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Further Adventures in Line Cutting

batmagadanleadoff Jun 30 2019 09:53 AM

Maybe I should change supermarkets. So yesterday morning, I'm in the supermarket to pick up some stuff. I'm ready to check out, having filled my cart with just a few items, but too many to qualify for the express lines. All the lines are at least four shoppers deep, but I spot a line with only one customer on it, and his cart, like mine, only has about 15 items. So I head for that line, and when I get to it, there's a man behind the customer checking out. And he's blocking me from getting on the line. Intentionally. I move to my left to go around him, and he goes left, too. To block me. I move to the right to go around him. He moves right and blocks me. He has no wagon. And no items in his hands. He's just standing there, preventing me from getting on the line. So I ask him in a not so nice way -- "What the hell are you doing?" And then I see what's going on. His wife is now approaching the line. I figure that based on the time that this whole incident took so far, she was probably about 40 feet away when her husband first tried to block me. About half the distance to the first base bag from home plate, in baseball terms. So the husband then angles his body to block me while simultaneously creating a path for his wife to get on the line, ahead of me. And I ain't letting this happen. No fucking way. Especially since her cart is jam-packed to the top with items. So I use my wagon to block her from getting in. Husband's blocking me, but I'm blocking her. Is this kind of like what they call a Mexican standoff? Anyways, I tell the husband: "What the fuck are you doing? What are you ... reserving a spot on the line for your wife? You're not allowed to do that." So he says: "She was on the line before you." "On the line?", I respond. "From where? From 200 feet away? Was she also the first person on this line as soon as she woke up this morning and got out of bed? She's not on this line until she physically gets on this line with all of her stuff." So he says: "Don't be an asshole." "Asshole? It figures you'd resort to name calling when you have nothing intelligent or persuasive to say." And then I notice that he's like a couple of inches taller than me, definitely more muscular than me, and about 15 years younger. But then suddenly, he drops his guard to tell his wife something and a path opens up, which I take and move my cart ahead of him and on the line, where I then take the items out of my cart and place them on the checkout conveyor belt. And the rest of the story more or less fizzles out from here. I checked out before him with no incident. What an asshole.

MFS62 Jun 30 2019 10:13 AM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

When they're younger, bigger and more muscular, the death stare usually works. Let them think you're a serial killer, or at least have those tendencies. They'll usually back down without a word. Remember, he who speaks first, loses. Later

whippoorwill Jul 01 2019 06:08 AM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

I think it's hilarious that you guys say on line instead of in line

Ceetar Jul 01 2019 07:20 AM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

=MFS62 post_id=14659 time=1561911215 user_id=60] When they're younger, bigger and more muscular, the death stare usually works. Let them think you're a serial killer, or at least have those tendencies. They'll usually back down without a word. Remember, he who speaks first, loses. Later

I usually go with completely dismissive and barely acknowledge their existence. Though granted when they're blocking you that's tougher.

kcmets Jul 01 2019 09:34 AM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jul 01 2019 10:09 AM

Anyone remember when all you had to do was call, 'hey, no cutsies' and the cutter put their head down, kicked some imaginary sand and quietly walked away? World's fucked up these days.

metsmarathon Jul 01 2019 10:04 AM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

=whippoorwill post_id=14760 time=1561982919 user_id=79] I think it's hilarious that you guys say on line instead of in line

it makes sense to me to use waiting in line and waiting on line to mean the same, but slightly different thing.



if there is a line with a physical location allocated to it, particularly with multiple queues, then getting on [a] line makes sense to my, as you're moving yourself to be standing on that line.



if you're ordering chaos into a single solitary lineup which will be proceded through from first to last, like getting in [a] line to enter a classroom, then getting in line makes sense.



it's a nuance thing.

Double Switch Jul 01 2019 11:26 AM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

I think "on line" and "in line" are regional quirks. Recalling how Carlin eschewed getting "on the plane" and instead got "in the plane." Or the bus, if you're well grounded. Myself, I stand in line and get on the plane. Sorry, George.

kcmets Jul 01 2019 11:38 AM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

English is a mess sometimes, we park on driveways and drive on parkways.

Frayed Knot Jul 01 2019 01:02 PM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

The story I once heard about the regionality of the in/on line thing is that the 'on' stems from NYC where schoolyard playgrounds were/are often blacktops with painted lines on them for various activities. Therefore the kiddies were told to queue up (not that anyone in NY ever used the word 'queue') ON a particular line when it was time to be herded back inside. Presumably for most non-urban situations the line is more an imaginary one and so the people themselves are IN a line. That's absolutely a true story ... unless it isn't. I mean it's true that I once heard it, but I can't vouch for its accuracy.

