For those of you who don’t already know, November 9th is Standinaqueue Day.
Standinaqueue Day is an exciting opportunity for you to join in a mass blog at Standinaqueue. We want as many people as possible from around the world to record the time they have spent standing in a queue on Thursday November 9th.
It can be a queue for the bus, a pension or even a bag of crisps. Here at Standinaqueue no queue is too big or too small to talk about.
Send your queue story from November 9th, plus pics if possible (as attachments) to standinaqueue@gmail.com by November 13th, and then all queues will be posted up for all to see.
If, like me, the internet causes you to have short term memory loss and you fear that you may forget this important date, then drop me an email titled “Standinaqueue Day” and I will email you a reminder on the morning of the 9th.
This will truly be a momentous occasion so don’t forget to tell all your family and friends that they too can queue and make history.
The content of any posts on Standinaqueue Day does not reflect the views of standinaqueue. Such content only reflects the views and comments of the named persons who write the individual posts.
November 3, 2006 at 11:57 am
I’m in! Will keep my eyes open for interesting queues to stand in.
November 3, 2006 at 12:50 pm
What if you get hundreds of people sending you entries for the blog? Will you have arranged suitable queueing arrangements to contain the crowds? Will there be chocolate biscuits?
November 3, 2006 at 5:40 pm
I don’t think I can do it that day Will.
It clashes with International Day Against Fascism and Antisemitism, also it is Delta Goodrem’s birthday, we are supposed to be going to pizza hut.
I suppose I will have to document the pizza hut queue.
November 3, 2006 at 6:54 pm
This looks to be going well. Maybe I should contact the local news and get them to report on it.
Sam Tana, I will work through the night if need be to make sure that all will be represented. Chocolate biscuits will be available as well as Garibaldis.
November 3, 2006 at 6:55 pm
Gary Wood, you know how I feel about Pizza Hut.
November 3, 2006 at 8:04 pm
The queues are exciting there.
I will find a different queue then, even if it is during my holiday.
November 3, 2006 at 8:05 pm
And in relation to bisuits? I would prefer cake.
November 5, 2006 at 9:55 am
Pizza hut have a queues aplenty – You queue even to sit down. Chocolate biscuits please, if there are any left!?
November 5, 2006 at 10:24 am
First visit here. Love your concept! Will come back. Traveling on Nov. 9th, I should have interesting queuing stories for you ! Will be back here. Cheers.
November 5, 2006 at 12:17 pm
i’m definiteLy in.
but am curious who started this day?
and … is this the first one?
cheers, and wiLL send pics.
*spike
November 5, 2006 at 3:06 pm
Bienvenue a standinaqueue Francois.
I look forward to hearing about the queues in Budapest, and am glad that we have yet another country involved. If you have any fellow bloggers in other countries who you think would be interested, please don’t hesitate in asking them.
We will accept queue stories in any language.
November 5, 2006 at 3:24 pm
Hello Spike
By taking part you will be one of the founding members of Standinaqueue Day as this is the first one.
I am very pleased that you wish to take part and please feel free to tell all of this event.
BTW, I really like the layout of your CV. I used to shop in Buffalo Exchange in Albuquerque NM.
November 6, 2006 at 10:10 pm
hi william,
am excited about your Standinaqueue Day. i’m actually doing a major MA project on ‘queues’ in London right now. outcome will be a design intervention. but not quite at that point of knowing what the intervention will be yet. would like to keep in touch if you’re keen.
ahhh…yes. the Buffalo. in albuQUErqUE, eh?
November 7, 2006 at 10:49 am
Hello Spike
Yes, I am most definitely keen.
I had a further poke around your blog last night and see that you have come up with some great ideas. I especially like the circuit around the Hayward Gallery and the tuning fork invitation.
By design intervention do you mean a way to make the queue faster or more interesting for the person involved?
November 7, 2006 at 1:32 pm
Hi William,
cheers for the interest.
i agree, the Hayward Circuit was good fun.
the project i’m working on now is in
collaboration with the same partner of the Hayward
…my colleague Antonia.
we aim to make a queue more of an enjoyable event.
and we’d like to create some sort of interaction.
at the moment we are studying a specific cash point queue
in London…different days, different times.
and will make some audience assumptions etc.
thats about where we’re at now.
November 7, 2006 at 2:50 pm
Hello Spike
Drifting off to sleep last night I thought when in a queue of a multinational store or bank, how interesting it would be to have screens showing in realtime other queues from the same store but in different countries.
But I can’t tell if that is good or bad PR for the company involved.
And it is merely interesting, for me anyway, and does not make the queue an enjoyable event.
I will keep my thinking cap on.
