Why Supermarket Lines Are Intentionally Getting Longer - Cheddar Explains

There are a few certainties in life, death, taxes, and seemingly always choosing the slowest checkout line at the supermarket. Waiting in line sucks. But lately, supermarkets are switching to a new type of line and that line is much longer. However according to queueing experts that might not be a bad thing.
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[@devanbrowne8706]

My local supermarket has opted for an innovative third option where they laid off half their staff and only have one checkout manned at any given time.

[@cheddar]

:(

[@andrewszigeti2174]

You beat me to it. Not just supermarkets, but a large portion of retail has gone this route. Even big stores like Wal-Mart and Target will have dozens of registers, but only two or three at most open at any given point in time.

[@beau9956]

That's a bold strategy, let's see if it pays off

[@andrewszigeti2174]

@@beau9956 : I'm not certain it has 'paid off' in terms of customer satisfaction, but let's face it. In America the only thing that executives care about is profit; so long as there's nowhere else to go that treats customers better they could care less what the customers think.

[@andrewszigeti2174]

@@Vii905 : Yes, we've also noted that despite the average person really struggling to make ends meet, corporate profits are hitting highs they haven't seen since the Great Recession.

[@Arjay404]

I think serpentine line is good, but I think it should be combined with "specialty" lines, like the 10 items or less or self checkout lines.

[@mongoosae]

Generally stores with self checkout use serpentine to feed into the bank of scanners

[@AlexanderLong]

while I saw people with full cart of items obviously over 20, still go to those express line for 10 or under. I personally just prefer do self check out for most of the time, it is just way faster and I don't need to do small talk with cashier.

[@velvethunder]

in europe that system is more usually implemented, aka one line and a stuff memeber that directs people with less than 10 items to the appropriate checkout and the self checkout

[@hangingwithmygnomes2067]

@@AlexanderLong Yes, the "special" lines are always being exploited, If we had self checkout + serpentine would be great

[@kirkrotger9208]

The Whole Foods in the video (Union Square) does this. They have like 4 lines, one of which is express. That said, for some reason waiting in line at Whole Foods seems to always take forever, meanwhile at Trader Joes, even when the line is longer, and even though they use the same system, seems to go much more quickly.

[@isaacjacobharris]

I think it also probably has a lot to do with the fact that you're moving more often in a serpentine, so there's less perceived downtime

[@ayelitasiddiqui4663]

Ikr

[@JEdwardBanasikJr]

Same at a theme park. Line may be 1 hour long but if it is constantly moving your less likely to get frustrated.

[@sak_5]

The lines I hated the most were the immigration ones at US airports. Serpentine at the begining and for the most part of the line, which is great, but once you get closer to the officer cubes, there’s always this agent telling you to form another line of 5-8 people before each cube. I always had this family or people with issues with their documents, so the “short” line of 5 people became a long waiting line. The worst part is that you cannot change lines nor use your phone to at least get distracted.. it was very frustrating. Thanks to Global Entry I don’t have to deal with this anymore.

[@sanrezende]

In traffic i do the same, i prefer a longer path, even in time, which doesn't stop, than a slower traffic.

[@GamerKiwi]

More room for impulse buys too

[@Snowshowslow]

What this doesn't take into account, though, is the extra time you spend befóre the line trying to get to the items that are effectively blocked by the serpentine line. Yes, definitely speaking from experience here...

[@HarryPujols]

That's why I never shop at Trader Joe's. If I see a line that starts at the entrance, I walk away.

[@PWingert1966]

Or the extra items deliberately put in bins along the line that you can't resist picking up. Gloves, cookies, ice cream, instant meals, pizza, frozen fruit candy, wine!

[@BackSeatJunkie]

No, you shop those IMPULSE items as you queue past them in the line.

[@thetreasurechest6728]

Drawbacks to serpentine line: workers dont get stressed Me: how is that a drawback? doesnt stress cause health problems?

[@nanamiharuka3269]

Haha if they haven't been willing to raise minimum wage in 12 years or give part time workers health benefits they'll never care about "essential workers"

[@dangehret1349]

It's easier to blame the minimum wage worker for not working hard enough than the billionaire executive for not running their company in a more efficient manner.

[@99Cafer99]

It depends wether this is actually bad. When an supermarket is understaffed it can be bad as there is no way you can keep lines short. But usually the personell in understaffed supermarkets doesn't care that much about waiting time for their customers anymore as their employer doesn't care about them, too. Except they are put under pressure by their employer by their favorite means of creating pressure "Numbers, graphs and comparing to the top-10% of co-workers to imply you are lazy and an burden to the company and you should be grateful you haven't benn fired yet", of course. When you have an decent-staffed supermarket it is possible to keep lines short. But customers have the strange habit to arrive in waves at the checkout center for some reason. So you will have 15 slow minutes where you can relax a little bit, have a few words with an granny etc. But after that you will have 15 minutes of havoc where everyone decides now is the perfect time to leave the store. So you feel the pressure to keep your line short and moving fast if you can physically see it and see the people progressing to you. But you know this is only temporarily so you make an effort, usually you work for an short time in an speed you can't keep up for an whole day or even an hour. So you aren't stressed out all day, just every now and then. And that is perfectly fine for your health. That at least was my impression when I worked as an cashier in Retail. And the first effect I described was clearly visible on Christmas. The store is packed and you will always have an long line of customers waiting. You work fast but not as fast as in the second example I described because you know it won't be over in a few minutes as you have to keep up an high speed all day. And it is Christmas, everybody knows stores are full and waiting times will be longer as usual.

[@andrewszigeti2174]

In America health problems caused by work are the problem of the worker, not the workplace.

[@andrewszigeti2174]

@@nanamiharuka3269 : Remember, in America 'essential' really means 'expendable'.

[@ultravidz]

I still prefer to pick my line.. based on how full people’s shopping carts are in that line. It works like 85% of the time which is good enough for me.

[@TomTom_.]

right! sometimes i see what is in their carts and guess how long it would take.

