times, in both positions - the lucky one and the long waiting one.
It is like when you are on a motorway and there is traffic in all the lanes and people keep switching lanes to get 1-2 metres ahead. Meaningless in the big picture. Or racing to be first from the lights.

There is no right/wrong - they open a till, you go to pay. He can be grumpy but if he is in a queue for 1 till he doesn't have automatic rights to be next for a new till. You shouldn't feel bad about it, you just got there at the right time.
Like if someone was driving round looking for a parking space, and you came along and found the perfect space in front of thr shop because someone else just left. It is just sometimes things work out and sometimes not.
People are stressed and they can be rude. I am working on being mevater this year, so I would have loudly offered that he can come now in front of me and he would probably refuse and be embarrassed because how is he going to get out of 1 queue into another?
Let go of it, you did nothing wrong.

amother

Hotpink

Fri, Oct 13 2023, 5:13 am

When you’re ready to pay you’re supposed to get in line, not linger on the side in hope of a new line opening. What you did would be considered rude in the NY area where I live.