Why do the British queue so much?

A new problem has started in the form of self-checkouts in supermarkets. Arranged as they usually are, in groups of four looking inwards, the accepted thing is to wait just outside, and accept the first of the four to become free. Others should queue behind you. Some have adopted the thought that you are queueing for the two on the right, and they stand next to you, apparently waiting for the two on the left to become free. Wrong!

Sometimes, even when there is a visible queue, someone just appears from nowhere and takes a free machine before the queuer canget to it. Cue argument. And I have to say, the people who seem ignorant of the queuing system are pretty new to the country.

These things are going to cause a fight soon, and it may involve me.

I am a bit sick of it. I was brought up to respect the queue. You wait your turn,say please and thank you and behave nice and treat everyone in a civil manner. I have just started a new job in a Day Care Centre. They are really short staffed and at the dinner queue well, lets put it this way, at the Starving Refugee Handout we have at lunchtime, people are pushing in all the time. I dont know how to behave in that environment, so I sit down and wait to be served last. When I complained a member of staff said I should push in as well. It makes me so angry, but I am not going to start behaving like an animal. No, worse than an animal because my dog waits for his turn to be fed.

" Why do Brits queue so much?"

err... because the rest of the world doesn't???

What irritates me is queuing at concerts. We all want a good view of the band we have all paid to see but I am darn sure that I am not going to queue from 4 in the morning to get said good view. Personally I blame the venues, they should not allow queuing until around 30 minutes before a show, that way it is fair to all the concert goers and to the people just trying to get through the street who have to weave their way through the crowd to get anywhere

Brits are disgusting? Seems a bit ironic coming from someone with the name of 'the big stink'. Why is it, when anything remotely British mentioned on the internet, some one has to have a go? Cant we all just get along???? You love us really!!!

Anyway, if there were no queuing, where would we stand? What would we do? There would be mass brawls! It would be the end of civilisation as we know it!!! Queuing is just good sense.

Soon 90% of all Brits will be joining either the Dole Queue or the Welfare Hand-Out Queue. Brits are so disgusting, especially the majority of the sub-prime have-nots.

The Upperclass Brits who never ever queued for anything are all disgusting snobs.

Terry, migrants don't know how to queue either. They push their way into this country and then push their way into our queues.

Rori, I've always thought the East Coast of Yorkshire to be a friendly place, indeed this is mostly true. I've a friend who lives on the East Coast and he reports that the locals are getting less and less friendly to each other... I hope this trend doesn't continue. Seaside locations are supposed to be happy and friendly places to live, where happy memories are made (or used to be before cheap package deals) so it's not terribly good news to hear that locals of these areas aren't as friendly as they used to be. I guess another visit to Scarborough might be on the cards to compare, Rori. Regards.

Youthful griper, we visited Scarborough many years ago and felt genuine warmth from people who were very kind and helpful. I don't know if it has changed since.

East London used to be a pretty nice and friendly place but has changed a lot over the last few years. My friend has a guide dog who gets shoved out of the way too in the scrum to get on the bus and people run pushchairs over his paws on the bus if he does not move fast enough. In our area fewer and fewer blind people actually use the bus any more even though there are actually more people now who have guide dogs than a few years ago.

Thanks for the posts. All the best. Rori

We queue so much nowadays as there are more people on this Island as there was a few years back.

What with all these migrants coming to the UK to give birth. The queues will be even longer to come.

That's such a shame Rori, I suspect that had there been someone blind in a bus queue here they'd get priority and I'd have no doubt that they'd receive offers of help in boarding the bus.

Our buses up here are all single door, whereas in London they're dual door. The front doors are for both entry and exit, this being the same across the UK. It's just politeness and good manners to let people disembark before boarding but some people just get on against the flow of people getting off. Again, this seems more of a thing in bigger cities such as Leeds.

Well Youthful Griper, that sound like it used to be here. Now, there is just a rugby scrum with everyone pushing and shoving to get on first. There is no queue at all anymore. I miss it as I travel with someone blind who has a guide dog and if the bus was too busy we used to let one go and wait for the next, now there would be no point because being there first does not mean that you get on first.

I have always liked Yorkshire (although I have only been to North Yorkshire and not for some years); it sounds nicer than here, maybe I should move there? Thanks for the reply

I live in Yorkshire, the West of.

At bus stops and in bus stations people queue. If the queue is larger than the permitted area of the bus station for that particular bay or stand, people wait on the concourse near the stand. When the bus comes, the queue gets on the bus in the order in which they waited. Those on the concourse tend to allow the queuing people on first, then they board.

Old people tend to be worse for pushing in, especially at bus stops. Many times I've been at a stop first, the senior arrives after me. Bus comes, I stick my arm out and she toddles on board. I'm not too bothered, I'd rather she turn to me first to acknowledge I was there - I'd oblige and allow her on before me. This seems more kind mannered than just assuming and jumping onboard. There are some old persons who have been rather nice and allowed me to board before them, despite them being in the queue first.

I've been in bus stations in cities and empty buses have pulled up. People just barge to the bus like cattle to the slaugher house, as if it's going to depart without picking them up. It's quite funny because it's mostly OAPs who do this, to see who can get to the disabled area/OAP seats first.