Good point. But considering the other “door areas” had no such space (as people rarely get off at this station at this hour, and people tend to move after they see someone standing at the doors as the train comes in), I don’t think so.
I commute via the NYC subways everyday - and things like this drive me insane. I would say at least 3 times a week (usually much more) I get into arguments with people who just have zero manners.
To those who don’t live in Manhattan and are not familiar with the subway system I will give you a quick rundown of a few salient points:
- Annoucements are made constantly (both on the train and in the stations) telling people to move to the side when the doors open and let the passengers off first.
- Accouncements are made constantly (both on the train and off) that you should move all the way into the subway car and not stand directly in front of the doors when you enter the train.
- A lot of the stations have clearly marked spaces, with the words PLEASE STAND ASIDE printed in them, indicating where the doors of the train will land once the train arrives in the station. This is important because this is where the people exiting the train will be getting off.
- Subways during rush hour, especially on the Lexington line (which is currently the ONLY east side subway), are incredibly crowded. Sometimes they are so crowded that you need to let multiple trains go by before you can actually cram yourself into the train.
Now onto the annoyances…
Most people will wait to either the left or the right of the clearly marked area indicating where the doors to the train will be. It NEVER fails, however, that some idiot always decides to ignore the markings and stands right there, despite the fact the 20 other people around them have left that space clear. The space is the neutral zone - stay the fuck out of it. Cram yourself in anywhere else you have room to do so (which I think kind of answers the etiquette question posed) but don’t block the doors - it just makes things take longer.
Another annoyance is the people on the train stand right in front of the doors and leave a two foot space for the 50 waiting to actually get on the train. And to make things even better, a lot of the time the person blocking the door bitches and moans, usually quite loudly, about all the people bumping into them.
People also think the best place to stand is in the area just inside the doors (not necessarily blocking the door). Sometimes a train will pull in with people spilling out of the doors as the open but you look in the window and sure as shit, the entire middle of the car is empty.
As I said, most people know the rules and are pretty courteous when it comes to them. But every single fucking day of my life there are at least a couple people who fall into one or more of the categories above and I just want to push their asses right in front of the train as it comes into the station. God damn assholes.
This may be my favourite description of anything ever. Thanks 
I don’t really see this ever happen. The only situation I can think of in my life are when you’re waiting in line for 10 minutes, are approaching the front finally, a new cashier suddenly opens up and people from the back bolt over to the new line.
However, this doesn’t even happen anymore, since cashiers are now instructed to say “I can help the next person in line” while making eye contact with you. And everyone pretty much politely lets the front few people mill over to the new cash first.
Of course if you’re protected by 2,000 pounds of steel and glass you get to be an asshole without having to put up with the embarrassment of being called out on it.
The most vocal I’ve ever seen people get about line jumping is at the post office. I’ve seen it happen a dozen times or so. Something about having to be in the line at the post office - maybe the fact that you’re there means something has gone wrong? The glacial pace? It’s always the same excuse too: “I’m just buying stamps!” “Oh, just stamps? Godspeed, good sir!” ::bows::
We aim to please 
This is an awesome visual you have painted. 
And please you did.
When I worked in a convenience store, we had one guy who came in regularly and would take his time browsing the snacks and getting his drink. But when he was ready to check out, he’d go to the front of the line and expect the cashier to void out the current transaction, ring him up, and then and only then would he allow the other people to get checked out. He did manage to intimidate a couple of the cashiers into doing this, too. Because apparently rules and courtesy didn’t apply to him.
We also had a LOT of people who thought that it was OK to pick up a paper and a cup of coffee and drop money on the counter and then speed out of the door. Sometimes the amount was correct, usually it was a little bit short. The amount was never, ever over, though.