Vic Sage Jul 03 2019 08:44 AM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

Batmags, i disagree with your view on this. The guy wasn't necessarily "blocking" you, per se. He was just on line (or IN line) ahead of you. He's shopping with his wife and he's doing the waiting while she does the putting of stuff in the basket. If it was his turn at the checkout and she was NOT there with her basket, then he loses his spot in the line. Or if he prevents you from getting to an open checkout line and forces you to WAIT while his wife eventually shows up, then i think you have a legit beef. I think this is true for any sort of queue.... movie, DMV, whatever. A person invests the time to stand in line, and may thereafter be joined by others in his party. As long as it doesn't increase the waiting time of anybody else, i'm not sure this is such a social faux pas. When i used to go to Shakespeare In the Park, you waited on line all morning to get free tickets that would be distributed later that day. But some people, having more money than time, elected to pay "line-waiters" who would hold a spot for them until the scheduled opening of the box office. Other than the naked exercise of privilege, i don't see a problem with that for anybody standing behind the line-waiter.

batmagadanleadoff Jul 03 2019 10:03 AM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jul 03 2019 10:09 AM

Vic Sage wrote: Batmags, i disagree with your view on this. The guy wasn't necessarily "blocking" you, per se. He was just on line (or IN line) ahead of you. He's shopping with his wife and he's doing the waiting while she does the putting of stuff in the basket. If it was his turn at the checkout and she was NOT there with her basket, then he loses his spot in the line. Or if he prevents you from getting to an open checkout line and forces you to WAIT while his wife eventually shows up, then i think you have a legit beef. I think this is true for any sort of queue.... movie, DMV, whatever. A person invests the time to stand in line, and may thereafter be joined by others in his party. As long as it doesn't increase the waiting time of anybody else, i'm not sure this is such a social faux pas. When i used to go to Shakespeare In the Park, you waited on line all morning to get free tickets that would be distributed later that day. But some people, having more money than time, elected to pay "line-waiters" who would hold a spot for them until the scheduled opening of the box office. Other than the naked exercise of privilege, i don't see a problem with that for anybody standing behind the line-waiter. I disagree. He can stand on that line all he wants to, but he had no items. His wife, who had the items, doesn't get to move ahead of me being that she got there after I did. And if the husband had two or three items in his hands then he and the two or three items would be ahead of me. But not the wife and her items. I'm not familiar with the Shakespeare in the Park dynamics so I won't analogize there. And what do you mean by increasing my waiting time? How could husband have pulled that off without increasing my waiting time? If wife moves in front of me, I have to wait for her and her cart jammed full of stuff to get checked out. Otherwise, I don't.

Ceetar Jul 03 2019 10:08 AM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

waiting in line for tickets is different, it's not increasing the transaction time. The person on line could always just be handed money, and nothing would change. Drastically increasing the time on line is not cool, and it sounds like he WAS forcing him to wait. He could've unloaded his stuff onto the belt.

Vic Sage Jul 03 2019 11:10 AM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jul 08 2019 02:30 PM

He didn't extend waiting time if he didn't slow the line. He just extended what you THOUGHT would be the waiting time. I've gotten on line behind old people (usually) with coupons for every single thing they are purchasing, people paying with checks or money orders, people who've bought more than they could afford and had to put stuff back, people who are slow or just like to chat with the cashier. ALL of these things increase waiting time, but they all have a right to do those things. I was just unaware when i got on the line that my waiting time was going to be longer than i thought. And if get in line behind someone standing on the line without a cart, its easy to presume a cart will be following shortly. If he gets to the point where he could be unloading his basket and he doesn't have one, then he better get the hell out of my way. But if the wife shows up with 5 items or 50, then that's how many the guy in front of me has, even if i didn't know exactly.

batmagadanleadoff Jul 03 2019 11:53 AM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jul 03 2019 12:02 PM

I assume the risk that a shopper on line ahead of me might suddenly whip out 40 coupons or not have enough money to pay and then have to return some items to lower the bill to where he can pay. That's just the way it goes. But a customer can't get on a line without any items just to reserve a spot for his shopping mate who hasn't gotten on the line yet. I have a right to see how many shoppers and how many items are already on the line because I'm entitled to make an informed decision myself as to which line I choose. And how long is he allowed to stand on a line saving a spot for his shopping mate? 20 seconds? 20 minutes?