[@_faultee_]

"This is the way."- The Mandolorian

[@filip36365]

I usually go grocery shopping with my girl. She will stand in 1 line and Ill stand in another and whoever gets to the checkout first texts the other to come there. We also have competitions to see whos line wins

[@TomTom_.]

@@filip36365 yea I do that sometimes but I got nervous just standing there

[@DrunkenUFOPilot]

Naw, not for me. Too many times I'm in the shortest and seemingly fastest-moving line, only to be stalled when a slow-motion oldster is having a problem with a card or writing a check, or someone has a pile of coupons that may have expired, or a mom with three small kids. You never know when that will happen. Avoiding lines with oldsters, single moms = learning some new surprising way a customer who looks like a normal person has trouble checking out.

[@rheaswim3371]

I prefer the self-checkout. Nobody ever uses it because "technology is scary" so bing bang boom, I'm out in less than 2 minutes with my receipt.

[@Ziogref]

Woolworths (major supermarket chain in Australia) has implemented Card only self checkouts. These are awesome because as soon as you hit the pay button it jumps straight to the credit card machine. No options to use even a gift card. Also if you go online you can set your rewards card to NOT print a receipt, 1 less question for the cashier or less time at self service as you don't have to wait for the printer. Australians take on new technology very well so a ridiculous amount of people use their card to pay and a large amount of those people use tap and go (Covid raised pinless amount to $200). Not all self serve are card only, but the majority are.

[@joshuagarner1654]

I hate self check out because i dont get a discount for doing the cashiers job

[@FLATBUSHPLAY]

I don't mind self checkout for a handful of items but when I've got a buggy full I prefer cahiers. Also, several years ago I believe it was Lowes Foods had self checkout with a conveyor belt scanner where all you did was put you items in, they were scanned and went on the other side to the bagging area. You paid, went to the other side and bagged your stuff. That was the best but I guess corporate didn't like that for some reason either. Haven't seen these in years.

[@yugothewolf27]

Would use self checkout more often if every single item I buy was perfectly scannable. Truth is often times an item has a bad barcode that won't read, or the fruits/vegetables bought have to be weighed.

[@dougbrowning82]

@@yugothewolf27 In many European stores, produce gets weighed in the produce section, not the checkout. When you select your produce, you bag and weigh it, and a tag is printed to attach to the bag. At checkout, the tags are scanned just like any other product. We've been using this system for meat and deli in N. America for years, I don't know why we never adopted it for produce. It shows how much more progressive the EU is. Another example is how their cashiers get to sit on stools, while ours are forced to stand for the duration of their shifts.

[@oyuyuy]

OR... you could have a sufficient amount of personell to simply make the queues short. The customers don't go away because you let them stand in line for a long time, you'll still have to serve them. You might as well do that straight away. Where I live, cashiers are simply flexible and work on the floor when it's slow. That means better service AND lower costs of personell. I'd guess that I don't stand in line at the supermarket for more than 1-2 minute on average. There is nothing stressful or annoying about that.

[@Arnouxvaze]

Yeah that is how Aldi and Lidl works. But Spar, Tesco and Auchan have a different way of working. On those cashiers only do cashier things.

[@randombrokeperson]

The "problem" with that (even when there shouldn't be one) is that companies take advantage of having "cross-trained" employees so even during times of high activity with customers who need assistance at checkout, the store/company will try to have one employee do the work of three or more people at once. Companies also refuse to utilize all checkout stands for "cost reasons". So they'll have 7 check stands and only use 4 MAX even during busy periods. It's fucking ridiculous no matter what because the company will exploit things instead of focusing on actually being productive and beneficial to BOTH the customer and employee bases.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

@@randombrokeperson This is completely true and bonus points of they can have the cashier working the selfscan leave for long periods of time to do other work that would have had a dedicated employee only a few years ago. Even before I started working at a grocery store, I avoided the selfscan whenever I could, but now I'd rather wait than take somebody's job and do grocery store worker's work for the store for free.

[@margra99]

You said it "Customers don't go away" they wait long time . But if customers did go away without spending money then things might change.

[@MissVasques]

@@randombrokeperson Dunno where you’ve been shopping. Like Lidl we open check-outs with how many customers. 3 customers including the one currently in front of the check-out, Then a new one. It is wasteful if, for say, 7 would be open with no lines at all and employees are just ”Rolling their thumbs”waiting for a customer. Plus switching between tasks feels better and gives greater understanding of how the store runs and where items are found. So If a customer asks a question you have a easier time answering. Especially when employees on the floor wear headset so things can be resolved quickly. Like If something can’t be scanned, the price seems wrong or If there is something in stock. Yes some days there might be a issue with a customer wanting help on the floor but all employees are at the check-out because of more customers in line than predicted. But otherwise, it is better.

[@pipsqueek89]

don't like serpentine, developed the "skill" to choose a line my entire life: the older the cashier the better the older the customers the worse and obviously the number of items

[@TJ-bu9zk]

The younger cashier has always been my go-to. I find young cashiers don't say more then "hello" where older cashiers engage in small talk. Which is fine, unless you can't multitask and keep stopping ringing through my items to carry on the conversation. Which they usually do, and not just with me but the customers ahead of me too,

[@lululipes4382]

"the older the cashier the better" In what world? Clearly not in Florida

[@lof.2247]

As a young cashier at a large super market store, the older ones definitely have way more small talk than the younger ones do. We just want to get people in and out.

[@1q34w]

@@lof.2247 Do you get paid per customer?

[@CannabisTechLife]

The only negative to the serpentine line seems like a positive (less stressed out workers actually able to take time to process information). What a weird counter point that interviewee gave.

[@lcarusfp]

Not really. If your average througput sinks, you suddenly aren't serving as much customers/h. This is a problem for times when there is a flood of customers. Yes people feel more satisfied at the serpentine but there is a cutoff when it's too long of a wait and people start to move to other shops which loses revenue. There is another way to increase throughout, make the customer uncomfortable. Think about bagging area. The smaller it gets the faster you have to be since you as a customer are considerate and don't want the cashier to clog up. So you bag faster and can immediately pay after the last checked item instead of taking one minute more to bag everything. But this puts stress in you the customer, which again dissatisfies you.

