Do you like waiting in line? I gotta say for me, it depends on the line and the goods or services I will receive once I reach the front. I don't like waiting in line to get into Costco, but waiting in line to get into a concert isn't so bad. I didn't like waiting in line at the Social Security Office, but waiting in line at Mitchell's Ice Cream doesn't bother me a bit.
The kind of line I usually dislike is the school drop off / pick up line.
The school across the street from me is back in session. They have both a drop off line in the morning and a pick up line in the afternoon. And boy oh boy, do they have a pick up line in the afternoon. It wraps around a whole city block, the tail end of which is in the street, right in front of my house. Coincidently, the pick up spot is in the parking lot, which is also right in front of my house. The parents picking up their kids have to drive in a circle the size of a city block to pick up their kids. From 2:45pm until just after 3pm there is a constant stream of cars in front of my house.
I noticed once day that cars start lining up upwards of 45 minutes before the last bell so they could be first in line to pick up their kids. I wondered, is it worth it to show up 45 minutes early to be first in line? or is it faster to show up a little later when the line starts moving? The benefit or result is the same; picking up one's kid. You don't get to choose the kid you want to take home if you're first and you don't have to take home more kids if you're last. I decided to time the cars in the line. Luckily, among the Minivans and SUVs, and a surprising amount of Teslas, there is a family at the school who has a very large distinctive vehicle. For a whole week I timed how long it took for the dad to go from the street in front of my house, all the way around the city block, and into the parking lot. My suspicion was true. The bulk of one's time in line is spent idling. Once the line starts moving, even though it winds around a whole city block, takes only about 15 minutes to get from the back of the line to the front of the line.
Are you the type of person who would rather wait 45 minutes just to avoid the line? Or are you the type of person who would rather be in a constantly moving line? I think in this instance I'm the latter.