seawolf17 Jul 03 2019 12:01 PM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=14984 time=1562176397 user_id=68] I assume the risk that a shopper on line ahead of me migh suddenly whip out 40 coupons or not have enough money to pay and then have to return some items to lower the bill to where he can pay. But a customer can't get on a line without items and reserve a spot for his shopping mate.I have a right to see how many shoppers and how many items are already on the line because I'm entitled to make an informed decision as to which line I choose. And how long is he allowed to stand on a line saving a spot for his shopping mate? 20 seconds? 20 minutes?

Yeah, I'm with batmags here. If you've got a choice of five registers in front of you, you're going to choose the one with the shortest line/least amount of visible stuff. That's entirely reasonable to expect that it gives you the best chance of getting out of there quickly. Dudebro was also being a dick by actively blocking the line.

Ceetar Jul 03 2019 12:07 PM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

also just make 90% of 'em self checkout and hell, self-scan/bag as you walk the aisles.

Vic Sage Jul 03 2019 12:22 PM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

i totally get that dudebro was being a dick, and i always root for Batmags in nearly every situation. But back to the issue of "assumption of risk" which i agree is very much at the heart of this. If there is a guy on a line without a cart, you KNOW he's expecting a cart to be brought to him at some point, so by getting in line behind him you are assuming the risk of whether he'll get 5 cans or 50. you don't know, so perhaps you get on a different line, where you have more info to estimate your wait. How long can he hold a spot? until its his turn to check out. If he has no cart at that point, he should move along. He can get back on the back of the line if he wants, or go to another line, or go join his wife and help with the grabbing of stuff.

MFS62 Jul 03 2019 06:41 PM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1934931136531391&set=pb.100000435691032.-2207520000.1562200786.&type=3&size=366%2C400 Later

MFS62 Jul 03 2019 06:42 PM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/18740284_1557804864244022_6053222200927655457_n.jpg?_nc_cat=108&_nc_oc=AQkOmpjZnCcF21aJUNEDWAijA1bnlFKiuGY5SHdQibTQ6P2LqA76mBC5aH1NL0aELmk&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&oh=e8dc20fc65b014d574e630b0780cc581&oe=5D8263FD

metsmarathon Jul 04 2019 09:59 AM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

it was Batmags's turn to put groceries on the conveyor, and dudebro was blocking him from doing so. He'd already forfeited his wife's spot in line (or she had with her tardiness).

batmagadanleadoff Jul 04 2019 10:34 AM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting Edited 2 time(s), most recently on Jul 04 2019 11:50 AM

Hey Vic: Happy 4th! Try this hypothetical on for size: A certain hypothetical supermarket has just one checkout line for all shoppers, no matter the size of the order. It takes a full hour to navigate the line, from the time a shopper first gets on the line to when the shopper finally arrives at the cashier so that he can be checked out. A husband and wife come to this market to do some shopping. They intend to buy many items and spend well over $100.00 for their goods. They will probably spend about an hour walking through the market and filling their cart up with goods, given the size of their order. They'll spend about two hours in the market: one hour to shop, and another hour on the checkout line. So to save time, the husband decides to grab one item and then immediately get on the lone line. While he's waiting on that line, his wife will do the rest of the shopping. By the time she's finished shopping, an hour will have gone by and he'll have reached the front of the line. At which time, their plan is for the wife to head straight for the front of the line and join her husband, bypassing or cutting in front of the 14 other shoppers that are now behind the husband, and thus reducing their time at the market by an hour. Is this allowed?

whippoorwill Jul 04 2019 11:24 AM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

How does she get there with her cart? And no it sounds unfair

LWFS Jul 07 2019 10:07 PM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

#TeamVic

Vic Sage Jul 08 2019 02:21 PM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

=metsmarathon post_id=15071 time=1562255994 user_id=83] it was Batmags's turn to put groceries on the conveyor, and dudebro was blocking him from doing so. He'd already forfeited his wife's spot in line (or she had with her tardiness).

agreed.