[@SilverScreenMassage]

@@lcarusfp So your argument is that employees should work themselves to death (for minimum wage in most places mind you) to make the company slightly more money?

[@JanPytela]

Well the problem is that you have to wait longer...

[@HT-pl8du]

@@SilverScreenMassage for the store and to decrease the waiting time, yes. for society, no. but the title is about line times

[@Kni0002]

More lines the better, then it’s like a free for all

[@LaytonKnightt]

A queuing expert sounds like a job from the House Hunters memes where the budget is over a million dollars.

[@aveuch]

Top comment right here 👏🏻 She's what you call a marketing consultant.

[@RonReynolds]

Exactly. I'm guessing she realized "line expert" sounded amateur and went with "queue" to sound important, even though everywhere but the UK calls it a "line."

[@tylerpeterson4726]

Some of the biggest uses for queue theory are in computer science. When you have a huge data center and people need to access resources stored on various servers, how do you design your systems to minimize the amount of time a user spends waiting for that resource to become available?

[@BackSeatJunkie]

Absolutely. the man is a part-time seasonal organic apple picker and the wife makes art using dryer lint and they want a single family BEACHSIDE home in Canada for 2 million dollars. LOL

[@PhonicUK]

This is why I love "Scan and Shop" services where you scan your shopping as-you-go using a handheld scanner. The lack of a requirement to scan the items means that there's rarely any queue at all at the payment terminals at the end.

[@GundamReviver]

This! It's just so much better. No waiting for slow grannies to unload carts full of stuff for ages (AND THERE IS ALWAYS ONE)

[@knockeledup]

I’ve never seen a store like that before.

[@GundamReviver]

@@julm7744 they already were before anyway. Cashier bleeps. List gets made, gets tied to your debet card(pinpas) , or credit card for Americans.

[@peterd788]

@@knockeledup Scan as you go is very popular in the UK. You have to register online and basically you just pay by card at a dedicated checkout. Every once in a while a random check is done to see if you have been putting things in your trolly without scanning. Get caught too often and your card is blocked from scan as you go.

[@texavery5695]

We need this in the US

[@ericcarabetta1161]

This is why I only go shopping after 9:00pm, I never wait in line.

[@Actionronnie]

Yup head to my local Safeway during their last hour. Never have an issue with a line. Few hiccups with canned food during the early days of covid, but they were running out of stock early in the day anyway. No point in wasting my time in a line to not get what I want.

[@Actionronnie]

@Mikhail Dukem guess it depends where one shops.

[@Primalxbeast]

When Wal-Mart's grocery store was open 24/7, I used to go in the middle of the night to buy a couple of things and nobody would be at the registers. I'd walk up and down the lines looking for an employee and then just sit what I was buying at the register and leave. I always wondered how many people just walked out with stuff. If I wanted to play hide and seek with employees in the middle of the night, I would have just went to CVS.

[@alcubz2622]

Our nearby grocery store only have 1 cashier after 8pm, therefore people still fall in line.

[@jheanelltabana8713]

That about the time Walmart closes half it's registers, so the wait gets even longer. For any other store I've tried, that's a good time to go if they're still open.

[@Joel-ew1zm]

Because walmart REFUSES to pay more than 2 cashiers at a time despite having 2 dozen checkout lanes. Even during peak holiday seasons, the most I have ever seen is 50% of the lanes staffed. Walmart last night literally had 2 lanes open out of about 20 total...

[@dj33036]

More than once I've left full carts of grocerys in the isle just because of this.

[@dj33036]

@Mikhail Dukem It costs them even more when I leave my full cart in the isle and never return

[@extrastuff9463]

​@@dj33036 Time spent putting things back would already be not great, but any frozen goods in there assuming they are left out too long technically shouldn't be restocked. I guess the outcome would depend a bit on when you do this and the type of packaging, cardboard exterior packaging would quickly show it in a very visible way from condensation build up on the outside.

[@rendorwilliams9116]

Target is ridiculous like that too. Like 16 registers, double deep. And there's just the one register that is open. To make it even sadder, they often utilize the customer service desk to act like a cashier line. But they don't say that, there's no sign that says you can make purchases there. It's like a few people know that, but if you don't, then you don't. Even sicker still, I see them trying out their self-checkout stations. One day, the self-checkout stations (4) were open, but the regular cashiers lane was closed. That seemed blatantly manipulative and exploitive. FORCING people to use the self-checkout machines. I complained bitterly about that one. I even sent them a nasty email about that one.

[@BackSeatJunkie]

And Walmart gets away with with it because the customers refuse to walk out and take their business to Target or HyVee.

[@ingrid7830]

I didn't even know there was a 'queue expert' edit: grammar

[@zekorei9321]

there is an expert for EVERYTHING

[@cheddar]

We didn't either lol

[@FixedFace]

*didn’t

[@zues121510]

As a kid I thought that a queue professional would be of great service in lots of places, trying to figure out the best possible line, but I thought this job didn't exist until now lol.

[@fortunatejeremy]

The "queue expert" likely isn't their only job. It's probably an aspect of a larger field that they work in.

[@fintanoreilly9156]

I'm sick of these crazy QueueAnon conspiracy theories

[@KylerX2]

I giggled

[@mintyhippo8125]

😂

[@PrecioustheMovie1]

Ya got me hahaha

[@sammisabbie]

Ain't nothing realistic about check-out lines where there are all cashiers available

[@GameFuMaster]

depends on the time really. It's not like it's always full. Generally, people will be called onto cash registers when it's really packed

[@willyjoerockhead]

The McDonald's lines are the worst because i don't even know where the line starts. The cashiers always walk away when i get to a register.

[@Ming1975]

Wow, I get this kinda shit here too.

[@peterd788]

I just use the touch screens or app to order and wait until my order number gets called. In many UK branches you never talk to a cashier in McDonalds.

[@Burt1038]

That's your BO, bro.

