QUEUE PSYCHOLOGY

A queue is a waiting line. And nowadays queues are very big problem. You can see queues in the supermarkets, airports, toll booths and so on. As you know if you live in a big city your time always is doubled, because half of your day time you spend in the queues. There is some ways how to choose the quickest queue at the supermarket. Choose a queue which is on the outside. The queue that is surrounded by queues can be jumped onto from each side - but a queue on the end can be jumped onto only from one side. Psychologists find that, as the number of people behind increases, the consumer is in a relatively more positive affective state. For example, when people have to wait at the restaurant, waiter can turn the waiting area into a bar, which also adds to revenue as well as occupying time. Nearly everyone has had the experience of choosing a line at the supermarket or airport, and stood there worrying that he had, indeed, chosen the wrong line. As one stands there trying to decide whether to move, the anxiety level increases and the wait becomes intolerable. This situation is covered by what is known as Erma Bombeck’s Law:
“The other line always moves faster.”
Also psychologists find that uncertain waits are loger than known. For example, clients who arrive early for an appointment will sit contentedly until the scheduled time, even if this is a significant amount of time in an absolute sense. However, once the appointment time is passed, even a short wait of, say, ten minutes, grows increasingly annoying.
So, to sum up, I can say that psychologist, supermarkets, banks owners and other, should try to devise new ways how to reduce people anxiety, when they have to queue.