Sweating the small stuff...

I don't know how to begin to explain the benefits of a single line to people who don't get the concept.  What I'm talking about is the situation where you've got more than one cashier, but they're all fed from one line of customers.  The beauty is, of course, that, unlike when there are multiple lines, you're never in the wrong line.  If one cashier turns out to be slow, you're not stuck with him or her.

Now, as long as McDonald's has been in business, they've never made a serious attempt to manage their customer flow.  There's a mosh pit in front of the counter, and the system is a fluid, uncertain one. The customers decide, on the fly, how many lines there are.  The single line system often breaks down when a manager calls out, "Come on, folks, there are two lines!"  Other times, there's a customer who doesn't understand why the people in front of the line don't pick a cashier, thereby making two lines.  That customer, like the woman behind me in line this morning, will say, "If nobody wants to go to that register that's almost empty, I will.  Then the people in front of the idiot have to pick a line quickly, or she'll just do it.

Anyhow, I've gone on too long about a small matter, but I'm a pedantic nerd about these things.

Join me next time when I explain why you should never send a companion to save a seat in a crowded restaurant while you're ordering.