Vic Sage Jul 08 2019 02:26 PM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=15073 time=1562258094 user_id=68] Hey Vic: Happy 4th! Try this hypothetical on for size: A certain hypothetical supermarket has just one checkout line for all shoppers, no matter the size of the order. It takes a full hour to navigate the line, from the time a shopper first gets on the line to when the shopper finally arrives at the cashier so that he can be checked out. A husband and wife come to this market to do some shopping. They intend to buy many items and spend well over $100.00 for their goods. They will probably spend about an hour walking through the market and filling their cart up with goods, given the size of their order. They'll spend about two hours in the market: one hour to shop, and another hour on the checkout line. So to save time, the husband decides to grab one item and then immediately get on the lone line. While he's waiting on that line, his wife will do the rest of the shopping. By the time she's finished shopping, an hour will have gone by and he'll have reached the front of the line. At which time, their plan is for the wife to head straight for the front of the line and join her husband, bypassing or cutting in front of the 14 other shoppers that are now behind the husband, and thus reducing their time at the market by an hour. Is this allowed?

1 - if there is only 1 line*, then the notion of being tricked into waiting in a line that was longer than you thought is now a moot point; but



2 - as long as the dude with the can isn't holding up or blocking the next person in line from putting stuff on the conveyor, and his wife's cart gets there before it's their turn to unload, then yes, it should be an allowed strategy, and they are rewarded for their forethought and efficient team work. Next time, bring a partner with you and cut your time in half



* note: never shop at a store with only 1 line!

batmagadanleadoff Jul 08 2019 02:51 PM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

Vic Sage wrote: =batmagadanleadoff post_id=15073 time=1562258094 user_id=68] Hey Vic: Happy 4th! Try this hypothetical on for size: A certain hypothetical supermarket has just one checkout line for all shoppers, no matter the size of the order. It takes a full hour to navigate the line, from the time a shopper first gets on the line to when the shopper finally arrives at the cashier so that he can be checked out. A husband and wife come to this market to do some shopping. They intend to buy many items and spend well over $100.00 for their goods. They will probably spend about an hour walking through the market and filling their cart up with goods, given the size of their order. They'll spend about two hours in the market: one hour to shop, and another hour on the checkout line. So to save time, the husband decides to grab one item and then immediately get on the lone line. While he's waiting on that line, his wife will do the rest of the shopping. By the time she's finished shopping, an hour will have gone by and he'll have reached the front of the line. At which time, their plan is for the wife to head straight for the front of the line and join her husband, bypassing or cutting in front of the 14 other shoppers that are now behind the husband, and thus reducing their time at the market by an hour. Is this allowed? 1 - if there is only 1 line*, then the notion of being tricked into waiting in a line that was longer than you thought is now a moot point; but 2 - as long as the dude with the can isn't holding up or blocking the next person in line from putting stuff on the conveyor, and his wife's cart gets there before it's their turn to unload, then yes, it should be an allowed strategy, and they are rewarded for their forethought and efficient team work. Next time, bring a partner with you and cut your time in half * note: never shop at a store with only 1 line!

We could not be any farther apart. This might be a first. Try this one on for size. A bigamy practicing Mormon and his five wives go shopping at the market. All six of them grab their own carts and fill them to the top with goods. Because it's a big family. I won't tell you how many kids a man can father when he's got five wives. Anyways, there are six checkout lines at this market and when the shopping Mormons have gotten all their goods, they go on line-- each one of the six goes on a different line -- there's one Mormon on each of the six lines. The husband's line moves the fastest and he reaches his cashier well before any of his five wives reach theirs. So he signals for all five of his wives to leave their lines and link up with him at the front of his line, cutting in front of everybody already on the husband's line, but behind him.



Is this allowed?

Johnny Lunchbucket Jul 08 2019 02:54 PM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

In Utah, yes

Double Switch Jul 08 2019 06:43 PM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

Earlier I wrote a comment to this topic and deleted it because what it was, in fact, a coping plan. It's too late for a coping plan. This happened and it's now in debriefing stage. Coping skills are considered plans of behavior. I believe what happens when someone purposefully violates accepted protocol, line protocol or simple societal protocol, is to demonstrate their own lack of conscientiousness and consideration for others and that they have no embarrassment as a result of that. My plan to cope with this, which happens far too often, is to retreat because there is no win in this situation. If this person had bullied me, I likely would have said, "Your goals clearly are more important than mine so you go ahead and I will wait it out." Because I do this as self protection. Sometimes the person is taken aback. Most times they go ahead with the bullying tactic but refrain from further eye contact. Either way, I no longer am their victim. My goal is to distance myself from bullies and bully behaviors and stay calm. It's easy to do this since so many angry, confrontational people announce their presence with carpet barrages of f-bombs. As a devotee of public transportation, the ride that does not include a disturbed, cursing passenger is a rarity to be cherished. I am the child of a pair of spoiled brats. I grew up watching a hideous lack of coping skills from adults. The result is that I decided if having children is what turned them into these obnoxious people, I would refrain. Oddly enough, drugs and alcohol were not factors in this environment, which in retrospect seems miraculous. Sure, I am obnoxious in my own way but that's more due to my INTJness than anything else. That, of course, took decades to discover because the first happy accident was to learn I am INTJ. This is how I deal with this stuff and I've lasted this long. You all are on your own.

