Lines mean nothing to me

[greensinestro]

Last weekend, we went to Party City to pick out the Halloween costumes for the kids. It took a while as many people have made this a popular spot for this fun holiday, but that was no big deal. It was pretty much a lot of fun, right up until we got to the check out line.

PCE (Party City Employee)
SC (You know who)
SC's F (SC's Friend, although we at first were not aware of this, but found she was as sucky as SC was)

SC (to PCE): Excuse me, young man. Are you a manager?

PCE: No, maam, I'm not. I'm a cashier who is getting ready to open another line.

SC: Oh, well, that young lady made me go to the end of the line, and I was standing there for a few minutes while she ignored me.

PCE: Well, I'm sorry about that. We have a line that you have to get in, and we'll ring you up when it's your turn.

SC: (Just stands there looking pissed off)

Now, there were about five people in front of me, waiting for their turns to come. When PCE opened his register, this happened next, with SC's F standing next to her:

SC's F: Oh, is that a new line? Good! (And whipped her cart around, took off in the other direction, and flew to PCE's line before he said the words "Next in line please!"

PCE: (Looking perplexed, but said nothing while SC followed her)


Well, PCE took their orders while the lady in front of me uttered how great it is people like that get special treatment while the rest of us wait. Meanwhile, we all got to hear how their grandkids will just love these new costumes, etc, etc.

I'm also sure these are the same people who get preferential treatment with handicapped parking, yet have the energy to fly and beat people to the check out lines in stores. Unreal.

[AnaKhouri]

When I worked at TJ Maxx our policy was to open a new register and call the next person in line over, since they'd been waiting longest.

At first I just called for the next person, but every single time some jerk who's just walked up would run over instead and pitch a fit when I told them to back up. So I started going personally to the next person in line, ask them to come to my register, and personally escort them over to check out.

And these other idiots still bitched about having to wait their turn. A couple even told me it was a stupid policy. Because doing what we all learned in preschool (waiting your turn) is apparently stupid.

[MoonCat]

I was standing there for a few minutes while she ignored me.

Standing where? That's the question. And you know the answer is that she was hovering around somewhere, nowhere near the end of the line. I've noticed that some people think that if they can just squeeze past a display, around the counter, and come up behind the cashier or come in from some other direction, they don't HAVE to wait in line.

[freespirit114]

The super happy fun store I used to manage got bought by party city this year. I remember the line issue only too well. Halloween time was hell on earth there! I used to put one of my floor supervisors right by the registers to be the line police. Ugh! Half the time I'd do it myself cause it looked like it was gonna get nasty. Halloween drew all the scs in a 100 mile radius all at once every day.

[XCashier]

Standing where? That's the question. And you know the answer is that she was hovering around somewhere, nowhere near the end of the line. I've noticed that some people think that if they can just squeeze past a display, around the counter, and come up behind the cashier or come in from some other direction, they don't HAVE to wait in line.

Oh, yes. We had those problems all the time at the old store. Lots of queue-jumpers, both at the cutting counter and the registers. Now that we've got a take-a-number system at the cutting counter and a concert-style lineup aisle for the register, that has been mostly eliminated.

Now we just have idiots complaining about having to take numbers to get their fabric and "go through a maze" to get to the register. Oh, and the "maze" looks like this (orange dots are the path to go through the line to the [grey] registers and out the [yellow] door [map not proportionate]):

Funny, I always thought a maze looked more like this:

[Ironclad Alibi]

Now we just have idiots complaining about having to take numbers to get their fabric and "go through a maze" to get to the register.

Technically, the floor plan of the store could be called a maze, but the single checkout line is more appropriately called a labyrinth.

[XCashier]

Technically, the floor plan of the store could be called a maze, but the single checkout line is more appropriately called a labyrinth.

You're probably right, but it's still the easiest labyrinth ever. I don't know why they're complaining about it.

(glances at header) Oh. Right. They're SCs. They've got to complain about something, or they shrivel up and die.

I think I'll print out the page you linked to and show it to the complainers. Watch their heads explode.

[AccountingDrone]

I always liked the way the Navy Commisary did it back in the day on pay weekends - put up the ropes isolating ALL the checkouts, and one single line for the express dedicated to uniformed personnel only, the other huge line for everybody else. A gatekeeper sending the next person inline to picked check outs. It was great, no cutting.

Of course the smart folks didn't do their shopping on pay weekends. Waiting until Tuesday made certain that after the restock on [closed for business] Monday you had excellent choice of product, and there usually wasn't any sort of line.

[Geek King]

You're probably right, but it's still the easiest labyrinth ever.

Oh, sure, now it is. But back before OSHA made us take away the death traps and the Minotaur's Union went on strike over relatives being sold in the meat department, it was a right terror and the bane of all but the heartiest customers!

[Ironclad Alibi]

I think I'll print out the page you linked to and show it to the complainers. Watch their heads explode.

I want to see a video of that happening.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

For Black Friday Thursday, we set up a line queue for the checkouts. One long line, the end of which is marked by an employee holding balloons. It stretches through furniture, rugs and curtains, HBA and greeting cards. Basically the areas where nobody wants to shop. Masking-tape arrows on the floor to tell people the direction the line goes. Periodic announcements over the PA telling customers to look for the balloons because those indicate the end of the line. Once you get to the front of the line, another employee sends you to a checklane as the last customer in it leaves.

And the customers still can't figure this out and complain that th' local Inbred Carnival is more organized. I tells ya, Idiocracy is a documentary beamed to us from the future.

Also I just love the people who go to check out, find there is one or more people in line at each open register, and demand we open more registers. If there were four or five people in each line, you would have a point, and we would be moving to get more registers opened and running. There isn't. So shut up and quit complaining that it's taking so long for you to spend your money.

[lordlundar]

During the post christmas rush when I worked at the electronics store we hit points where we needed a full five (aka all of them arranged in a single line for all 5 setup) front end registers open. This particular day I was in the one closest to the exit which is considered no mans land, and cold to boot! So I open for debit/credit and start calling for the next person.

No response.
I call louder.
Nothing.
I'm yelling for the next person.
Still nothing.
I'm literally flailing my arms yelling for the next person thinking "surely not ALL of them are paying cash"
FINALLY I get someone coming over. First words out of her mouth: "I only have debit, are you open for that?"

[Racket_Man]

And the customers still can't figure this out and complain that th' local Inbred Carnival is more organized. I tells ya, Idiocracy is a documentary beamed to us from the future.

.

After all of your time in retail, Irv, and you just figured this out??????

I coulda told you that about 30 odd years ago, well BEFORE the movie came out.

[starsinthesky]

Party City is the one earth verison of Hell. I worked 3 Halloweens at one and it sucked. Sucks. Have I said how much it sucks?