# Do you confront line-skippers? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 18, 2018, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-confront-line-skippers/809032 "2018-02-18T03:12:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-confront-line-skippers/809032/61 "2018-02-19T01:06:30Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > But still claims without anything to back it up. Your last link doesn’t explain how it gets the 15% number. And still no one seems to have an answer as to how a car can squeeze in between two cars without the back one needing to slow down to let it in. If it were possible there would be no need for anyone to let them in, there would already be room. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find the footnoted references online. I find it highly doubtful that state DOTs are recommending this without thought to the matter. Anyhow, I don’t want to hijack the thread with this discussion. We’ve done this like every two years here on the Dope. We should start another thread or continue one of the older ones if we want to continue (and, frankly, I’m not _that_ interested.) ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-confront-line-skippers/809032/62 "2018-02-19T01:11:14Z")
All of mine are China related. Once while buying a metro ticket in Shanghai, some girl got in front of me when I was next. I didn’t know how to confront her, so I simply picked her up and moved her out of the way. Another time while waiting to board a plane, I asked (in Chinese) if a line cutter was a member of the family in front of me. Several people then called him out and told him to get to the back of the line. Chinese in general just accept line cutters, but given a leader willing to “lose face” over it, they do express their indignation. In Hong Kong at a coffee shop, some mainland girls cut in front of me. When the barrista was ready, I simply told her I was next, and she was willing to ignore the line cutters. Hong Kongers generally respect the the queue heritage given to them by the British. One time I was accused of being a line cutter, again while boarding an aircraft. I was “Elite Plus,” and apparently the only one, and no first class passengers (domestic China flight). There were a lot of murmurs that the self-entitled foreigner jumped the line, but no one confronted me and I suspect they didn’t realize I could understand them. Plus, I wasn’t self-entitled; I was legitimately entitled! ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-confront-line-skippers/809032/63 "2018-02-19T04:03:31Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find the footnoted references online. I find it highly doubtful that state DOTs are recommending this without thought to the matter. Anyhow, I don’t want to hijack the thread with this discussion. We’ve done this like every two years here on the Dope. We should start another thread or continue one of the older ones if we want to continue (and, frankly, I’m not _that_ interested.) I don’t find it doubtful. It’s no different than ER workers who swear on a stack of Bibles that the crazies come out during full moons. Yes, this his been done every two years (probably more) on the Dope, but no one has ever produced any real data to back it up. I strongly suspect that if you could find the footnoted references they would also be vague assertions of “many studies”. It just isn’t physically possible to allow someone into your lane without someone slowing down enough to create a gap. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-confront-line-skippers/809032/64 "2018-02-19T04:16:27Z")
Well, to briefly continue the hijack, it occurs to me that the best use of the road is the one that has as much of each lane occupied as possible. And the closing lane is available right up to where it closes. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-confront-line-skippers/809032/65 "2018-02-19T05:01:51Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > Well, to briefly continue the hijack, it occurs to me that the best use of the road is the one that has as much of each lane occupied as possible. And the closing lane is available right up to where it closes. Two cars cannot occupy the same place at the same time. How do you propose the cars from the closing lane get into the open lane without everyone slowing down drastically? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-confront-line-skippers/809032/66 "2018-02-19T05:46:15Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Right now, I want to ask: Why is it worthy in its own right, if it has no effect on how quickly cars will, on average, make it through the whole mess and past the final choke? The longer the backup is, the more likely it is to interfere with drivers who _aren’t_ going through the whole mess. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-confront-line-skippers/809032/67 "2018-02-19T07:39:31Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > Two cars cannot occupy the same place at the same time. How do you propose the cars from the closing lane get into the open lane without everyone slowing down drastically? In the scenario where everyone tries to get across into the single lane of stationary traffic as early as possible you have multiple points of merging all happening at the same time. Multiple points of potential delay. Also as the car is trying to move across those behind him are stacking up as well and all of those are trying to get across. Let’s also consider that as that merge becomes harder (because why would you let in a load of those from the other lane?) the cars trying to get in either stop exactly where they are (and make the queue behind them even worse) or carry on in that lane nearer to the closure point (and so piss off those in the other lane even more with the perceived unfairness and most likely making each individual merge even more costly in terms of time and anger) You seem to be focussing on a scenario where the traffic is light enough to remain moving. In those situations the zipper merge gives no benefit but the real world doesn’t work like that. ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-confront-line-skippers/809032/68 "2018-02-19T13:05:38Z")
