Why Brits Shouldn’t Love a Queue

When will we learn that free doesn’t mean free?

Image created by the author using Microsoft Designer

Apparently, Brits love to queue, but not me. This Brit hates queues.

In my Grandad’s time, queuing for rations was necessary. Queuing without a sense of fairness and orderliness was unheard of. Waiting for one’s turn was the proper behaviour when wartime meant supplies were meagre. An orderly queue was the embodiment of the British culture, and as Churchill knew, and explained when visiting Harrow school in Oct 1941, whatever the task, we Brits would ‘…make up their minds that the thing has to be done and the job put through and finished, then, even if it takes months — if it takes years — they do it.’

With the benefit of modern living, I now see queues as points of failure.

Entry points are too narrow, or capacities insufficient to handle demand. Bottlenecks squeeze the flow, conveniently overlooking the human needs behind the service being offered. Others see a queue as a success. Shareholders see their dividends increase when the scales of supply and demand are weighted in favour of the latter.

Queues have also become more sophisticated. You don’t have to find yourself standing in a long line anymore. Most places provide seating, and sometimes, a ticket system or audible announcement gives you your…