Do you tell on people who cut lines?

[mkhl]

I hate people cutting lines but somehow, I can not do anything. Other might not back me up which leads to me being embarrassed or it might lead to a big confrontation. I just stay there really annoyed to the one the cut the line and really anxious because I don't do anything about it.

 

[Alex]

Yes, I do this with no hesitation. If i am with someone though like my parents I won't because they won't like it, but if I am alone or with friends I will. I once told a well known actor to get back when he tried to cut in front of me to pay at the local supermarket. He did because he knew he was trying it on. I always ask if someone is queuing in the line to make sure, because some people aren't so bright and just stand anywhere. It has happened and people have exclaimed they didn't know they were in the line.


My job used to be queue management and logistics at Heathrow Airport, so I know how important it is to stop people cutting in, or people who shouldn't be in the line to move. A simple "Are you in the queue or line?" is all that is needed, and if they cut in, I always say, "Excuse me the back is over there," and most will be too embarrassed to stay.

 

[pwarbi]

For me it all depends on the situation and my mood that day I think. Sometimes if the queue isn't that big or I'm not in a rush then I will just let it slide because I can't be bothered to cause a scene, but on some days I certainly will challenge them and if that happens then I always get my way. One incident I can remember recently was in a supermarket and I and a few others had been queueing up at a checkout for quite a while when they opened another checkout at the side of us. Just as we was going to all shuffle over to that one, a woman came practically running down the aisle and pushed in front of everyone.


You'd have thought that the girl on the checkout would have said something but she never did and started to serve her. Well, I thought if she wasn't going to say anything then I would, and I promptly took all her groceries off the conveyor belt and put them back in her basket. She said "oh I'm sorry, I didn't realise there was a queue" and pretended she hadn't noticed us all standing there like lemmings. I said " You DID realise there was a queue but thought that nobody would say anything. Unlucky, now get to the BACK" and she sheepishly walked to the back of the line.


Some people take the p*ss and they shouldn't be allowed to get away with it, and on this occasion she didn't.

 

[17emilyhalko]

I am in a similar boat as you. I don't like when people cut lines, but I'll never say anything. I think that it's because I don't want to be confrontational. I don't want to be that one petty, whiny person who tells the person to back off. Moreover, I always convince myself that someone else will do it for me... which very rarely actually happens. I just let it go. One more person in front of me usually doesn't make a difference. Unless you're at a motor vehicle agency in a big town or city. I was at the MVC by Trenton, and WOW the wait was unbearable. They also, somehow, forgot to call me up. When I saw that people that were behind me in line get called up before me, I took to customer service and whined. They forgot to put me in the computer. I was SO incredibly angry. I was NOT going to wait in that line again for another 2 hours. Luckily, they took me right away at the customer service.

 

[kgord]

It depends,,,usually I do say something, because I don't like people getting in front of me if they are not entitled to. If I am not in a hurry, and in a good mood, I just let it slide, because who really cares? It does happen often at the checkout. Now, say if it is at the pharmacy or something or in a restaurant and other guests get served first..I may not say anything, but I always notice. Fair is Fair after all. I am pretty big on fairness..although life isn't always fair.

 

[DDNatureLover]

As with some other posters, it depends on my mood and how I'm feeling, as well as whether or not I'm in a hurry. Generally, in traffic, I will let someone cut in front of me if there's no line behind me, and if I'm not in a rush and am feeling o.k. I will sometimes do the same at the grocery or other store, especially if the person only has a few items and is elderly, disabled, or a parent with whiny or crying children. If someone deliberately cuts in front of me though, I will usually call them out on it, because I don't want their behavior to be reinforced by getting away with it. I agree that the onus should be on the cashier, and sometimes they will check the person, and other times, they either don't see what happened, or just don't care. It's their job to do so, though, since they are there to serve the customers, and unhappy customers aren't good for business.

 

[HappyKoi]

I'm trying to be more assertive about it. Right now I'm at the point where I will sometimes say, "Excuse me, I was next," and it feels terrifying. I was in a line last week and some people cut in front of me, and I just went to the back of the line. I wasn't proud of that, but I got scared and froze.


DD, I've been the cashier, and I try to notice if someone cuts in line and ignore people who push ahead or who come up beside me and ignore the line completely. Sometimes, though, I get so busy that I just don't notice, and I appreciate when people correct me. What freaks me out is when two people get in a nasty argument over who was there first or that they have a "quick question" or have some other BS reason they don't want to wait in line. Then I just do whatever I need to do to get the yelling person to stop. No, it's not a good thing, and yes, it reinforces their behavior, but it does get them away from me and everyone else.

 

[Zeesi]

I'll usually say something, especially if they are right in front of me, and hope that someone else says something if the person does it to them. Like someone else here said a simple 'excuse me the line is back there', is enough to set most people to rights when it comes to this sort of thing. Good thing this doesn't happen to me often.


I've been in stores where there are no clear markings as to where the line starts, or no clear indication if there is just one line for multiple registers in a store. That type of thing is the store's responsibility to make sure that people know where to line up so that misunderstandings do not happen often. If the markings are clear then it is known that the cutting was blatant and one doesn't have to feel so embarrassed about correcting somebody for it.

