Tuesday 24 August 2010

Queue Jumping

Now generally, I'm pretty complacent about things, but queue jumping is one of my biggest pet hates!
And in London, people seem to assume this is ok? Has anyone else noticed this?

I mean, fair enough - on the tube, queue jumping is inevitable, because lets face it, there is no obvious queue, just hoards of irritable commuters, all of which feel they deserve to get on the tube more than the little old lady next to them, or that poor woman with the buggy.
And annoying as that is to watch, we just seem to accept it, and to be honest, another tube will be along shortly, with half the amount of people on, so that's not a big deal.

But for people to so blatently cut a queue that is so clearly obvious really winds me up.
Take for example my morning so far. I always stop in the Tesco Express on the way to work to pick up something for breakfast, and every morning there is always a queue running down one of the aisles (always the same aisle, before there is any confusion).
So there is little old me, with my breakkie, happily queuing, when this burly man in a business suit walks into the store, grabs a lucozade, looks directly at myself and the queue which had formed behind me, and as clear as day walked straight up to the till.
Now, I'm not normally very vocal about things like this, I tend to keep my thoughts to myself and generally roll my eyes and grumble under my breath, but the fact this guy made it so obvious he had SEEN the queue, and just figured he was above queuing really pissed me off.
Just because I was not wearing a suit does not give anyone the right to think they are above me, I am working my ASS off at the moment, trying to land myself a job.
So I called him out, reminding him that there was indeed a queue, to which he looked at me, and continued to attempt to pay for his lucozade, by which point I stated that he was clearly above the rest of us and it was my mistake thinking he had to queue like everyone else, and kindly mentioned that I hope his drink chokes him.

Now I apologise to anyone reading this who might be thinking I am a malicious, seething individual who gets ticked off at the smallest of things, but I am sure anyone else would have done the same.
But then, that does make me wonder why no one else in the queue said anything? It is again this unspoken rule that queue jumping is something people don't agree with, but that people just ignore, and let other people feel high and mighty and walk over the rest of us.
London, pull your finger out and stand up for yourself!
I'm new to this commuting lark, but it baffles me to see people happily let other people take the piss.

I think I may just become the Che Guevara of the London Underground..

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