20 feet away from counter

[Josh]

people who stand 10-20 feet away from the ATM, or order/service counter and get butthurt or snarky when someone with common sense dares to 'cut' in front of them.

[Boozy]

Yeah, that drives me nuts too. You in line or aren't you? Make it clear.

[HYHYBT]

It depends... it's rude to stand too close behind someone who's using an ATM, or so I've always been told. And if you're waiting at, for instance, one of those clusters of self-checkouts, are you really supposed to try to squeeze in a separate line for each of them even though there's obviously not space? It makes far more sense to stand back, not 20 feet, but far enough that you can take whichever one opens up first.

If only all stores used the banking approach to line formation...

[Boozy]

People at ATM's do get a bit freaked out if you stand too close behind them, but I wish people would use common sense. 20 feet of distance is too much to indicate you're in line. I think about 5 feet is sufficient space to give someone at an ATM.

I completely agree about those self-checkouts, though. I like to stand far enough back so that I can see all eight checkouts and hop over to the first open one. But again, that seems like common sense to me. I would hope someone approaching the self-checkouts would think the same way and see me standing there, in the logical place.

[Seifer]

I would hope someone approaching the self-checkouts would think the same way and see me standing there, in the logical place.

Unfortunately, common sense has been destroyed by stupid people.

I see people all the time at a fast food restaurant (or other establishment where there's a designated line) and they stand in the way, twiddling their thumbs while they make a decision. Everyone thinks they're in line (because, again, they're standing in the way), and everything becomes a clusterfuck.

So, I wouldn't be surprised if people coming up to the self-checkout thought you were just thinking about which checkout station to join, because they've dealt with the above mentioned people. Hopefully, if they're not sure why you're there, they'd think to simply ask you - but that's probably asking too much of humanity.

[powerboy]

I like to stand far enough back so that I can see all eight checkouts and hop over to the first open one. But again, that seems like common sense to me. I would hope someone approaching the self-checkouts would think the same way and see me standing there, in the logical place.

Unfortunately, common sense has been destroyed by stupid people.

So, I wouldn't be surprised if people coming up to the self-checkout thought you were just thinking about which checkout station to join, because they've dealt with the above mentioned people. Hopefully, if they're not sure why you're there, they'd think to simply ask you - but that's probably asking too much of humanity.

If someone is standing far back from the counter waiting for a line to open, then technically they are not in a line. So why would anyone have to ask? Now if they are standing a few feet away, then yeah people should ask then.

[Seifer]

If someone is standing far back from the counter waiting for a line to open, then technically they are not in a line. So why would anyone have to ask? Now if they are standing a few feet away, then yeah people should ask then.

I guess it all depends on distance, as you said. I'd feel put-off if I jumped into a self-checkout and someone got pissed because I "cut in front of them", even though that person wasn't directly in line. :/

[jackfaire]

I see people all the time at a fast food restaurant (or other establishment where there's a designated line) and they stand in the way(

Usually I am this person but not on purpose. I am off to the side out of the designated line area looking at the menu figuring out what I want and then I figure it out I go to get in line when I turn around there are people that have been lining up behind me even though I wasn't even near the line area.

[Boozy]

If someone is standing far back from the counter waiting for a line to open, then technically they are not in a line. So why would anyone have to ask? Now if they are standing a few feet away, then yeah people should ask then.

Argh. People who think like that mess up the whole self checkout line system.

Nine out of ten people understand that the line should be for all 6 or 8 checkouts, and stand back far enough to jump onto the first free unit. If it makes sense for 9 out of 10 people, it's the de facto system.

[Josh]

Argh. People who think like that mess up the whole self checkout line system.

Nine out of ten people understand that the line should be for all 6 or 8 checkouts, and stand back far enough to jump onto the first free unit. If it makes sense for 9 out of 10 people, it's the de facto system.

guess I missed or didnt receive that memo. The self checkouts that I have seen have the SAME configuration as regular cashier lines, find the line you like and move your behind to it, so unless its clearly layed out as a one line to all checkouts its fair game where you want to line out at. Choose a line and move ur behind to it.

I doubt the design was to ensure a single giant line blocking the middle of the main checkout row, or to have sigle asshat 20' away from 6-8 self serve checkouts start a line at their leisure.

[HYHYBT]

The ones I've seen are in clusters of four, with a human cashier in the middle watching over things (and, in one store near here, a display of roasted chickens in the center.) There is nowhere obviously intended for lining up... but there's also not room to form a line at either of the front two without blocking people from leaving the back two. The sensible thing to do, then, is to line up behind the back ones and take whatever opens first.

People pull this at McDonald's double drive-thrus as well. How it's supposed to work: you have ONE line to begin with. It forks to go to two separate speaker boxes, then re-merges. You stop at the fork until one of the speakers is available, then pull to it. What really happens: while you're waiting for an open space, someone drives around the existing line and pulls in behind the car ordering in the outside lane, cutting in front of however many to do so. Then people start lining up behind them, not only not speeding anything up overall but also blocking what was supposed to be a lane for those trying to get through the parking lot.

[Andara Bledin]

Nine out of ten people understand that the line should be for all 6 or 8 checkouts, and stand back far enough to jump onto the first free unit. If it makes sense for 9 out of 10 people, it's the de facto system.

If it's obvious that there's a single feeder line, yeah.

But all of the self-checkouts I've run across (Costco, Home Depot, Walmart) have had individual lines.

^-.-^

[jackfaire]

But all of the self-checkouts I've run across (Costco, Home Depot, Walmart) have had individual lines.

^-.-^

Around here with self checkouts it seems to be whatever the crowd is doing. Sometimes people wait like there is one line for all four machines other times people have four different lines. It just seems to be based on whatever is going on when you get there.