November 7, 2006 at 3:00 pm
William, I want to report a most unsatisfactory situation that has developed at our local Post Office, there are two serving counters separated by a doorway that leads to the bowels of the Post Office.
Until recently there was a queue line in the centre of the building with customers going left or right as the case may be when their turn came.
Someone has had the bright idea to make two queue lines now, as the time taken to transact Post Office business varies quite a lot it is impossible to pick which queue to join with any degree of certainty, in fairness to the staff they try to keep aneye on who’s turn it is next and sometimes beckon a customer from the other queue to their counter.
This leads to a lot of confusion as to just who’s turn it is to approach what counter, so easily remedied by reverting to the single queue line, but who’s responsibility is it to have this changed?
Is there any precedent for this situation that you know of?
November 7, 2006 at 4:24 pm
My dear Peter, what a shocking predicament.
If you can, you must take pictures of the queue so that we can name and shame said Post Office.
In recent years, here in the UK, we have seen a lot of the larger stores and fastfood chains turn to a one queue system, and I am amazed that your local Post Office has decided to go the other way. In no way is this faster or beneficial and indeed, like you said, creates confusion and even anxiety for the customer.
I have found in the past that one of the best ways to make yourself heard is to write a letter. Although it does help to have a larger body behind you and so I suggest that we write a letter from Standinaqueue to try and rectify the situation. If you can give me the Post Office’s location, I will pen a letter to the manager straight away.
November 7, 2006 at 5:35 pm
Hi william,
the idea of a queue being enjoyable MAY not have to be the outcome. It COULD just be memorable…
also we have a clear decision that we are not trying to promote a business in any way. so…we can go in any direction.
November 7, 2006 at 6:17 pm
Any direction?
A queue must always go forwards.
November 7, 2006 at 7:03 pm
And forwards we shall go.
So Spike, at the moment, this intervention can be for any queue for any service, but in London. Right?
November 8, 2006 at 1:43 am
Thank you for your prompt answer to my query on the Post Office queue William, I am delighted to inform you that the Post Office in question is Located in Gympie, 4570, Queensland, Australia.
I’m pretty sure they will know their own address, however just in case, they are located at 3 Mary Street.
November 8, 2006 at 9:41 am
You are very welcome Peter.
I will write them a letter today so that the original queuing system can be restored as quickly as possible.
November 8, 2006 at 10:23 am
Phew, lucky I discovered this today. I nearly missed standinaqueue day. This calls for a special trip to Greggs tomorrow for a pasty.
I may even pluck up the courage to join the automatic check-out queue at Tesco’s. The queue there always seems more tense and unstructured that other queues. I think its a subconscious fear of technology and that bossy electronic voice.
November 8, 2006 at 11:26 am
Yes Gary Wood, an orderly queue moves forwards…but why is it that we always face the direction we’re queuing? these are the rules i suppose. when you step into a lift, do you walk in and face the people, or do you turn around and face the door?
wiLLiam, we’ve decided to start our observations at 3 specified busy cash points in London. One’s that seem to be the only cashpoint in their area. we’d like to first experiment with a queue which wiLL be ‘easier’ to intervene in. outdoors, and not under a business’ immediate authority.
November 8, 2006 at 11:48 am
[...] As some of you probably already know, Peter has reported to me on some unwanted changes at his Post Office in Queensland. [...]
November 8, 2006 at 11:52 am
It’s Picklin’ Paul the Prince of Pickles!
I stumbled across your site only yesterday and may I say I’m honoured to have you here at standinaqueue.
I’m so pleased that you’ve made it here in time for Standinaqueue Day. I cannot wait.
November 8, 2006 at 12:24 pm
Oh Spike, I worry somewhat when you question the way people face in a queue.
But I’ve got it now for the starting point of queue intervention: three busy cashpoints in London.
November 8, 2006 at 5:53 pm
Why not intervene by playing conga music?
I have never forgotten any of my conga lines.
Queue, Queue, Queue, Come on and Do the Conga!
November 8, 2006 at 7:45 pm
Gary, thats a memorable intervention. I think it would be great if my queue started to Conga.
November 8, 2006 at 8:16 pm
Thank you Picklin Paul – Prince of Pickles,
You have the power to make any queue conga, simply hum the tune and move your hips, perhaps even move the person’s hips infront of you.
November 8, 2006 at 8:30 pm
I think it is a good idea too Picklin’ Paul the Prince of Pickels.
I’ve gone and told Spike on her blog.
November 9, 2006 at 9:04 am
[...] Click here for details. [...]
November 9, 2006 at 6:35 pm
yes, a conga is nice. thought of a tango as well…since it invloves a straight line.
November 9, 2006 at 11:54 pm
[...] Don’t forget to visit Krazy Kardz Korner if you ever want to buy cards for birthdays, christmas days or standinaqueue days. [...]