Line woes

[worddork]

So after years of the Christmas rush causing a cluster-fuck at the registers, the store manager set up a place where the customers could from one line.

We put up a big sign at register 1 that reads "Line forms at register 5"

And at register 5 a big sign that reads "One line forms here."

We have yellow tape on the floor to guide the line around the tower baskets so the customers waiting don't block the drive aisles.

And it doesn't work! The last four nights now we've had to place some one directing traffic at the line to ensure that no one cuts in front by not following the signs.


And when we do redirect them to the correct area, a few have been heard to claim that the one line idea is stupid. No, the fact that you failed at reading two signs, makes you stupid.


Last night, as I was walking out onto the floor I saw three customers standing right in front of the sign telling them to go to register 5, thinking they were in line. I had to call some one else up to guide to the right area because I knew I would not be able to do so without starting my sentence, "Are you fucking kidding me? The sign clearly says to line over there."

Some one suggested that next year we add flashing lights to the signs, I told them it still would work.

[Pixilated]

You could try a cattle prod.

"I SAID LINE UP OVER THERE!!!" *zap*

[Teskeria]

change the sign.
Stupid braindead idiots stand here and never get helped. Intelligent people please join the actual line which starts at register 5.

[OfficeSlug]

I keep threatening to have flashing neon signs made up.... but my co-workers are right, that won't work either.

[retailworker7]

People don't care where they should go to stand in line. They can read the signs but choose to ignore them and think no one will notice if they cut in line. We have 2 registers up front. When I go to open the 2nd register for back-up. I always say I can take the next person in line as I am opening the door to that register area. At least one person always tries to just walk over. I just take the next person in line and let the cutter know that the line starts by the other register. We have regular customers who will tell someone to where to go when they cut in line before I even say anything.

[Dreamstalker]

I keep threatening to have flashing neon signs made up.... but my co-workers are right, that won't work either.

No...no, they won't. My idea to have the Closed signs shock SCs (nothing serious, equivalent of a large static zap) if they went to the closed register anyway was shot down...some of them might flock there because they liked getting zapped (then it would be time to up the voltage).

[mhkohne]

What's really stupid is that it's more efficient to have one line feeding multiple cashiers, rather than multiple lines. See The Engineer Guy for the theory. So the ones claiming single line is stupid? Sorry folks, we've got math that proves you have no idea what you are talking about!

[worddork]

Because of the way we've set up the line area, some people walk in see the line, and leave, thinking they'll be in it forever. I'm truly tempted to yell out,"Wait, come back! We're faster than Disneyland. You will be out of here in a timely fashion. "

And we are. Well I am. They started tracking the cashier, and my average time for a transaction was only 90 seconds. I've been know to blast through 3 customers while the other girls are still with the ones they were dealing with when I came on.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

We do exactly the same thing at the swamp for Black Friday Thursday. It's called line queuing.

A person at the end of the line holds colored balloons in the air to indicate where the line starts. A person at the front directs the next shopper to an open checklane.

Of course our shoppers, MENSA members one and all, can't figure this out, piss and moan that it's stupid and Walmart is more organized, and get into fights over real or perceived line-cutting.

[AccountingDrone]

We do exactly the same thing at the swamp for Black Friday Thursday. It's called line queuing.

A person at the end of the line holds colored balloons in the air to indicate where the line starts. A person at the front directs the next shopper to an open checklane.

Of course our shoppers, MENSA members one and all, can't figure this out, piss and moan that it's stupid and Walmart is more organized, and get into fights over real or perceived line-cutting.

Navy Exchange grocery stores did this for years - they had the flat rope barriers closing off all the checkouts from the rest of the store, and only one way in, and a pair of yellow lines running thorugh a bunch of aisles indicating where the line wanders. There was also one check out under a sign stating something along the lines of uniform personnel only 0800-1700 so guys there on break could get through fast, and they were restricted to 10 items or fewer.

[Merriweather]

Navy Exchange grocery stores did this for years - they had the flat rope barriers closing off all the checkouts from the rest of the store, and only one way in, and a pair of yellow lines running thorugh a bunch of aisles indicating where the line wanders. There was also one check out under a sign stating something along the lines of uniform personnel only 0800-1700 so guys there on break could get through fast, and they were restricted to 10 items or fewer.

Still do, at least some. Hubby is retired, so we still have priveledges, but don't live near a base, but did get to one while on a trip recently, and they were still doing it that way. Military bases have always taken a very organized approach to shopping, years ago, commissarys (grocery stores) even had arrows on each aisle, and traffic was supposed to flow in that direction only. And before the advent of bar codes, all shoppers were expected to put all groceries on the conveyer belt in one single layer, with price tags on top, to make it faster for checkers to enter prices.

And yep, I've still seen plenty of SC's - mostly high ranking officer's wives (ok, this was a long time ago, most spouses were wives) thinking rules like the uniform only lines didn't apply to them, and trying to pull rank on enlisted personnel (not that I ever saw it work, it was always quickly pointed out to them that they were a civilian, and as such, were outranked by the lowest military person in the store

[paxillated]

Ah, yes, the PX. many years ago, I was a cashier at the department store branch of the PX at Quantico. The manager hated me*, and was always trying to catch me out - but she was fair, I'll say that for her.

One day, a nice lady was buying something. Manager was hanging around my station, looking for some reason to yell at me. Following policy, I asked for the lady's ID. Manager jumps in, all shocked, saying "You don't ask for the Base Commander's wife's ID!" (I had never seen the lady before.)

Before I could say anything, the lady said to me, "You were just following store policy, weren't you?" I nodded my head. She turns to Manager, and told her (still in a friendly tone, but a bit distant) that she shouldn't get mad at me for doing my job, and that she was sure I didn't know her from Adam.

Another time, I was doing a refund. The box was supposed to have a crystal bowl inside, but felt too light. I start to check (which was store policy anyway). She snaps at me to just give the refund. I did, custy goes away, I check the box. No crystal bowl. Manager's face gets all red, and she leaves.

*I never knew why. Might have been that I was young and pretty. Might have been the Marine-Navy rivalry; I was a Navy hospital corpsman's wive, and she was ex-Marine.

[PepperElf]

What's really stupid is that it's more efficient to have one line feeding multiple cashiers, rather than multiple lines. See The Engineer Guy for the theory. So the ones claiming single line is stupid? Sorry folks, we've got math that proves you have no idea what you are talking about!

that's how the Commissary does it.

Actually that may be the way to do it. I'll see if I can find pics cos not everyone's seen this. (edit: no luck so far, just something from someone's home page)

so here's my drawing of it.

They pretty much use those nylon ropes to guide all the customers through one line. At the opening each customer is directed to the next available cashier.

Some commissaries actually have an employee there directing, but others don't bother cos most people are use to it anyway.

So even without signs... it's pretty easy to figure out cos there's no way to get to any register without going across the "ropes", unless you go to the 1 or 2 express lanes at the end.

[EricKei]

change the sign.

Exactly. Add the word "FREE" to it somewhere in nice big, bold letters. That'll get their attention

[wolfie]

Ah, yes, the PX. many years ago, I was a cashier at the department store branch of the PX at Quantico. The manager hated me*, and was always trying to catch me out - but she was fair, I'll say that for her.

*I never knew why. Might have been that I was young and pretty. Might have been the Marine-Navy rivalry; I was a Navy hospital corpsman's wive, and she was ex-Marine.

How can an ex-Marine hate anybody? I'm not a Marine, but from what I've heard there are Marines, Marines-not-currently-on-active-duty, and ex-Marines. Only the first 2 categories breathe.