[@mel816]

@@peterd788 In some places the order touch screens even have the option for a staff member bring your order to your table if you're dining in.

[@boomdoom8747]

why she talking so slowly? Its almost stressing me out. Its like i expect her to talk at a normal speed but it leaves me in a unease and discomfort.

[@TuSn_Espinzo]

ok

[@9786oof]

put it on double speed like the rest of us

[@boots4yew]

The solution is simple. Use "serpentine" lines for self/automated check-outs. Use "multiple lines, multiple check-outs" for human staffed check-outs. That way, both are optimized for speed. Let the customer choose which they prefer.

[@FinancialShinanigan]

I don't mind a long line, I just want people to get their payment and coupons ready before they reach the cashier and stop arguing over pennies!

[@floxy20]

Yes, the lady who has a coupon from 1956 which she hopes is still good. And the mature matron who is astounded at the price of things nowadays and wants the bill gone over because there must have been a mistake. And the lady and cashier who get into a staring contest when the final item is checked in and the lady suddenly realizes she has to pay for the stuff and only then starts fumbling in her purse.

[@jc01057]

Amen! The lady who pays with a check. She has to fill out the entire check. Who do I make it out to? What’s the date? What’s the year? Who do I make it out to again? I don’t mean to be sexist/un-woke, it’s been a lady ever single time. Usually an older one. It’s never been a guy in my whole life. And I’m getting kinda old. Talking large sample size. Use Google pay, a credit card, cash. Use anything but check!

[@Elihger_7]

@@jc01057 🤣🤣🤣🤣 so basically 5 out if 10 times you go to the grocery store there is always someone with a check, I feel you bro

[@jheanelltabana8713]

@@jc01057 I had some Canadian lady present a travelers check once while I was a cashier at Target. I didn't even know what that was. I had to ask other employees until the manager came with a manual on how to enter it in the POS system. She had like 5 items, and it took 10 mins to figure out how to pay. And she showed up right as we were closing.

[@StefanBacon]

Cashiers being pressured to work faster by guilt of line fairness isn't positive. They could have an incentive such as per scan and/or per customer incentives on top pf base pay, or a store could just staff their stores more generously.

[@hart-of-gold]

It's odd to me that this video used that as the reason multi queue systems run faster. As the reason in the maths and the real world is multi queue systems reduce "head of queue blocking". This being that if feeding from a single queue it is more likely all (or most) servers will be dealing with people with long service times at any moment. In a multi queue system it is reasonably likely those requiring a long service time cluster into a few queues and the other queues flow freely. This happens without changing the service times and it reduces the number of people in the queues.

[@lanceanthony198]

“1-2 years waiting in line” Yeah that sounds like bs

[@wolvenar]

Ever been to a DMV in a big city?

[@kantomega]

In an 80 year life, 18 minutes in a line per day would add up to one year.

[@Vlad2319]

It’s an average.

[@rustymustard7798]

It's an average, which indicates that it sucks to be dumb and average. Us "above average" pull the big brain move and don't bother going into stores during peak hours, or make appointments at places like third party DMV service offices and have nearly no wait.

[@Martial-Mat]

@@kantomega But who the hell spends 18 minutes EVERY DAY waiting in a line?!

[@dragonskunkstudio7582]

It may be just me that does this but the first thing I check for when I enter a store is the checkout lineups. If it looks like I can be in line to cash out for more than 10 minutes I double back and exit. No shopping here for me today.

[@GreenAppelPie]

I’ve learned the best shopping this way

[@marshmellominiapple]

but then you already went to the store, i don't know if you live in america but driving between stores can take up about half that time, and shopping usually takes an hour or so, so the 10 minute wait is worth it

[@dragonskunkstudio7582]

@@marshmellominiapple For those places that are far, yeah, you got wait.

[@nicchauvin1096]

I've been burned by the fake out too many times. I walk into the Costco or Trader Joes, and they have open cashiers. Seems good, so I do my shopping. Then, when I go to check out, it's like everyone else in the store got the message to do the same, but like 2 minutes before me, and now the lines are all the way back to the dairy.

[@stevev1008]

Or use self check out, I'm satisfied with my own service.

[@Martial-Mat]

Except that there are lines for that too now... Basically, our time has no value to these stores.

[@jakewarner1993]

@@Martial-Mat And add on top of the fact that, we are not their employees, and self checkout is essentially them allowing customers to allow them to not need as many cashiers on hand.....Like self checkouts are seriously part of the problem

[@markadams5009]

@@Martial-Mat At my local Walmart, they have way more self checkouts than staffed cashier lines. While there may be a line for the self checkout areas, I've still found it's almost always faster than cashier lines due to the shear number of self checkouts available. (Initially when they first started self checkout years ago I didn't like it, now it's the one I almost always prefer.)

[@AlexanderLong]

@@markadams5009 and you don't need to do small talk with the cashier at all, which very often very awkward to me. of course if I have lots of coupon or price check to do, then I have to go on regular line.

[@Martial-Mat]

@@markadams5009 In my local Tesco they have around 20 regular chechouts, 1 basket line, and about 8 self service. But at least two of the self service are always out of service, and they're totally unsuitable for a large shop.

[@Digital111]

My store switched to serpentine and its amazing. Before when a register froze or we had a Karen throwing a tantrum we had a whole line stuck. Now we can deal with the problems and your co-worker keep taking people from the line.

[@Milesco]

*Exactly.*

[@InfinFox]

jesus what's going on with the microphone in this? Please look into using a "de-esser" the "S" sounds are ear-piercing

[@rendorwilliams9116]

Now that you mention it, the S's do seem to be a bit overly sharp and exaggerated. I think their audio recording is kindof boosted too much on their upper frequencies. I recommend a graphic equalizer for Greatly Improved sound quality of all music. And then you could tune down the high frequencies for videos like this.

[@rodrigopaim82]

There are a mixed option of line too. Some markets where I live dont have the space for serpentine lines, but they have a mixed system where a single line leads to two cashiers, then another single line leads to another two cashiers etc.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

The grocery store I go to has had to start doing that due to not having the space for social distancing with each checkstand having it's own linen or one larger serpentine line.

