So you're in the checkout line at a store... (stupid etiquette question)

There is only one cashier, and the wait is turning into an eternity. A second cashier appears and asks for the next customer. Doesn't the first person in the old line get to go first because they've been waiting the longest? Or do the last people in line get to start the new line?

It seems like common sense to me, but maybe I'm just extra grumpy today and need a nap. :shrug: :P

who would have been helped by the cashier on the original line gets to go.

the words 'next customer' should be a hint, but stupid far outnumbers marginally bright these days.

to the new line (or be given the right of first refusal).

You may need a nap, and you may be grumpy, but you're correct, IMO.

he/she has already unloaded all of the stuff from the cart onto the belt. Then, the person behind him or her goes, because chances are it would take longer to load and unload than it would just to wait.

I was at a drugstore.

rule is if said next person isn't paying a damn bit of attention.

I work in a grocery store (oh, lucky me) and I run into this issue a lot. I'll be called up to check and I'll try to get the "next person" and the jerk at the back of the line runs over. So now I physically enter the line, tap the next person and say, "excuse me, miss, would you like to come over to checkstand 4?" and I'll refuse to take the other rude idiot - "I'm sorry but this lady was first."

I had a woman come up to my "10 items or less" checkout one day with at least $300 worth of crap in her cart - she told me, "you're going to check me out whether you like it or not!" and began piling shit on the belt. I told her, "No, I'm not" turned off my light, shut down my register and left. Didn't get in trouble for it either.

98% of my customers are nice people. The other 2% really stand out.

if the registers are consistently understaffed, talk to the manager and tell them the most important part of your shopping experience is getting through checkout efficiently -- it shouldn't take as long in checkout as it does to collect your groceries.

I work for a store that talks a lot about "customer service". Which I agree with - that's what I want when I shop. Unfortunately the company doesn't want to pay for it. We are consistently understaffed because the company only allows stores a certain amount of hours for scheduling in each department. These allotments are based on your profits so if profits are down, you get less help. This, to me, is a good way to send profits further down, but what do I know?

What happens is that they can only schedule so many checkers. The lines grow long. They call for more checkers who have to leave what they are doing in their departments - dairy, or produce or whatever. So the milk doesn't get stocked and there's no rutabagas on the shelf and the customers are all pissed. This so we can pay our CEO enough money to have 6 houses and a private jet.

if things get bad enough, the customers go somewhere better, bad business fails.

There is a beautiful Albertson's where I live in an older part of Dallas that I have been into twice. Both times I waited in line for 25 minutes after shopping to get to the checkout counter. I've never gone back even though where I shop is farther away. I usually spend between $200 - $250 a week on groceries, or about $11,000+ a year to feed the family. I have no problem giving that $11,000 to a store that is happy to check me out rather than one that doesn't care how long I stand in line.

That's economics.

However, I don't bother to push that. I'm next, anyway.

That person KNOWS he/she is next.

I love stores that queue everyone and feed them into the next available cashier... much more civilized.