metsmarathon Jul 08 2019 08:29 PM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

It certainly works out better for the other five lines.

Vic Sage Jul 09 2019 07:46 AM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

Vic Sage wrote: =batmagadanleadoff post_id=15073 time=1562258094 user_id=68] Hey Vic: Happy 4th! Try this hypothetical on for size: A certain hypothetical supermarket has just one checkout line for all shoppers, no matter the size of the order. It takes a full hour to navigate the line, from the time a shopper first gets on the line to when the shopper finally arrives at the cashier so that he can be checked out. A husband and wife come to this market to do some shopping. They intend to buy many items and spend well over $100.00 for their goods. They will probably spend about an hour walking through the market and filling their cart up with goods, given the size of their order. They'll spend about two hours in the market: one hour to shop, and another hour on the checkout line. So to save time, the husband decides to grab one item and then immediately get on the lone line. While he's waiting on that line, his wife will do the rest of the shopping. By the time she's finished shopping, an hour will have gone by and he'll have reached the front of the line. At which time, their plan is for the wife to head straight for the front of the line and join her husband, bypassing or cutting in front of the 14 other shoppers that are now behind the husband, and thus reducing their time at the market by an hour. Is this allowed? 1 - if there is only 1 line*, then the notion of being tricked into waiting in a line that was longer than you thought is now a moot point; but 2 - as long as the dude with the can isn't holding up or blocking the next person in line from putting stuff on the conveyor, and his wife's cart gets there before it's their turn to unload, then yes, it should be an allowed strategy, and they are rewarded for their forethought and efficient team work. Next time, bring a partner with you and cut your time in half * note: never shop at a store with only 1 line! We could not be any farther apart. This might be a first. Try this one on for size. A bigamy practicing Mormon and his five wives go shopping at the market. All six of them grab their own carts and fill them to the top with goods. Because it's a big family. I won't tell you how many kids a man can father when he's got five wives. Anyways, there are six checkout lines at this market and when the shopping Mormons have gotten all their goods, they go on line-- each one of the six goes on a different line -- there's one Mormon on each of the six lines. The husband's line moves the fastest and he reaches his cashier well before any of his five wives reach theirs. So he signals for all five of his wives to leave their lines and link up with him at the front of his line, cutting in front of everybody already on the husband's line, but behind him. Is this allowed?

you just described how my family and I wait on line(s) for concessions at a movie theater!

Vic Sage Jul 09 2019 07:48 AM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

by the way, in that scenario, 5 of the lines just got shorter... the greatest good, for the greatest number. Get off that line and hop on another.

whippoorwill Jul 09 2019 02:28 PM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