[@wantandlike]

i find your voiceover person so relatable. nice job with the video Cheddar

[@MusicalPlayground717]

So queuing innovations are less about actually creating a shorter, fairer, quicker line, and more about getting people to think it’s a shorter, fairer, quicker line.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

Yes, actually making it faster would cost money. Making people think that they're going through faster is much less money. In some cases, it's virtually free only requiring a reallocation of the space from the linens into one ueberline and some cordons to indicate where people should stand.

[@johnanthony9923]

They obviously didn't do their tests with Walmarts. I assure you, they have NO sense or urgency....and already work as slow as they possibly can.

[@ianbower7756]

Maybe they might be faster if Walmart didn’t pay them poverty wages.

[@flitter5400]

@@ianbower7756 the sad thing is Walmart is one of the higher paying jobs you could get in my city

[@johnanthony9923]

@@ianbower7756 Maybe do even the slightest amount of research before commenting? Just a thought.

[@ianbower7756]

@@johnanthony9923 I have done.

[@GigTube]

This video is about a year late. In those first days of COVID lines were super long and most stores used the "serpentine" method because they had to. Now that things are back to normal the "choose your own lane" approach works as well as it ever did. I can't think of any stores in my area that are still using serpentine queues even during slow times.

[@theMoporter]

"Serpentine lines are bad because workers are less stressed" is a horrible argument.

[@joeh2742]

I think it is important to note that the serpentine line also takes up more floor space in the store, thus more costly to the retailers.

[@stevieinselby]

Only where the layout isn't designed for it. Ultimately, you've got the same number of people standing in the line, so apart from a little bit of access needed to get up to each checkout the space should be pretty much the same. But if the store layout hasn't been designed for it then the serpentine line will be getting in the way of everything. Fun fact - in the UK, the serpentine line is often called the Post Office Queue, because post offices were among the first common places to adopt it widely.

[@TeganBurns]

Self checkout, odd hours, or delivery. Those are the only ways I shop

[@tavdy79]

One of the advantages of the multi-line system: if you want to delay either leaving or getting home (tiff with the BF/GF, noisy kids, MiL staying, neighbours having another row, enjoying the air con on a hot day, whatever) you just pick the line that looks like it'll take the longest.

[@jheanelltabana8713]

I'd still rather check out fast and chill in my car or at a bus stop, etc for 5 mins. I know it's essentially the same, but for some reason just knowing I'm waiting pisses me off.

[@ninjatears]

Listening to this felt like waiting on line....

[@alexandersalazar7571]

Here in Italy when we go to the supermarket, we have the option to get a portable scanner. We scan items as we shop, then when checking out we deposit the scanner and pay for the groceries without having to rescan with a cashier. We completely avoid lines this way!

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

You also have the option to create a new queue around people in the old line. As opposed to China where folks will try to push around the people ahead of them in line of you let them.

[@protocnic3772]

Imagine spending 4 years in a university just to study lines.

[@ianbower7756]

Probably not just.

[@tabushka292]

Well it's going to save way more than 4 years of people's time if queues are studied and more optimized queues are developed

[@dylan-nguyen]

If you think about it. The multi-line is the way to go. Over time, you will always trend towards the average no matter if you sometimes get the quick line, sometimes get the slow line. That means every time you line up in the multi line you gain a minute back if your life even if you get the slow line

[@Pschokid]

I haven't stand in line in a grocery story for the last 4 years. Self checkout is the best thing ever

[@magnemoe1]

Yes, love it and its clearly the future as it become more and more common.

[@jgroenveld1268]

@AB - 06AT 780507 Robert H Lagerquist Sr PS from my experience they are longer but faster but than again the stores that have self checkouts that I visit impose item limits.

[@magnemoe1]

​@@liberals_destroy_everythin2497 Norway probably have stricter rules for alcohol and tobacco but they use an fingerprint scanner to ID you. First time you have to be verified, first time you need an employee to verify you. You want someone to keep an watch anyway to prevent theft so its more suited for high capacity stores as you want 4-10 self serve terminals.

[@IMagnus123123123]

serpentine lines will also have more line cutters. stating they "didn't know to wait in line"

[@li_tsz_fung]

Single line: everyone wait 6 min, unless the staff serving you gets into trouble. Multi line: most likely 5 min. But sometimes a new line open. Sometimes your line close / get into trouble and the whole line wait 5 more min

[@mongoosae]

Mean vs variance right there

[@mendonesiac]

The serpentine line is horrible, it makes me feel like a sheep. I've never experienced anxiety over picking the slower line vs the faster line, and I have no sympathy for those that do.

[@lindatisue733]

Yes I hate it too. I live in Ikea land, and all the supermarkets have gone to the Ikea maze where one has to walk through 75% of all the aisles. Not very good for social distancing.

[@anthonymarquez6493]

Those lines at Costco are super long

[@TheBrianFlanagan]

Who the fuck thinks like this? If it’s a multi line or a serpentine line I just walk up and sit on my phone, AirPods in my ears, and just scoot forward when the person in front of me moves. I guess I kinda carry this mentality over to most of my life. “The only reason to look in someone else’s bowl is to make sure they have enough”

[@lightdark00]

Wow, this is so backwards for me. Choosing a queue to check out is exciting, because you can choose for multiple variables. Being in a serpentine is very aggravating that it takes longer as there is not enough cashiers. Also this didn't even cover the push to get more people using self-checkouts, which are always shorter lines, usually multi checkout spots too.

[@SgtJoeSmith]

Employees in America want to be kept "busy". They ask.... Can you keep me busy? Yes I can lay off 10 people so you can stay busy

[@SgtJoeSmith]

Then they quit cause you kept them busy and they didn't get a smoke break every 5 minutes

[@GreenAppelPie]

I simply do not tolerate lines if I don’t have to. I have literally left and and ordered it Amazon.

