Originally Posted by
Enigma368
Well your assumption is that there was a new line. A second receptionist came on duty and called the next person from the one single long line. Someone from half way along this single line decided to go form a new line by himself behind this 2nd receptionist rather than wait in the single line with everyone else. This is not like a supermarket where it is more or less necessary to have a separate line for each checkout.
Either way, I still feel justified in going to the 2nd receptionist when she looked at the single long line and asked who was next, given that I had been in line before this other guy. Nobody has said I was in the wrong in doing this.
I also 100% realise that I have already gone way overboard on this thread 
Yeah but it was fun to read anyway.
This was one of those situations where the cues (no pun intended) to onlookers were ambiguous.
First, I agree that the audio cue from the second person coming on duty should have signalled that they would be processing the existing queue as one queue ("may I take the next person in [the existing] line.")
However, people may not have heard the receptionist say that, and what is more unless there is a roped off area with an opening 'gate' in between the posts such that people can approach the desk from only one direction, people are apt to assume an 'open concourse' in front of the desk and infer a line is to form in front of each staff member on the desk handling requests.
As irritating as it is, the main thing is to process the entire group of people as quickly as possible. In a vehicular traffic situation, the person waiting to advance through an intersection who snoozes when the light turns green holds up a lot of people behind him/her (to the point that fewer cars can traverse the intersection on that light and have to wait for the next one) and overall, service declines.