I’m thinking of airport check-in lines now. I think what drives me more crazy than the actual time I am wasting (after all, checking in quickly doesn’t make the plane take of any sooner) is seeing the line next to mine going faster than mine, begetting the stressful question of whether to jump to another line or not. Then of course, if you do jump, your original line starts moving faster, right? I don’t know if others feel this way, but it drives me CRAZY. I will just be standing in line and STEWING.
What I have noticed that works, though, is those airlines that use an amusement park-style corral system, where everyone joins a single line with Tensa-barriers and are then shepherded to one of several check-in desks when they reach the front. I don’t know if this actually reduces the average wait, but it eliminates the whole “To Jump or Not to Jump” dilemma and the psychological angst that goes with it. Anyone else feel the way I do? The same goes for grocery store lines too.