Short lines, long lines, fast lines, and slow lines we hate them all. Back in the day, we were told that in communist Russia, long lines formed just to obtain toilet tissue. However, still today we stand in line to get something we want.
Our patience for standing in line is determined by how much we want what is at the end of the line. If we really want to ride that roller coaster, we’ll stand in line for it. However, many of us will see that the line is long and take a pass.
Lines are bad for business. A customer might spend an hour in the store picking their purchases. Then they get to the line and wait their turn to pay for and receive merchandise. If the line is too long, or moving too slowly, the customer will seek out another line in the hopes that it is moving faster. If it looks completely hopeless, the customer will leave their cart and merchandise and leave the store. Then an employee will need to take the cart and put everything back onto the shelves. End result: store has made no revenue and lost labor in putting back the intended purchases.
Most businesses understand this. They train employees to quickly scan and process customers. They open additional aisles as necessary, trying to do everything they can to get the customer’s money and let them be on their way. They provide aisles with a requirement that the customer have a small number of items. This prevents losing a sale because the customer doesn’t have as much invested in their purchase. If a customer only spends 15 minutes in the store, he is unlikely to spend 30 minutes in line paying for it.
I understand why my fellow customers and I stand in line. It is because we want the end result. We want the food we purchased at the grocery store, and we are willing to wait our turn to pay for that food and leave with the food.
One line I don’t understand is the line to do something that you have no interest in. For example, you go to Bob Evans for breakfast. You are seated, you order, and you eat the breakfast. Then the cashier gives you a receipt and you go the counter and stand in line to pay. In this case, what is the point in standing in line? You already got fed. In fact standing in this line you lose money. The only benefit for you is knowing you are a good honest human being who pays for their food. Is that really enough? Sorry, but I think that restaurants who have the waiter or waitress take the payment is a much more efficient practice. I am still sitting down, sipping on my beverage, while I wait for the server to return.
Line management is also a major headache. People in this country will stand in line for hours upon hours. Some will even wait overnight and basically camp in the line. I remember standing in line to see the movie “Batman” and we were there so long, we had someone bring us dinner. If someone tries to cut in line or violates line etiquette, the once patient people in line can be aggravated even to the point of violence. This is why security becomes a must.
They say line jumping in theme parks will get someone kicked out. However, I have only seen security deal with one line jumper. Every other case, it appears that the line jumper gets away with it. Usually they have some kind of excuse as to why they get to jump ahead. And really, if they are close to leaving anyway, why not line jump. The only penalty is being kicked from the park, and if you’re leaving anyway that isn't much of a deterrent.
But why make customers stand in line in the first place? If you have only 200 seats in your theater available, sell them tickets in advance and have them come back later. If you only have 60 of the newest game console to sell, pre-sell them to the first 60 people in line.
Disney theme parks understand the cost of lines. When a customer is standing in line, they aren’t enjoying themselves, and most importantly they aren’t spending money. Disney put in a reservation system where your place in line is held by a computer reservation. Customers get a ticket that tells them to come back later and they can get into a much shorter line.
A lot of restaurants understand lines as well, especially to get a seat. If there is a line at the host station it is typically a short one. They may take names, but a lot now use electronic pagers to call customers. Hosts often give an estimate to customers as to how long it will take to get a seat. If the host says 45 minutes to an hour, the customers are very likely to turn away and seek food elsewhere. If it is something the customer really wants though, there are some that will wait that hour for a seat.
However, where restaurants fail is the wait area for these customers. Many don’t have the space for all those customers to wait for a table. There is often a shortage of seats in waiting areas. One would think the bar area would help with the wait, however that area fills quickly and often with customers that are not buying liquor. A bar area really doesn’t help deal with waiting customers.
Computers are notably absent from host stations. Typically they use an erasable board or even paper and pen. If they had computers, they could keep track of customers better as well as be more scientific in the estimation of a wait time. They might also be better able to explore other options in managing the demand.
While I don’t think lines will be eliminated in the future, I think there are definitely some methods we could use to make lines shorter and better managed. You can now purchase movie tickets on line and print them out on your printer. Some restaurants are even taking reservations over the Internet. Telephone support systems now uses a method where they call you back rather than have you continue to wait on the phone. We might even get to the point where rather than standing in line for a roller coaster, we have an iPhone ap that gives us a reservation time and reminds us when we can go ride.
Long lines should be extinct like the dinosaurs they are.
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