“No you may not cut me, but I’ll let you back-cut me.”
Oh, those were the days. We used to be in line for lunch back in elementary school, waiting to get the delicious food from the cafeteria, when someone actually cut in line. It is all good as long as they ask for permission first, and if you’re, well you know, eight years old. If you do it at an older age things just get weird.
Imagine that happening during Black Friday, with all of those people waiting in line to buy things that they really need want! And I mean REALLY want. They’re willing to spend time in cold weather, without sleep, and spending money.. that is a recipe for disaster if you ask me. Grouchy people waiting in line!
Some people just don’t care and cut in line. They stand around looking suspicious and wait for their chance to get in there without making a big deal out of it. You have to watch out for them, sometimes they try to make conversation with you and stay there even after it dies out. I feel really weird when someone cuts in front of me, I usually just wait for someone to say something like,
“Excuse me, go to the end of the line! We’ve been waiting here!”
And then it gets quiet. Creepy silent.
The cutter will either ignore, apologize, or flip you off. With all the tension, a fight can easily take place, and we all know how awkward it is when people around you start arguing. Or maybe the cutter will pretend like he or she didn’t know there was a line to begin with. Sometimes old people do that.
But other times, people cutting in line cause uncomfortable moments among all of the other people waiting. You don’t know whether to speak up, to shut up, or to pretend you didn’t see anything. Everyone just kinda gets confused.
What do YOU do when people cut in line?
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Oh man, this is one thing that drives me nuts! It’s so impolite to cut in front of someone!
When that happens and it’s just a small kid, I don’t say anything. But if it’s an adult, you better believe I’ll be saying something! lol! I’m not rude about it, I just inform them that the line begins WAAAAAY back there and they usually move.
More often than not, I think it’s an honest mistake. Except with teenagers…they usually do it on purpose and then pretend that they never realised it. Those tricky teenagers… *shakes head and fist in the air*… 😉
P.S. Thanks so much for “Stumbling Upon” my last article (I’m pretty sure it was you)! My number of hits went through the roof yesterday!! That’s ALL thanks to you, Edwin…thank you so much… 🙂
This bugs me too… But there are so many things in life that can drive you nuts… If you let them!
I try to remember not to be in a rush, be patient, and to be kind to them even though they may not be so kind themselves. I also try to remember, you never know what they have going on in their lives…
I also remember how much smarter I am than they are, how much better looking, how I make more money etc etc. LOL. It just makes it easier…
Mr X.
http://www.QuitThe925.com
This happened to me the other day and I gave the person a nasty look and her response was I didn’t see you there. I wanted to say “is that why you shouted your order over my head.” First she cut in line and then she lied to me. I felt better when everyone gave her a nasty look and she looked like a jerk.
When I worked the toy store we’d have at least one line fight per year without fail. We had rather rigid line control and would reset the aisles to force a very particular flow of traffic, so it took some skill to cut the line…
If it is a small child I asked where is your Mommy? After all, they may be lost. Older than that, I say, oh excuse me, I am behind that person and step in front of them. Or, if I am first in line, I smile and say, oh I think I am the next in line and then step up.
Such a pain these cutters are. At the food court in at our college, sometimes the cash machine stops working. Then the incredibly long line, easily around 600 people is formed. And then the late comer prances along and cuts in. This is usually followed by abuses in every possible language, which is responded y acting like nothing happened. Worse is when they cut in front of one of their friends! You cant say anything then!
Great post, as usual 🙂
People cutting in line is a statement that they think they (or their time) is more valuable than you (or your time). That’s just rude and wrong on so many levels–unless they have to stop a murder or something.
I don’t believe I’ve ever had someone cut ahead of me in line, but if I did, I’d probably do something passive-aggressive like muttering loud enough so they can hear, “Can you believe how rude some people are? Just cutting ahead of everyone else rather than waiting their turn?” If I start a riot, so be it…
If they’re bigger than me, I usually just roll my eyes. If I think I can take them, I politely remind them that I’m not invisible and that what I AM doing is forming an orderly line as opposed to just standing there for no apparent reason. I might even apologize for the confusion.