Vic Sage wrote: Vic Sage wrote: =batmagadanleadoff post_id=15073 time=1562258094 user_id=68] Hey Vic: Happy 4th! Try this hypothetical on for size: A certain hypothetical supermarket has just one checkout line for all shoppers, no matter the size of the order. It takes a full hour to navigate the line, from the time a shopper first gets on the line to when the shopper finally arrives at the cashier so that he can be checked out. A husband and wife come to this market to do some shopping. They intend to buy many items and spend well over $100.00 for their goods. They will probably spend about an hour walking through the market and filling their cart up with goods, given the size of their order. They'll spend about two hours in the market: one hour to shop, and another hour on the checkout line. So to save time, the husband decides to grab one item and then immediately get on the lone line. While he's waiting on that line, his wife will do the rest of the shopping. By the time she's finished shopping, an hour will have gone by and he'll have reached the front of the line. At which time, their plan is for the wife to head straight for the front of the line and join her husband, bypassing or cutting in front of the 14 other shoppers that are now behind the husband, and thus reducing their time at the market by an hour. Is this allowed? 1 - if there is only 1 line*, then the notion of being tricked into waiting in a line that was longer than you thought is now a moot point; but 2 - as long as the dude with the can isn't holding up or blocking the next person in line from putting stuff on the conveyor, and his wife's cart gets there before it's their turn to unload, then yes, it should be an allowed strategy, and they are rewarded for their forethought and efficient team work. Next time, bring a partner with you and cut your time in half * note: never shop at a store with only 1 line! We could not be any farther apart. This might be a first. Try this one on for size. A bigamy practicing Mormon and his five wives go shopping at the market. All six of them grab their own carts and fill them to the top with goods. Because it's a big family. I won't tell you how many kids a man can father when he's got five wives. Anyways, there are six checkout lines at this market and when the shopping Mormons have gotten all their goods, they go on line-- each one of the six goes on a different line -- there's one Mormon on each of the six lines. The husband's line moves the fastest and he reaches his cashier well before any of his five wives reach theirs. So he signals for all five of his wives to leave their lines and link up with him at the front of his line, cutting in front of everybody already on the husband's line, but behind him. Is this allowed? you just described how my family and I wait on line(s) for concessions at a movie theater!

Again how do they get their carts there? There's not space between checkouts to maneuver

batmagadanleadoff Jul 10 2019 10:25 AM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

Vic Sage wrote: Vic Sage wrote: =batmagadanleadoff post_id=15073 time=1562258094 user_id=68] Hey Vic: Happy 4th! Try this hypothetical on for size: A certain hypothetical supermarket has just one checkout line for all shoppers, no matter the size of the order. It takes a full hour to navigate the line, from the time a shopper first gets on the line to when the shopper finally arrives at the cashier so that he can be checked out. A husband and wife come to this market to do some shopping. They intend to buy many items and spend well over $100.00 for their goods. They will probably spend about an hour walking through the market and filling their cart up with goods, given the size of their order. They'll spend about two hours in the market: one hour to shop, and another hour on the checkout line. So to save time, the husband decides to grab one item and then immediately get on the lone line. While he's waiting on that line, his wife will do the rest of the shopping. By the time she's finished shopping, an hour will have gone by and he'll have reached the front of the line. At which time, their plan is for the wife to head straight for the front of the line and join her husband, bypassing or cutting in front of the 14 other shoppers that are now behind the husband, and thus reducing their time at the market by an hour. Is this allowed? 1 - if there is only 1 line*, then the notion of being tricked into waiting in a line that was longer than you thought is now a moot point; but 2 - as long as the dude with the can isn't holding up or blocking the next person in line from putting stuff on the conveyor, and his wife's cart gets there before it's their turn to unload, then yes, it should be an allowed strategy, and they are rewarded for their forethought and efficient team work. Next time, bring a partner with you and cut your time in half * note: never shop at a store with only 1 line! We could not be any farther apart. This might be a first. Try this one on for size. A bigamy practicing Mormon and his five wives go shopping at the market. All six of them grab their own carts and fill them to the top with goods. Because it's a big family. I won't tell you how many kids a man can father when he's got five wives. Anyways, there are six checkout lines at this market and when the shopping Mormons have gotten all their goods, they go on line-- each one of the six goes on a different line -- there's one Mormon on each of the six lines. The husband's line moves the fastest and he reaches his cashier well before any of his five wives reach theirs. So he signals for all five of his wives to leave their lines and link up with him at the front of his line, cutting in front of everybody already on the husband's line, but behind him. Is this allowed? you just described how my family and I wait on line(s) for concessions at a movie theater! Again how do they get their carts there? There's not space between checkouts to maneuver

Since it's my hypothetical, the aisles are wide enough for anyone to easily maneuver their carts to the front of a long line. And if the're not so wide, the line cutters simply force their way to the front of the line, ramming anybody in their way. Because if they're scumbag enough to think that they could cut a line full of people, they care little about banging their way through the line.



Vic's rational about shoppers on the other five lines saving some time makes no sense. What about the shoppers on the husband's line who suddenly and unfairly get added time to their wait when the five wives cut in front of them? It all evens out. It's like moving all the stuff that was in your left pocket and shifting it to your right pocket. You're still carrying the same amount of stuff and the same amount of weight.