[@stitches318]

What I hate is getting in line behind one person who I imagine is going to take 5 minutes but takes way longer for some reason. And in that time all the lines have all gotten really long when they weren't a couple minutes ago. So a new check-out person comes and opens up a new line, and the person standing behind me rushes to get into it. I also already have my stuff up on the belt. That's the worst

[@jb6712]

Yes, or getting behind someone who has mostly checked out, but then you realize they're a blabbing yapper, and are telling the cashier a long tale about something nobody else cares about, including the WORKING cashier!

[@dnyalslg]

So, “queuing experts” are a thing. Huh.

[@Jimulacrum]

Around 2:00: Also worth noting that having separate lines allows groups of 2 or more people to game the system by splitting up to wait in more than one line, and then checking out at whichever gets there faster. It saves the line-splitters a little time on average, but for everyone else, it clutters the lines, makes it harder to accurately estimate which line will move fastest, and causes the whole process to take slightly longer (on average).

[@SamuelMay2059]

As someone who lives in the UK, this video is the funniest thing I've ever watched lol.

[@masterpiece918]

Ahaha why?

[@iliatebenkov473]

@@masterpiece918 maybe because brits call lines queues 🤔

[@derorje2035]

In Germany, we have more of the smaller local shops. They mostly don't have more than 3-4 registers. But 2 of those registers are mostly closed and get only opened when 3 or more customers are in line for a register. 5 mins later, when the lines empty again, one of the cashiers leaves the register. When I was at the supermarket during the last 12 months, the most time I lost was at the register itself not in the line.

[@sarahfox5379]

For the serpentine line, how do you get out if you realized you forgot to get whatever you came for in the first place! The anxiety of having to push past all those people will probably mean you'll just end up having to make a 2nd trip.

[@BackSeatJunkie]

You wait till the next open slot at a turn in the line and you jump out.....as you also realize that you are one of the reasons that checkout lines take so long. HAHAHAHA

[@Milesco]

You can *always* leave a line. I don't see how that is a problem.

[@glutenfreejoe6099]

I recently was a cashier at Albertsons / Safeway / Acme - they don't let Supermarket lines get long, they open up additional cashier lines to keep the lines short Whole Foods is owned by Amazon The fastest growing Supermarket chain in the USA is Aldi & they don't use Serpentine Lines, they have the most efficient cashier lines I have seen anywhere

[@brentvance3958]

Why I get my stuff delivered. Last time I went to the supermarket was in 2019

[@adamknight5089]

I've been doing home shopping for at least a decade... but so many people still say that's 'lazy'... sorry but I just don't want to waste time if I don't have to, that's what it's about

[@brentvance3958]

@@adamknight5089 100% agree with you

[@PokeMultiverse]

Something to be said is that typically takes a person to do. It probably takes more man power to gather up the items and get them delivered so supermarkets have to devote staff to it or pay to offer it on a third party service. This could theoretically be making lines longer if a cashier is now an online order gatherer. I'm not saying its your problem or anything, just an interesting thought

[@Sphere377]

In Australia we went with another option. The self-checkout. You scan and bag your own groceries. Still have traditional checkouts, but not many. And most people prefer self-checkout if it’s not too many items, usually a basket full. For a trolley full of groceries traditional checkout is still more convenient. With this mix method you rarely if ever have waiting time and queues forming.

[@rodrigopaim82]

Here in Brazil those serpentine lines are common on big departament stores. They also put a lot of sneaks on the line, to people not resist and grab them lol

[@underworldjam]

A major thing to be considered is the time between customers. With the parallel lines the next customer is already there as soon as the previous customer goes. With the serpentine line there is a gap in the time it takes for the next customer to walk over to the cashier. You need a hybrid system with a serpentine line but have one customer waiting at each cashier so there is no lost time.

[@infinitybeyond6357]

First thing I thought of as I am watching this video. Fry's Electronics. ~RIP~

[@XeonpZycho]

Most smaller supermarkets where I live have the serpentine lines. The bigger ones usually have a combination of the two system, a multiple parallel serpentine line system. Each line is served by 2-4 cashier's, and there are perhaps 2-6 of these lines. The lines a shorter, and doesn't go through the entire supermarket, and also you don't feel like you miss out on choosing the wrong line by mistake, since it gets mostly averaged out.

[@CarolD64]

The pacing of this voiceover is sooo slooow😐 i lost interest 30 seconds in... After 4 words

[@benoitrochon589]

You can change the play speed to make it bearable. Thats what I did

[@TheDwightMamba]

There's a credit union in my home town that has an unwritten rule for their drive through. Instead of everyone picking a lane, the line stays back and the next driver gets the next available teller. Nobody sees anyone go ahead of them. It's pretty awesome.

[@theprimest]

The first Walmart use to make $900k a year. Now Walmart does $900k almost every minute.

[@MrMccurley]

This video is completely ignoring a situation I see almost every time I shop in a large store, that is 10 checkout stations, and only one or two are open.

[@ianbower7756]

Interesting video, BUT, the background music made it nearly impossible for me to concentrate. Had to cut it off. Why the intrusive music?

[@AndreSomers]

I have not seen serpentine lines in supermarkets here (NL) yet. But what *is* a trend is simply not waiting at all by adding self-checkout options. These tend to use a system of many small terminals where you can pay for your items scanned either with a stores' scanning device or with an app on your own phone, pay, and leave. Once every so often you'll get picked out for a random check, where a store worker will walk up to you and scans a small selection of your groceries. If you had scanned all of these: great, you can go. If not, you need to have all your groceries scanned at a normal checkout (and the change increases you'll get a check again soonish.) Benefits include being able to pack the groceries how I like while shopping, and almost never having to wait at checkout.

[@scorpionblade4112]

*Imagine having anxiety from waiting in line.*

[@qwertymonsta]

I don't have to imagine.

[@stitches318]

Yes, if you are in a rush to pick up your kid at school, catch the bus, have enough time to eat the lunch you just bought during your break. I mostly get anxiety when there is one person ahead of me and I figure I'll be out in 5 minutes, but then that person takes like 20 minutes because their card doesn't work or something.