Just today, I was waiting patiently to do an exchange (and requiring me to provide my personal information when I had a receipt and I just had to get the same item but in a different size? That’s going to be a whole 'nother pit thread some other day). I watched a woman come in the store, then stand behind the person at the register, a little off to the left. I was standing behind customer #1, a little to the right. There wasn’t room to stand directly behind her, but it’s not like I was playing hide & seek. When customer #1 left and I put my stuff on the counter, customer #2 gave me evil death stare. It amused me greatly. Like even if she wasn’t sure if I was waiting in line, the thought should have occurred to her. I’m sure she complained all day about the bitch who cut her off at the store, but I don’t care. I felt like doing a victory lap after one tiny win over a bully and/or asshole and/or ignoramus.
I used to work in a convenience store too. I started this 7 page thread pitting a line jumper and posters kept siding with him.
What gets on my goat is the baggage train at the airport where you line up on the line waiting for the bags to be unloaded (hold baggage). And then the unwashed horde will descend and stand in front of you. Not because their luggage has appeared but because they are pricks.
Amen Brother.
The post office here does visa applications for some horrible reason, so one person in line can literally hold everything up for thirty minutes. Some clerks have the sense to direct them off to the side to fill out all the forms so they can help others in the interim. Some however seem to get off on the break from work and have the person doing whatever while they and everyone else wait.
I was getting on Amtrak at South Station in Boston and was in line out on the platform to give the agent my ticket and board. I made it to the front of the line with about 10 people behind me when this middle-aged couple walks up alongside, passing us all, and thrusts their tickets at the agent. She went ballistic. It was amazing to watch:
“Excuse me! Do you not see everyone lining up? These people are waiting, go to the end of the line back there! Just who do you think you are?”
They slunk sheepishly off. She was still muttering about them and rolling her eyes as she took my ticket and wished me a pleasant trip. Go Boston.
At my local grocery store all the stations are clearly set up for one line per checkout except the 15 items or less stations. There are four of them, two in front, two in back. All are rather squished together and don’t have clear places to queue up. They’re so so squished together that you really can’t form two queues. I’ve always thought it was fairly obvious that only one queue should exist and shoppers would just go to the first open register as they became available. Nevertheless, there’s always someone who assumes the queue is only for one side of the two registers and walks up to the first available register on the other side no matter how long the queue is. I know I’m describing it horribly, but trust me, there’s no legitimate way to form two queues.
Has anyone else seen this sort of thing? I suppose it might be confusing to some, but when the queue is four people deep, can anyone legitimately believe they just got lucky and chose a side that is moving four times faster than the other-especially when the next person in the queue is moving towards that same available register? A stupid sign would solve the whole problem, but that would make too much sense.
I know exactly what you mean. “Hey look a register with 5 people lined up, and another one with nobody! I’ll just saunter over to the nobody register then…” :smack:
It all depends on the attitude that was presented by the middle-aged couple.
One of my pet peeves is how service people and regular customers can be so rude and critical to a person who simply wasn’t aware of “the way it’s done,” especially in cases where there is ambiguity.
The agent could have said “I’m sorry, but there is a line. It starts over there behind that gentleman” or something like that.
Then, if the middle-aged couple didn’t immediately apologize and withdraw, she could have given them both barrels.
Now, if that couple had shown visual body English that demonstrated that they were fully aware that they were pushing to the head of the line, that’s a whole different situation. I fully support the ticket agent’s tone in that case.
Around here I don’t see any line jumping. In fact every time I go in the grocery store and there are lines, people seem to want to get me out of there. Employees will open up new registers or the customer service desk register, people with a cart full of items in front of me will politely ask me if I’d like to go ahead of them. Maybe I look stabby or something. Maybe a single guy buying a handfull of groceries gets a free pass. I do hate having to wait in line to give a store my money.
this thread reminds me of a place I used to work that had 2 registers…and customers would invariably line up at one of them.
“I can help the next person in line”
one customer moves over, gets served.
“I can help the next person in line”
repeat
it was weird as hell, and of course when there was only one register open and a closed sign on the other some one would go stand at that register like they were going to get helped.