I probably told this before. When my husband was dying I was his sole caretaker and he could not be left alone. A friend might come over to spell me now and then for maybe 1/2 hr. so I could run to the store (he was dying at home.) or take a shower. So I ran to store for Desitin and diapers and other stuff and I am in the quickie line, and it’s long. And it’s Halloween. A woman comes to the end of the line and shouts “I need to get thru here please, my kids are alone in the car!!!” And she’s buying Halloween candy. And I am not giving up my spot. Bitch that I am, I turned around and said loudly “look lady, Halloween is always the 31st. Don’t you own a calendar? We’re all in a hurry.” My stress level was pretty awful then. ---
**Author:** ![kbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kbear)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-confront-line-skippers/809032/69 "2018-02-19T14:51:05Z")
First week in middle school, my daughter challenged one of the boys who cut in the lunch line with that sense of law and order common to most eleven year olds. That boy and his friends bullied her for three years. Sometimes it’s just not worth it. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-confront-line-skippers/809032/70 "2018-02-19T15:51:52Z")
> [@DummyGladHands](#): > > “look lady, Halloween is always the 31st. Don’t you own a calendar? We’re all in a hurry.” In case you can’t hear me from there, I’m clapping… ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-confront-line-skippers/809032/71 "2018-02-19T16:34:48Z")
> [@digs](#): > > I find myself psychoanalyzing the cashier and the people in front of me: "Okay, clerk is old, but it’s a ‘Knows What She’s Doing’ Old, and the first guy in line looks like he might be chatty, but she’ll move him through. Better than that other line, with the lady who’ll look like a deer in the headlights when it comes time to pay: “Oh, dearie me, I suppose I have to start rummaging in my oversized naugahyde purse for my over-stuffed wallet now… I do hope I have the 87¢ in nickels and pennies…” And when the perfect quickie line is selected and you’ve committed your cart, the person paying for her stuff will haul an enormous wad of coupons out of her purse and proceed to argue with the cashier over which ones are valid. Never fails. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-confront-line-skippers/809032/72 "2018-02-19T16:45:31Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > It’s a pretty impressive achievement to tell an anecdote about the appalling behavior of line-cutters where the line-cutter ends up looking more sympathetic than the narrator. > [@Balthisar](#): > > Once while buying a metro ticket in Shanghai, some girl got in front of me when I was next. I didn’t know how to confront her, so I simply picked her up and moved her out of the way. … Okay, maybe this is a more common achievement than I originally realized. Jeez Louise. ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-confront-line-skippers/809032/73 "2018-02-19T16:49:32Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > And while we’re on the general subject, should there be a legal penalty for slapping the jerks who get in the express lane with _significantly_ more items than the posted maximum? I can’t remember the last time somebody jumped a line, but I see people with full carts in Express Lines all the time. And I do complain. Cashiers are not allowed to say anything about it, though. That pisses me off. ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-confront-line-skippers/809032/74 "2018-02-19T16:53:44Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > And when the perfect quickie line is selected and you’ve committed your cart, the person paying for her stuff will haul an enormous wad of coupons out of her purse and proceed to argue with the cashier over which ones are valid. > > Never fails. Every now and then, somebody bellies up to the Point of Sale terminal and I swear they must be trying to refinance their house. ---
**Author:** ![Doyle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doyle/32/439_2.png) [@Doyle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doyle)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-confront-line-skippers/809032/75 "2018-02-19T19:34:43Z")
May be a subject for another thread, but people in the South generally don’t line jump. And if they accidentally do, they usually recognize it and cede their position. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-confront-line-skippers/809032/76 "2018-02-19T20:55:02Z")
Last summer my friend and I were in Scotland where they take their queues seriously. We were in line to get on a boat tour, and I stepped away to throw something in a bin. I went back to my friend and an older Scottish woman started giving me a loud talking to about queue jumpers. I said “I’m with my friend” and she shut up. A few minutes later she and her husband were busted by the boat guards for queue jumping and had to go to the back of the queue. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-confront-line-skippers/809032/77 "2018-02-19T21:10:26Z")
