tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191533284937327485.post1690351794982270303..comments2023-10-29T08:22:43.432+00:00Comments on That doesn't seem to add up: QueuesJohn Fabenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01949065981896055898noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191533284937327485.post-71300013911095297702010-07-29T12:43:41.741+01:002010-07-29T12:43:41.741+01:00This is true, but I think it's beside the poin...This is true, but I think it's beside the point. When people complain that they "always pick the slowest moving queue", I don't think they're saying that they accidentally choose to go to the Post Office rather than the ATM.<br /><br />I think they're talking about those situations in which they have a choice of otherwise identical queues (eg, supermarket, bank, airport check-in). It is in these situations that you will find yourself spending a lot of time in slow-moving queues purely because they're slow-moving.<br /><br />Of course, this could be solved by adopting a single-queue multiple server model (as they have, for example, at Primark), but that means *really* long-looking queues, which I think tends to put people off.John Fabenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01949065981896055898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191533284937327485.post-12989417409573881132010-07-29T12:00:02.872+01:002010-07-29T12:00:02.872+01:00The statement that we spend more time in slow movi...The statement that we spend more time in slow moving queues is true on a per-queue basis but not necessarily on a per-task basis (or indeed on a global basis).<br />I need stamps and I need to obtain cash (maybe to buy stamps, maybe to buy beer).<br />I can stand in a slow queue at the Post Office and get both. Or I can stand in faster queues at the ATM and the stamp machine. Provided the slow queue is more than half as fast as the fast queues then I will spend less time queueing in the slow queue.<br />If I happen to have a parcel I want to post using the stamps then the slow queue is the best choice because I will have to stand in it for one task anyway.<br /><br />One of the reasons queues may be slow is that the queues are multifunctional. Having me and many others standing at the counter performing multiple transactions ensures the queue remains slow, but may make it time-effective for those with multiple transactions.T_Beermonsterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02844293558621285358noreply@blogger.com