Maybe they were filming a scene for "Candid Camera"?

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv2_dlyt5lE[/youtube]

With that kind of setup separate lines can reasonably be assumed

I don't travel enough to have seen this, but this happens all the time in movie theater concession stands and supermarket checkout lines. New cashier appears, folks form new line.

It's a new line...you snooze...you lose.

Agree

I wish more places would go with the single line method. It really eliminates the inequality of choosing poorly when deciding on a line and then having someone take forever. Grocery stores seem to be the least capable of the single line setup.

In San Francisco and New York City Whole Foods stores that I visit, there's just a single line.

Mathematically (operations research professors can confirm) the single line approach is optimal.

The Union Square and Columbus Circle Whole Foods stores I've been in have multiple lines and 3/4 of the time, it's a case of "you snooze, you lose" when they call the register number out.

I prefer the single line, but in that set up I can absolutely see why a second line would form, and would have no issue with others so doing.

New line, new order. Whomever gets there first is there first.

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.

Failure of a hospitality business to clearly define waiting queues for a large number of guests, resulting in confusing Darwinism when added reception desks open, will likely result in my choosing another hospitality business the next time.

The issue at grocery stores, Target, etc is that the lines are separated by racks of magazines, candy and other sundries. If a new register suddenly opens up, the people stuck in the slow lines are stranded there, hemmed in by the racks, while its the latecomer at the end of the line who has the clear path to be the first one in the new line.

At stores where they seem to care about this, I've commonly seen the new cashier come over and say, "I'll take the next person(s) in line" to try and attempt to even distribute everyone who has been waiting. Otherwise, you do get the free-for-all with those at the end of the lane more physically able to run to the newly opened lane.