Two different cases - **Scenario 1:** It seems to be endemic of CVS type stores. While I am up at the counter, paying for my purchases, someone will stride right up with a question. They will not pause, they will not ask permission to interrupt, they will just blurt out their question. I rely on the clerk to make the correct move, which is to tell the person to get in line with everyone else. If the clerk does not do that, after they are done helping the interrupter, I will gently but firmly instruct them as to what they should have done, and should do next time. I don’t engage with the interrupter, because they have already proven themselves to be unreasonable and I don’t need the drama. **Scenario 2:** At the airport getting ready to board the plane. Some airlines don’t do anything to organize the people in the gate area, it’s just a survival-of-the-fittest clusterfuffle. Nothing to recommend there. But some airlines make an attempt to create lines for the various boarding groups. Inevitably, while I’m standing in a visible designated line, I will see some knucklehead who drifts up beside the line somewhere near the front. You can just see everyone who is already in line start to tense up and shuffle just a little bit forward. I’ve always wanted to turn into Jimmy the brain damaged kid and loudly proclaim “HA HA! LOOK AT THAT MAAAAN! HE DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO STAND IN LIIIIINE!”, but decorum prevents me. At some points in the past I have heard these line pigs called out, and have heard them defend with, “Ho ho, well we’re all getting to there at the same time anyway! Ho ho!” To which I would like to say, “If that is the case then you wouldn’t mind being the last to board? Because we’re all getting there at the same time anyway?”, but again, decorum prevents me. (Actually, the fear of causing an incident in the boarding area, and ending up on the TSA watchlist prevents me.) ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-confront-line-skippers/809032/78 "2018-02-19T22:36:39Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > In the scenario where everyone tries to get across into the single lane of stationary traffic as early as possible you have multiple points of merging all happening at the same time. Multiple points of potential delay. Also as the car is trying to move across those behind him are stacking up as well and all of those are trying to get across. Let’s also consider that as that merge becomes harder (because why would you let in a load of those from the other lane?) the cars trying to get in either stop exactly where they are (and make the queue behind them even worse) or carry on in that lane nearer to the closure point (and so piss off those in the other lane even more with the perceived unfairness and most likely making each individual merge even more costly in terms of time and anger) > > You seem to be focussing on a scenario where the traffic is light enough to remain moving. In those situations the zipper merge gives no benefit but the real world doesn’t work like that. What you are describing is what happens if a significant number of drivers stay in the closing lane until the last second. That doesn’t happen if everyone gets over _before_ traffic has started to bunch up. The traffic bunches up precisely because of people trying to outrun the line of traffic and running out of lane. Haven’t you noticed that traffic speeds up again immediately after the choke point, despite the fact that there’s now only one lane available? That’s because you no longer have people slowing everyone down by trying to horn in to gaps that don’t exist. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-confront-line-skippers/809032/79 "2018-02-20T06:08:02Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Yea, I believe I would quietly just leave in that circumstance. It’s not the clerks fault. No, quietly leaving will not make it clear to the store that their unfair behavior is upsetting their customers. Losing some sales does make an impression on a store. True, it’s nt that clerk’s fault. But she went along with it, instead of saying “this customer was next”. ---
**Author:** ![Roy\_Batty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Roy\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roy_Batty)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-confront-line-skippers/809032/80 "2018-02-20T14:32:24Z")
Thanks for all of the responses, everyone. This is obviously an issue that many people have encountered. I do think it’s a store clerk’s responsibility to call out line-skippers if they see it happen, but they rarely do. I think I’ve seen it happen once, and I applaud the store clerks that do this. That being said, I suspect they rarely say anything because they don’t want to “make waves” & also because they probably worry that if a customer is called out about line cutting, they may take their business elsewhere. In fact, once I called out a line skipper and the clerk got peeved with ME. Very unfair. > [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Also, just recently, standing in line at a movie theater, a woman came over from out of the blue and stood right next to me. There were people behind me. As I got called to the window, the woman tried to ease herself in front of me. I told her that she was not going to do that, and she also needed to go to the rear of the line behind the people behind me. Yes, I’ve had people try to pull this shit with me. What I’ve done is make it very clear that I’M in FRONT of them, by pushing my shopping car ahead of them, etc. No one gets away with that with me. Again, these types of issues are one of the many reasons online shopping is extremely attractive. I.e, the less damn lines I have to stand in, the better! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-confront-line-skippers/809032.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-confront-line-skippers/809032.md?page=5)