Just your average Tesco.
The sign above says “10 items only please”, which I think is too specific. I had only two.
As they are express tills, there is one at the front and one at the back, facing either direction. The man underneath the sign was strategically hovering at the back of the tills in order to hog both queues, and so was able to take the first available.
Although quite far from the furthest till, I thought this position very clever and decided to follow suit, and so attempted to be a man in two queues.
The till furthest from me looked like it would be free first and so I started to step towards it.
But suddenly, from behind the freshly cut flowers, came an old lady with dog food and frozen peas. Without shame she put her items into the basket by the till and I was forced into retreat.
So I took the till on the left, and the lady from before was just finishing being served.
I noticed that she had two carrier bags filled with no fewer than fourteen items, but I suppose she was closer to ten than me.
September 27, 2006 at 7:24 pm
I was surprized to see this from you, William,
“I thought this position very clever and decided to follow suit, and so attempted to be a man in two queues.”
I hadn’t realized you had this side to your character.
You seem to be suggesting that there’s something admirable in that man’s ‘queue hogging’ behaviour.
Is this what you’re advocating, that from now on, we none of us simply decide which queue to join and settle into its natural rhythm but instead we should all ‘hover’, betwixt and between the tills, uncommitted and without allegience, waiting like vultures for an opening?
Is that what you’re promoting here because it sounds an awful lot like chaos to me, William.
September 28, 2006 at 8:22 am
Oh dear.
To be honest with you J Tomlinson my behaviour recently has been quite unruly. What with letting people in on the Showroom Cinema queue and the shameful hovering between these two queues here at Tesco.
In my defence, I was a little giddy with the excitement of not being at work and threw all caution to the wind when I strolled into the Tesco at Glossop.
Proof of this untoward behaviour was that I purchased not one, but two prawn curry sandwiches for my lunch.
Of course, and luckily for everyone, this type of anti-social behaviour does not have its reward and as shown I was put into my place by the old lady with dog food and frozen peas.
I do not advocate this cavalier attitude to queuing and show it here as example of what not to do.
September 29, 2006 at 10:47 am
Confessions:
Today I went to Morrisons and was in a rush. In a speedy fashion I darted to the lady with the smallest queue. (Usually I have a nonchalant attitiute towards queues.) I strided in before a larger framed lady and placed my fruit and vegtables on the conveyor belt. Unfortunatly for me the till-lady and customer were friends and so were able to talk over my unruly behaviour.
September 29, 2006 at 11:39 am
Sarah. As glad as I am to see that you are buying fruit and vegetables and not chocolate ice-cream and microwave meals, I am a little disappointed in your behaviour.
Did you have to increase the pace of your stride in order to cut in front of the large framed lady? If so, this is quite shocking.
You know as well as I do that those who are walking towards a queue are as good as in it and that you must join the queue after they do.
October 3, 2006 at 10:41 pm
[...] With all this time on my hands, I thought it probably a good idea to pen a letter to Tesco concerning the sign at their Glossop store. [...]
June 16, 2007 at 9:39 pm
there are birds that have nested in tesco and they are eating the grapes. i think they are whens