Yeah, this bothers me a bit too. I kind of look at it humorously though. Yeah, it's rude to go right up to the belt, since this essentially blocks others from seeing and gettng their luggage, but I really don't think people are trying to be rude. They're just doing what they see the mob doing. That's basic human behavior. This is similar to people rushing to get in line to get on an airplane that isn't leaving until everyone is on the plane. It's all enjoyable for me to watch how people act in groups. It doesn't seem to make sense sometimes.

So if my route is blocked to the luggage carousel, I do say, "excuse me", and proceed to get my luggage. Since I don't want to miss my luggage on that go around, some people in my way might receive a firm bump here and there. Nothing serious though. I guess that's a small price to pay for being "unknowingly?" selfish. = )