[@xemmyQ]

bath and bodyworks has been doing this lately! as the cashier i love it. it goes by much quicker than the old way we used to do it, and I hope it stays that way

[@Martinspire]

Hah, weird Americans. In the Netherlands we're getting shorter waiting lines in supermarkets after one of the major ones got big with a few changes. One of which was free groceries when you are the 5th person in line. And because we have grocery stores all over the place to reach easily by bike, I can do groceries and go back in 15 minutes for a few days of shopping. We also don't buy in bulk because we don't need to. Less garbage, less weight to take, less time to drive. I don't get why more countries aren't copying it... You guys aren't talking about something positive. Its bad and its getting worse

[@bocahdongo7769]

Because America is basically no-sea version of Indonesia. If you guys know how gargantuan is Indonesia, you can wonder how big is Indonesia without sea

[@felixd2136]

Yes, I felt the same. Also a fucking line manager??!! WTF! They already have a person that put your things in a bag and a person that greets you at the beginning. How many other people do they want to employ that have to do unnecessary things (and then pay a horrible wage, because they don´t add any real value)... The thing with the free groceries if you are the fifth in line sound good though, I wish we had this here in germany too

[@smugmode]

How does the free grocery thing work?

[@GundamReviver]

Not to mention shops in netherlands using self-scan registers, I now basically actively hate supermarkets thst don't let me scan my own shit and just pay and go.

[@GundamReviver]

@@smugmode its mainly a PR thing, since you nearly never get it (they make sure to have enough cash registers open) and you have to be the 5th waiting, when another register isn't open, thst could be open. It doesn't count do they are all open.

[@dwightbvg]

would love to see your findings about the self checkout impact on lines as well. Here in the Netherlands do we have 3 ways of checkout. Regular cashier, self checkout booth and a self scanning checkout. We notice that almost everyone prefers the self checkout over the other two, except when you do a weekly shopping haul. Then people are starting to use the self scanning more than a regular cashier.

[@Biegspoon]

People get way to upset over having to wait in lines. The real issue is everyone feels so self important and impatient.

[@MetalheadAndNerd]

No, most people buy frozen goods which melt.

[@TJ-bu9zk]

going to guess you dont have kids

[@merrywalsh2809]

The best line is no line, which is why Amazon is experimenting with quick stop stores. There was a beta store across from where I lived in downtown Seattle a couple years ago. You download the app, load in your cc info, scan your way into the store, take your items and leave. It knows what you took. Best thing ever. I could pop across the street, grab a lunch or ice cream, be back in my condo eating it in under a minute.

[@outdatedcomputer5659]

Is it me or i pick the longest line that has cart with less stuff in it than to pick shorter lines with more stuff in the carts?

[@GundamReviver]

Depends on the speed of the cashier, but with a fast cashier? More, but emptier carts is shorter

[@AndreSomers]

I tend not to bother trying to estimate that (I am mostly wrong anyway), and pick the line with the cutest cashier instead ;-) If the line moves quick: great! If it doesn't, at least I had something nice to look at while at it.

[@altrag]

There's a balancing act to be had though. If the lines are similar length, then certainly the line with the fuller carts is almost always going to be slower, but there's a point where that caps out and the length of the line takes over. What you really need to try and estimate is the number of total items among all shoppers in a line. Also, as discriminatory as it sounds (well, is) I tend to also avoid lines with older people in them. Older people are far more likely to try paying with cash or check than younger folk who whip out a card of some sort. Older people also tend to be more prone to using coupons as well. And of course older folk tend to be less mobile so simply moving the line to the cashier can be a little bit slower. There's nothing wrong any of those things, but they're not the _fastest_ option, and as I'm not the one saving money from someone else' coupon, I'd rather try to save my own time instead. Overall though, it probably doesn't matter what 'strategy' we use. I'd be willing to bet that if we could record all of our line standing and look at it from an unbiased perspective, we'd find that the difference between strategies adds up to

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

Usually, fewer transactions will be faster unless the carts are significantly larger. Decent cashiers can go through hundreds of items faster than you'd think, it's the bits at the start and end of the process that take extra time.

[@deetlebee]

Yet no discussion which is better for the worker. “Companies liked the line that is more stressful for workers because it made one metric go up a little bit” does mesh with my experience in retail though.

[@winterburden]

Ngl, if I walk into a place and it's like that I just leave. Some people like it though I guess? I do most of my shopping at 6am to avoid this

[@nathonizamboni875]

One reason amusement parks don't use separate lines for each row on a ride is because some seats are much more desirable than others. Instead of waiting an extra three or four minuities for the front row, you would be waiting an extra hour because everybody wants to sit in the front, but didn't realize how much longer they'll be waiting to do so. Another reason is because large groups would be split up over several different cycles, and if they wanted to all go at once they would slow down the line as a whole. However with the serpentine line it's easy for the separator to get them all on one train, and doesn't hold up the que any more than several smaller groups would. One last reason would be that with a separator, you can make single riders sit together. That means fewer empty seats on each cycle, so the line moves faster.

[@mercenarygary1]

It’s funny, I stopped shopping at all of these places lol

[@TheBaxes]

My local supermarket (not in the US) uses a serpentine line for the quick line (less than 10 products) and the usual multiple lines for more than 10 products. I think that's a good balance between the two options. The low product quantity makes the serpentine line go fast while the other cashiers feel the pressure of having a line with a lot of products and go faster.

[@andreylucass]

_Queuing Theory Expert_

[@jmckendry84]

People queue for many different things in society, from grocery shopping to boarding flights. Inefficient systems will literally cost millions of dollars when you consider their impact across the wider economy. It is therefore a perfectly worthwhile and valuable thing to study. You might sneer at her label as a "queuing theory expert", but I'd wager she's not only smarter than you, but has done more with her life than you.