 

[GrubbyRose]

I only say something of it is a really rude action on the line cutters part, such as barging into line without asking, or walking straight up to the front. If everybody is just milling around without a line and we are not really sure about who got here first, I just let the other person go first. A couple of years ago, I would have never said anything, but I have worked up a little bravery since then, and I seem to be able to stand up for myself a bit more now. I would still have trouble getting involved if I was not the one being jumped in front of though.

 

[pwarbi]

As we grow older as well though, I think we tend to get less tolerant of people's actions. In the past when I was younger I wouldn't want the hassle of confrontation and would just ignore it, but now I think why should I let a person take advantage of me? Society as changed a lot lately, and people do try and push things to the limit in a lot of situations, purely because they think people are afraid to challenge them and in a lot of cases they are.


People are out for number one these days and if they think they can get away ith something then that's what they'll try and do, an in turn that makes others think that they should act the same so it ends up being a vicious circle.

 

[Laneorexorcist]

This happens to me really often, especially when I'm about to get on the bus, a lot of people especially women think that have the right to get on it before me, and it's really annoying because sometimes I'm extremely tired and I want to sit and most of the time I go standing up because they occupied all the seats. But I don't tell them anything, I am aware that's a big part of how man are perceived and treated, or at least on my country.

 

[KW2496]

I never call people out on it. I also feel uncomfortable when someone I am with does it for me. I do get annoyed if someone cuts but I usually just let it go. I have no problem with confrontation with people I know but it makes me anxious if I don't know the person, so I don't speak up if someone cuts.

 

[rz3300a]

Well this seems a little childish or elementary, on every party involved if this scenario plays out. That said though, I would hope that adults are not out there making a habit of cutting other people in lines, but then again I guess I cannot be too surprised by the things people do these days. If somebody cut me in line I am really not sure what I would do, but I am guessing I would try to deal with it myself, responsibly and calmly of course, and just hope that works. Interesting stuff, and thanks for sharing.

 

[tad1213]

I definitely do not say anything about people cutting lines. Most often, I think people are respectful enough to not do this, yet when it does happens, I don't do anything. Sometimes I make an excuse for them, assuming my meager presence was not noticeable to them, and they simply just did not see me. Another thing is, my boyfriend always says something to these people. It upsets me immensely because I would rather avoid the confrontation altogether. This is something I have always wanted to work on. I think because I want to avoid confrontation I often let people walk all over me, which makes me very unhappy.

 

[lexinonomous]

I was having a conversation about line cutters with a friend of mine the other day. This happens a whole lot when I'm attending amusement parks in the area. One of the most aggravating things for me is buying a $100 ticket to Disneyland, only to be cut in front of multiple times throughout the day. As much as it upsets me to see people constantly cutting in line, I still don't open my mouth to say something. I would love to have the courage to tell someone that they're being rude, but sadly, I'm way too passive for that. I am too afraid of the confrontation that can come from telling someone their wrong. I figure that if the person is confident enough to cut in front of multiple people, they are more than likely confident enough to get into a fight.

 

[VanM]

It depends on my mood and who I'm with at the time the 'crime' was made. If I'm in a good mood, I just normally look away as if nothing happened. Of course this is not the correct way to react and that we should always be ready to address a wrong deed. But when I'm in a bad mood and someone try to cut lines, expect me to be upfront in calling out the person.

 

[John Snort]

A few years back I used to be rather impatient and if I was queuing up and someone cut the queue and no one said anything, I'd also go straight to the front of the line. People would be angry but if all they can do is get angry and take no action, then someone can just ignore them. Since I do most of my shopping very early in the morning these days, I avoid the long queues.

 

[Humphrey247]

I'd like to say yes but I can't. Just two weeks someone did cut me in line, I remember being annoyed but I didn't do anything. I wanted yo say something but I'm kind of afraid of doing anything that attracts attention.

 

[DylanRowan]

I'd like to say yes but I can't. Just two weeks someone did cut me in line' date=' I remember being annoyed but I didn't do anything. I wanted to* say something but I'm kind of afraid of doing anything that attracts attention.[/quote']
This is exactly how I feel every time. Since you might not know the person who is cutting in line, the person's reaction is probably unknown. Which might lead to the person getting a little hostile in my experience. One day, I was getting inside the bus to go home. A girl started to sneak to the front lines where I was. Then, I told her to stop that, and when she reached me, she pushed me hard causing the others in the back to lose balance. That was one of the few times I've told someone about cutting lines, and I don't think I want to do it again.

 

[Surrender]

No I don't often do this as it doesn't bother me too much. Usually I feel the person just must be in a bigger rush that me and I am blessed to have a lot of free time these days.


But I have told on someone who did not flush the toilet in a one-person public bathroom. I was waiting and waiting and the person was taking forever, and when I first went to open the door her boyfriend stopped me and said someone's in there. When she finally left I got in and it was a DISASTER zone, clearly no attempt at flushing as there was paper on the seat still - I felt so disgusted I just walked out after her and said I think you forgot to flush the toilet. I couldn't believe I said it or did it, but she went back in and cleaned it up.


Don't know if that was wrong of me to do and I don't know if I would do it again but the words just came out of me.