Vic Sage Jul 10 2019 01:04 PM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

Imagine 5 lines with five people each. You are 4th person on line #1. The 3rd person on your line is a Mormon with a cart, and his wives each have the 3rd cart on the other 4 lines. Your line then moves up 1 so Mr. Mormon is now #2 and his 4 wives join him on your line right ahead of you, so they can start putting their items on the checkout counter. As a consequence, the 2 people on each of the other 4 lines who were behind the wives (that's a total of 8 people) now each have a somewhat shorter waiting time, while you and the 1 person behind you are the only ones with a longer waiting time (albeit substantially longer). So, 13 people are benefited by this arrangement (the 5 Mormons and the 8 people on line behind them on the other 4 lines), while only 2 are inconvenienced (you, and the person behind you). And even that inconvenience can be ameliorated if you each move to one of the other (now shorter) lines. [just make sure the next line you get on has no bearded patriarchs or little old ladies with fistfuls of coupons and an open checkbook]. The greatest good for the greatest number. QED

batmagadanleadoff Jul 10 2019 01:30 PM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

But if I'm the shopper right behind the husband, I couldnt give a flying fuck if 20 other shoppers spread out on the other lines each save five minutes of wait in line time if my wait suddenly got 30 minutes longer. Would you? And what gives these line cutting wives the right to cut the line in the first place? Because they're all married to the husband? What if they were all siblings instead of spouses? Would they still be allowed to cut the line like that? Or instead of siblings, they were all friends of the husband, and the husband had no advance knowledge that his friends would be shopping until he saw them in the market? Is Mr. Husband allowed to permit them to jump his whole line and link up with him at the front just because he's at the front and the line cutters are his friends? And why bother with them even having to be Mr. Husband's friends? Maybe they could be total strangers. But according to you, Mr. Husband has the right to let anyone cut the line and link up with him at the front. How far does this slippery slope slip? I can't believe you're taking this position. You're too smart to believe this nonsense. Same for LWFS.

Ceetar Jul 10 2019 02:12 PM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

and of course, the idea that you have to wait on line to give someone your money is already absurd. You're mostly rearranging Titanic deck chairs with this argument. These places have 4 employees blocking your way with carts of stuff in aisles because they're worried you're going to be turned off by an empty spot in on the flour shelf and 1 employee haphazardly scanning the stuff that you took off the shelf in the first place, because they know you're pot-committed and maybe you'll buy a glasses repair kit because it's been staring at you for 5 minutes while you wait.

batmagadanleadoff Jul 10 2019 02:13 PM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=15609 time=1562787031 user_id=68] But if I'm the shopper right behind the husband, I couldnt give a flying fuck if 20 other shoppers spread out on the other lines each save five minutes of wait in line time if my wait suddenly got 30 minutes longer. Would you? And what gives these line cutting wives the right to cut the line in the first place? Because they're all married to the husband? What if they were all siblings instead of spouses? Would they still be allowed to cut the line like that? Or instead of siblings, they were all friends of the husband, and the husband had no advance knowledge that his friends would be shopping until he saw them in the market? Is Mr. Husband allowed to permit them to jump his whole line and link up with him at the front just because he's at the front and the line cutters are his friends? And why bother with them even having to be Mr. Husband's friends? Maybe they could be total strangers. But according to you, Mr. Husband has the right to let anyone cut the line and link up with him at the front. How far does this slippery slope slip? I can't believe you're taking this position. You're too smart to believe this nonsense. Same for LWFS.

And if those scumbag line cutting wives suddenly left their lines and got on the back of Mr. Husband's line, like they're supposed to, instead of cutting to the front of the line, all those other shoppers on the other five lines will still save all that time without me and everyone behind me on my line suddenly having to wait an extra half hour to check out. This is perfectly fair because it's the wives decisions to change lines and shorten the wait time of the shoppers initially behind them. So the wives should absorb the burden of a longer wait time. All for the greater good, like you said. But when they cut in front of me, they impose extra wait time on me without my consent and certainly against my will.

whippoorwill Jul 11 2019 07:54 AM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

I hope some of these jerks are at least flashing apologetic smiles Nope I think line cutting is one of the rudest things ever and I've thought so since the grade school cafeteria milk line

kcmets Jul 11 2019 08:48 AM Re: Further Adventures in Line Cutting

=whippoorwill post_id=15645 time=1562853261 user_id=79]Nope I think line cutting is one of the rudest things ever and I've thought so since the grade school cafeteria milk line

As I said on the other page, no cutsies (and no savsies) was the law of the

land no matter who (or how big a bully you were) when I was a kid.