[@hectortello3766]

Average person 1-2 years Service members - their whole military career is spent waiting in lines 🤣🤣🤣

[@davidbarron326]

What is up with the editing and the lady talking this sounds like something I made in 6th grade

[@jb6712]

I shop at Kroger fairly often, and there I have the option of either going through self-check (done in serpentine fashion) or through a cashier's line. I just figure out which one is going to work for me on the given day, and for the 3 1/2 years I've been shopping there, I've found that works for me. At Walmart, I most often use their self-checkouts because they're much faster and less populated than the single lines where the cashiers are. I'm very rarely in a hurry, though, so a lot depends on the store I'm in, and I "go with the flow."

[@darknessblades]

in EUROPE 99% of ALL stores use the multi line system. The serpentine line is just too wastefull for space. in a Country like the USA where the parking lot is 3x the size of the store, and people are more entitled, a Multi line system would not work due the occasional Karen demanding the Manager

[@PrinceTyke]

What? The multi-line system is currently the norm in the US. Companies are only recently moving away from it, and it's not all companies.

[@thefalseheroold7460]

"The anxiety of choice is gone." This sentiment is perhaps one of the greatest factors leading us toward a world where choice and freedom are considered relics of the past.

[@sterlinsilver]

"SERPENTINE! SERPENTINE!"

[@Dontlicktheballoons]

The perfect one for anyone buying peaches

[@Maloveciri]

Fairway Market has mastered this concept for years. On 86th Street on the Upper East Side, this store is a Macys of food shopping. That said, the line is longer than you can imagine and you will never get out quicker!

[@freddsims648]

If you see me waiting in one line, you should move to another line. Just saying.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

That ususally isn't much of an improvement in my experience. It makes you feel like your going faster, but by the time you realize that the other line seems to be moving faster, you've already lost out on that opportunity.

[@jaelikesjackalopes]

There’s a Trader Joe’s in Boston where the whole store is the line and you shop you way through.

[@willhammers9761]

Could you please drag your videos out a little longer. Maybe even talk a little slower. Oh wait a minute you've already done that thank you for wasting my time

[@bjarkih1977]

Supermarkets in Sweden use a number system. You take a number so you don't have to stand in line. So you can use that time to gather up groceries, get the ticket with the number based on how much you are going to get and how fast the customers are being processed. Saves time and space.

[@shastaweston]

Solution: self check out at the cost of cashier jobs.

[@altrag]

Still needs a line, and very questionable as to whether its faster. Self checkout is done purely to reduce the number of employees. Its not done for the customers' benefit.

[@randombrokeperson]

@@altrag I agree. And it doesn't help that a lot of places have terrible checkout machines that break down every 2 transactions. Self-service is really only useful for express (10 items or less) if we're being completely honest. And they're even less efficient in regards to wait-times when a customer has produce that requires punching in ultra specific manual codes.

[@snuffeldjuret]

@@altrag you don't need to close self checkout terminals because you are low on staff, and as they are always open you rarely, if ever (where I live), have to wait a single second in line.

[@altrag]

@@snuffeldjuret > because you are low on staff, Exactly. Its done to reduce staffing costs, not for the customer's benefit. One staff member can manage 6 or so self-checkouts instead of only one regular register. And of course because grocery stores are businesses, "can have less staff" immediately becomes "has less staff", down to the level where customers are at around the same frustration level (albeit frustrated for a different reason). > you rarely, if ever (where I live), have to wait a single second in line All I can say is.. lucky!

[@snuffeldjuret]

@@altrag I meant low as in any hour other than peak hour. Self checkout terminals are always open, but cashier registers aren't always open so there will always be a line for them, but there will only be a line for self checkout during peak hours. Yes, "stores are businesses", that is why there is always a line to the cashier register but rarely for self checkout. "... down to the level where customers are at around the same frustration level (albeit frustrated for a different reason)." When will this happen? I have only seen improvements to the self checkout for 15 years or so now, so when can we start to expect this downgrade to the absolute misery it was to shop groceries before self checkout registers? If I benefit as a customer, so it is done partially for customer's benefit. I don't visit stores that don't have self register, thus those who have have it to attract me as a customer. "All I can say is.. lucky!" Or maybe, maybe the store I visit care about me as a customer and wants me to have a good experience in their store.

[@hansschachvonwittenau2820]

Better than waiting in line, in either the serpentine line or the specialty line, is the "take a number" system, common in Europe but in the United States seems restricted to the deli counter. Applied to a supermarket, a shopper takes a numbered piece of paper, and when his number comes up (as indicated by electric signs visible throughout the store), he checks out without waiting in line, no matter how crowded the store. If his number comes up and within a reasonable time he does not appear at a checkout station, he loses his turn and has to take another number. No wasted time either for shoppers or for cash-register operators.

[@FuNLpMeineURL]

Or a more simple solution: Just be chill about it

[@rewindcat7927]

Ppl say no to serpentine lines! Use the individual lines and follow this advice: observe the ppl in line, look at how much they have. See that totally full cart of frozen food? Avoid. Bulk food and produce? Avoid. Chit-chatty cashier? Avoid. Look for the supervisor. Blazing fast. Good luck!

[@logannasty3240]

Agree. 1) Observe and outsmart ppl who don’t care or are dumb. Your time will be better than average. 2) The two main reasons why the serpentine is slow: people react slowly to a cashier becoming free, and begin putting their items on the belt only then.

[@MrMooMooHat]

Not me working for instacart and trying to figure out how to cheat the line

[@nomon7646]

The serpentine line has another advantage for businesses: thes can display more "impulse items" along the line, like gum, sweets, drinks etc, where there's usually not enough space on a multi line setup for all these items

[@mufasaiam7794]

This is the definition of a first world problem

[@FixedFace]

you guys don’t optimize lanes? quelle surprise

[@Martial-Mat]

So people in the third world don't have better things to do than waste their time in lines?

[@almisami]

@@Martial-Mat that's because bread lines that are efficient run out of bread...

[@agme8045]

My third world country already used serpentine lines lmao

[@Talk_and_Reaction]

it is things like this , is why I love my current wally worlds current checkout model ( " roll belt " self checkout , " regular " self check out and six in person checkout ) as it gets three sets of customers out of the store no matter the time of day